Advice...Fitting a cigarette lighter point....

streex · 18-07-2008

Hi, I have an 06 plate Fiat Panda Active and when i bought the car i found there was no cigarette lighter point.

Obviously i would like to get one fitted, as theres only so much battery life on a sat nav...and i need it for long journeys!

So i was wondering if anyone has had this done and knows of a rough price of how much it would cost and any recommended places to go get it done, any well known garages that have good reputations? I'm new to driving so don't know much yet!

Any help would be appreciated,

Thanks!

BCD · 18-07-2008

I could do with one too, for my sat nav.

I imagine it would be a bit pricey.......

I've seen a solar powered charger for phones and sat navs in Maplin, so may get one of those.....?

doctorchris · 18-07-2008

www.dun-bri.com/ShowDetails.asp?id=129
This link will give you an idea of the cost of a socket. Then you need to find a suitable panel to drill and fit it. Finally, you need to wire it to a suitable fuse on the fusebox.
Sadly, the centre console cannot be used as there is a tray on the 1.1 Active rather than a raised section where the socket fits on other models.
I've thought about this modification for my daughter's car and concluded that inside the glove box might be a good place. Otherwise, you can get a bracket to hold the socket and could mount it below the dashboard.

Most Easterly Panda's · 18-07-2008

I just can't get over the fact that Fiat don't fit a standard thing like a power point in the base model Panda. It really does seem silly. Have you gone to a dealer to get a price of all the parts as they might include the missing center console thingy.

Jon.

Andy Monty · 19-07-2008

if your only going to run a sat nav off it get a cheap 12v extension socket

wire it directly to the battery or solder it to the fuse box live supply via a fuse say 3A that should work fine tuck it into the glove box when not in use ..

or pannel mount something like this...

both from maplin.com

doctorchris · 20-07-2008

Aldi have a converter in at present for £2.99 that plugs into an existing socket and provides 3 sockets. It is supplied with sticky pads and screws to fix it to the car interior.
There's no reason why you could not cut the plug off one of these and wire it into the fusebox. The wire is quite short but curly so would probably stretch a reasonable distance under the dashboard.
Probably the cheapest option, provides you with 3 sockets and even has an on/off switch so you could wire it into a permanent supply such as the radio supply. If worried about overloading it, an in-line fuse could be wired in.

Most Easterly Panda's · 20-07-2008

I brought one of the above from Lidl the other day which had a 2.6/2.8m cable which might be better.

Jon.

silverbarchetta · 20-07-2008

Why not find a higher spec Panda at a scrap yard and take the bits off that?

udtrev · 20-07-2008

Originally Posted by Most Easterly Panda's

I just can't get over the fact that Fiat don't fit a standard thing like a power point in the base model Panda.
Jon.

Is it me or have the scrimped on the ignition lock too ?

Most cars I have driven have had an 'ACC' position where some electrics are powered up but not everything (ideal for sitting in the car with the radio on).

The Panda has Off, Mar and spin the starter, so in MAR while you listen to the radio all manner of electrical & electronic beastie is munching on your battery.

Trev

Gingosporting · 20-07-2008

On my Mjet I can turn the radio on with the ignition off? Don't they all do that?

JON

udtrev · 20-07-2008

I,ll have a try tomorrow, if my new radio will play ball !!!

Most Easterly Panda's · 20-07-2008

Originally Posted by udtrev

Is it me or have the scrimped on the ignition lock too ?

Most cars I have driven have had an 'ACC' position where some electrics are powered up but not everything (ideal for sitting in the car with the radio on).

The Panda has Off, Mar and spin the starter, so in MAR while you listen to the radio all manner of electrical & electronic beastie is munching on your battery.

Trev

I don't think any Fiats have this (the ACC position), none of our mk2 Panda's do and neither my friends 03 plate Sciento. I think this is why they are set up so the radio came be put on without the key because obviously in MAR position it will burn out the coil (it does on old cars).

One thing I do like with Fiats is the headlights going off with the keys. Do new Panda's do this? And you have to push a button by the key and click it back another point to turn the parking lights on?

Jon.

HP. · 20-07-2008

Originally Posted by udtrev

Is it me or have the scrimped on the ignition lock too ?

Most cars I have driven have had an 'ACC' position where some electrics are powered up but not everything (ideal for sitting in the car with the radio on).

The Panda has Off, Mar and spin the starter, so in MAR while you listen to the radio all manner of electrical & electronic beastie is munching on your battery.

Trev

Original Pandas, Cinquecentos and Seicentos have the same arrangement. In the MAR position, you won't be using a lot of electrickery as the fuel pump only runs for a couple of seconds if you don't start up. The ignition isn't using power if the engine isn't spinning. You can turn headlights and heater fan off if you want, the current draw isn't very much.

It'd only really be an issue if you were sitting for several hours at a time like this.

Most Easterly Panda's · 21-07-2008

Originally Posted by HP.

Original Pandas, Cinquecentos and Seicentos have the same arrangement. In the MAR position, you won't be using a lot of electrickery as the fuel pump only runs for a couple of seconds if you don't start up. The ignition isn't using power if the engine isn't spinning. You can turn headlights and heater fan off if you want, the current draw isn't very much.

It'd only really be an issue if you were sitting for several hours at a time like this.

But will it burn out the coil? Old types I think it does (back to 1989 Panda's) but cars with the twin coil packs are ok are they not? Don't the coil packs only have power when the engine is running and the ECU is sending power to them

Jon.

HP. · 21-07-2008

If you have electronic ignition, no worries.

If you have points, true - it's possible you could maintain a current through the coil. I have heard the claim about burning the coil out when kept on, but don't know anyone it's happened to and think it might be a myth going back to the dark ages of motoring.

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