Extra lighter socket (Lame mod)

[Trent Bates]

Hi all,

 

Ever since I got the car, I've been mulling over how to best modify a cigarette lighter style socket to provide constant power for phone chargers, and other items like that. The existing lighter sockets lose power when the car is shut off.

(When my cell phone dies, I like to charge it as I'm driving home and leave it overnight to finish charging.)

 

I initially planned on modifying the existing socket under the armrest for this. Then I thought it would be handy to be able to switch between constant or switched power so I started looking around for a place to put a small switch.

 

Now I've come up with something else. I believe this is only applicable to those without power seats BTW. The power seat connectors are prewired and active on all models it would appear.

I bought one of those lighter adapter splitters (1 plug, 2 sockets) and cut both sockets off. I soldered male spade lugs on the wires and covered with heat shrink tubing. I simply plugged one under each front seat (observing polarity) and now I have two extra sockets to use.

I can keep my cell phone charger under my seat and something else can be used under the passenger seat.

 

The only drawback to doing this is that even a small cell phone charger will drain the battery in a week or so if the battery isn't charged regularly. I'd like to eventually rig up a circuit to shut of these outlets after 3 hours. For now, I'll just try to remember to drive the car every couple of days.

[BoxerGT2.5]

Actually....I was lookin to put a start button in place of the ciggy lighter...:)