How to make power Cigarette Lighter auto shut off?
How to make power Cigarette Lighter auto shut off?
This is one of the most annoying features of my A4. Unlike every other car I have ever had, when I shut off my A4, the power doens't stop to the cigarette lighter. Hence my radar detector and/or Ipod FM modulator dont turn off when I turn my car off, they stay on (and drain the battery). So everytime I turn off my car I have to remove the devices from the cigarette lighter plug. My question is there has to be a way around this, maybe some sort of switch or fuse, anything????
Tech Slut
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 3,150
From: Jersey Shore
easiest thing to do would be to re-wire the outlet on an accessory line, then it will turn off like you want... I love being able to charge my cell without the car being on tho... you could also wire in a switch so you can control it, which gives you some options. The radar not turning off is a pain tho i agree.
yea... what i did for my radar was hooked it up to a fuse and put the fuse in the heated steering wheel plug... once i shut off my car the radar goes off.. im sure theres a way to rewire it to do something like that... and yea i like charging my cell while im at work too
1st Gear
Joined: Oct 2008
Posts: 29
From: Sacramento, CA
This is a good excuse to hardwire your gear... If you want to maintain the same cig lighter circuit/fuse you will want to use a relay to cut and reattach the existing cig lighter 12v wire when the ignition is turned on/off...
Last edited by defaz; Nov 25, 2008 at 05:54 PM.
Site Moderator
Joined: Feb 2007
Posts: 9,004
From: Nor Cal
I just bought a radar detector that turns off automatically after 15 minutes of 12V power applied to it. When the engine is running the detector will stay on. The detectors that have this option are the high end Cobras, Valentine one, and escort detectors. You can always re-route power to the plug, just make sure where you are getting your power won't pull too much current blowing the fuse on that circuit in the process. Find a 25+ amp fuse circuit and use that one, don't install a larger fuse.
Administrator
Joined: Jul 2006
Posts: 11,670
From: Binghamton, NY
Just take the power wire for the lighter, and cut it. That way it doesn't have battery power directly applied all the time. Drop the lower dash panel below the steering column, and connect the cig lighter power to the yellow-wire power post under there (that has switched power). Put the proper fuse inline on that wire and you're done. This way, when you turn on the car, that power post gets 12v and the lighter socket will power up. When you turn off the car, power is removed.
I left my lighter power alone since I only use it for my GPS. I have my radar detector wired to the right-hand map light switch, and my phone charger is permanently connected inside the center tunnel - I wired an auxiliary plug to the under-dash power posts and connected my phone charger to it, inside the center stack. The cord just drops down out from under the center stack, just in front of the passenger seat, and I can plug the phone in and tuck it into the narrow storage slot to the right of the shifter. I hate having wires and cords draped all over, so that was the solution.
I left my lighter power alone since I only use it for my GPS. I have my radar detector wired to the right-hand map light switch, and my phone charger is permanently connected inside the center tunnel - I wired an auxiliary plug to the under-dash power posts and connected my phone charger to it, inside the center stack. The cord just drops down out from under the center stack, just in front of the passenger seat, and I can plug the phone in and tuck it into the narrow storage slot to the right of the shifter. I hate having wires and cords draped all over, so that was the solution.
