While backing her car out of its tiny parking space, my wife severly miscalculated the position of a giant concrete pole that never moves. While the side mirror was made of Suzuki’s finest materials, it was no match for a giant pillar of unmoving concrete. I wouldn’t feel comfortable on the streets of Okinawa without a side mirror to see the scooters speeding down the middle of the lane so I wanted to replace the mirror as quickly as possible.

The Typhoon Motors Junk Yard at Camp Foster is open 7 days a week and has very reasonable prices if you can find what you need. Wear clothes toed shoes and check-in at the customer service counter when you arrive. You’re not allowed to remove any parts that will leak fluids yourself. If you have a common car such as a Mazda Altenza or a Nissan Cube you’ll find 3-4 suitable donor cars. If you have a less common car, cross your fingers. There were probably about 60 cars in the junkyard and I walked past them all. I even saw my old Pajero Mini as I was looking for parts.

Fortunately, in the back corner, there was a Suzuki Lapin of a similar age as my wife’s. Okay, so was a different shade of blue, and the mirror was square instead of round, but it fit. It was $15 and I could have it today. You can bring your own tools, or borrow some from the tool shed in the Auto Hobby Shop. I’d recommend bringing your own tools. The tool shed didn’t have complete metric socket sets available. If you’re like me and did no prior research to have the slightest idea what size bolts hold the mirror in, you could find yourself carrying a lot of loose sockets and constantly walking back and forth to the tool shed.

If you need a bit of inspiration, my 2003 Suzuki Lapin Driver Side Mirror Replacement instructional video is very informative.