I know it sounds like a lot of work, but I recently purchased a signaled power mirror off of ebay with a bunch of scuffs on the exterior housing that were then covered in black magic marker (too bad it wasn't described that way otherwise I would have never bid on it).

Anyhow I've noticed that the plastic housing on those mirrors appear to be in sections that look like they can be taken apart piece-by-piece. My question is has anyone done this (if it's possible), and if so how much of a PITA was it?

 

Yes, it can be removed. First thing you have to do is remove the mirror itself from the assembly. It takes little effort but will come off, be careful not to bend the mirror, otherwise might have to order new mirrors ($17 per mirror). Once off, you'll need long phillips screwdriver to remove 4 screws and the mirror cap will come off.