After an unfortunate shopping centre incident, my car side mirror collected a post. Luckily the mirror “sort of” bent back into position, but a couple of the plastic parts need replacing. The basics all work, the electronic adjusters, the L/R indicator light on the edge of the mirror. The plastic is bent out of shape, cracked in a couple of places.
I only made preliminary calls about getting theses parts replaced…and I haven’t even tried VW yet. A vague quote over the phone…$500, (15 mins to fit it) but if I wanted it painted, add on another $120…and that’s not for the actual mirror, or electrics…that’s just for the top and bottom plastic mirror coverings.
Typically, the car had just had its once a year polish and looked brand new (it has only done 15,000) 
and here is my dilemma…it’s a base model VW Polo and cost about $16,000 new. When you look at it that way…$600+ is an awfully high proportion of the original purchase price for a couple of bits of plastic. I could probably justify it, if it was a $60,000 car, but for a car that has probably already devalued by 25% and is now only worth $12000…
I guess I hadn’t realised that cars are now entering the throw away world much more quickly than before. And for someone who takes pride in looking after their things, (eg nice polished car) it looks like I’m going to have to make a trip to Bunnings and endure some duct tape…I’ll try to colour match it though!
Just make sure that the mirror works like it did then the car is new, orherwise it may be considered unroadworthy raising the ire of your local road transport authority/police.
New parts can be very expensive and is how car manufacturers increase their profits. To be fair though, it does cost considerable money to ship, handle and store parts on the off chance they are needed.
It may also be worth checking the local wrecking yard or posting a wanted on sites like Gumtree.
You may find a second hand one in perfect condition a fraction of the new price.
Try wrecking yards, you may get the whole assembly for a fraction of the new price. They often specialise in the makes they process so look for one that does VW.
I’ve just contacted a wrecking yard, so it will be interesting to see the comparison. At least it’s working, so I have time to be patient and wait for the part!
Let us know how you get on.
There are also VW clubs which may trade and swap parts. Try Googling VW Club [insert your state] or use the list on this website (VW clubs in Australia) and see what the local club says it does on their website.
It may be worth contacting the local VW club as well to see if any of the member can help out.
The other option is if you have a German friend, or know someone that lives in Germany, see if they can source a part for you. We have German friends who have a VW van and buy all their parts in Germany as it is significantly cheaper than Australia. I understand that VW in Germany won’t ship to Australia (even with the shipping as they put the parts in their business parcels), but if you have a friend, it can be shipped to them and then forwarded onto you. Just check freight charges as they may sting and not make it worthwhile .
If you buy the part 2nd hand don’t get too concerned about the colour, if needed get it painted to match before placing it back on the car. This saves substantial costs to time and money for you in the preparation needed by the spray painter to mask your car for spraying.
Otherwise Bog (Epoxy putty that can also be reinforced with fibreglass fibres) and a can of primer and a can of colour can also be used with some success to repair the damage. There are some good Youtube shows on how to prep for and carry out the repairs.
Not knowing the year of your model I just did a search on Google vw polo side mirror cover price
There might be something there that can help.
Car parts these days are really expensive. You could try fixing it yourself, if you source the parts online you may find them quite a bit cheaper and sometimes from the Original Equipment Manufacture (OEM) who supplied the vehicle manufacturer.
YouTube is a great place to find “how to” videos, especially for car maintenance and repair.
A relevant article perhaps:
Spare auto parts have always been exxy, I have a VW EOS and I’m happy to pay the extra to have it serviced by a VW dealer, the car cost me around 60k and the dealer I’m using seems to check everything and advises me on what’s wearing before it happens. Not cheap, bit I reckon it’s worth the money for me anyway.
One time I was told the timing belt was due for replacement. I got a couple of quotes from some service garaged but the dealer was actually cheaper!
I have a XC70 Volvo Station Wagon and the fuel cap is attached with an umbilical cord much like a phone cord. This cord broke, so I now have to sit the cap on the roof when I fill up as there is nothing on the inside of the fuel filler door to hang it on. I enquired about a new cord, I was told you have to buy the cap and cord as one. $70-00…I still put it on the roof.
That’s crazy…I’d be sticking with the roof too!
I hadn’t thought of string, because it wouldn’t coil back up…I had thought of trying to repair the coil using those little metal clamps they use on electrical wiring, but it would be a fiddly job. But thanks for your input,
Have you tried online sites that sell replacements. Amazon US has some (be quick before it is blocked) as well and eBay, such as these.
Thank you for that, they offer the restraining strap as an item, but when I looked at mine, it looked like a job for an expert to be able to extract the original from the cap…Then I read further and it says these are only suitable for petrol not diesel…Maybe diesels are all embedded with the cap, that being why I was told you had to purchase it as a complete unit. A$70-00
These ones?
https://www.amazon.com/Genuine-Volvo-Filler-Description-31392044/dp/B00CZC7SDS
These ones are $30-35 delivered.
If you know the part number (may be a number on the cap), you can search for that as well. Search '<XC70 part number> This will bring up more specific hits…including aftermarket ones which are compatible. Aftermarket may be cheaper.
