As above. The cigarette lighter in my 1999 MK2 has just started to blow fuses.
As soon as I put a new one in it blows. I’ve checked the wiring out and nothing seems visibly wrong but I can’t test it any other way due to not owning a tester.
Any ideas please?
Buy a tester. We’re talking about a tenner, and it’s a very very useful tool.
How do I test it if I buy one then? I’m not au fait with these kind of things.
The word was F A G btw
Testers are all excellent if you know what the thing is telling you.
Couple of simple checks;
Does it blow when the f4g lighter element is in the holder?
Could be the heating element be rusted up?
Have you got the right size of fuse?
Is the Lighter wiring used by previous owners mods?
Is the item loose in the dash?
Do you use the lighter, because most of the time mine is out and my phone charger is in.
To confirm if it is actually the lighter unit itself you can unplug the electrical connector from the back. Fairly easy job on a Mk1, you just remove the access panel under the steering wheel and reach in to pull it off - I’m not sure where it is on a Mk2 but I’m sure someone can help with access tips if needed. If that stops the fuse blowing then it’s the lighter unit (either the socket or the plug) that is faulty. If the fuse keeps popping then you have an electrical short in the wiring somewhere and the next step should be to look at what (if any) accessories have been connected into that circuit.
Good luck!
Does it blow when the f4g lighter element is in the holder? Could be. I only use it for the sat nav but when I put another fuse in yesterday I pushed the lighter in and it blew
Could be the heating element be rusted up? Looks clean to me
Have you got the right size of fuse? 20 amp, yellow
Is the Lighter wiring used by previous owners mods? No mods
Is the item loose in the dash? No but there is no illumination to the holder or any visible means of any
Do you use the lighter, because most of the time mine is out and my phone charger is in. Sat nav and phone charger only.
I do have an ongoing, annoying problem with the heater control bulbs forever blowing. Replace one and a week later it’s packed in.
Is it possible the Heater Control Bulbs and the Lighter socket bulb problem are linked?
Almost certain…there is a crossed circuit or a short in there somewhere.
OP: I thought when you said you’d replaced the lighter several times, you meant the whole assembly not just the removable bit. Seeing as whatever you plug into the socket makes it blow, I’d start by replacing the socket as that’s the common denominator. If that doesn’t fix it, you’ll need to get an auto-electrician, or learn a little bit about electrics yourself…it’s not really practical to talk you through how to test the circuits on a forum.
Following more testing today I’m now getting the feeling that it’s the Sat Nav itself.
I replaced the fuse in the 5 again and pushed the lighter in. No blow. Did the same with the Sat Nav and it blew.
Tried it in the Corsa using a different lead and it blew the fuse in that car.
It’s a Garmin Nuvi 50 and just under 6 months old. It doesn’t seem to be holding a charge either and I’ve had it plugged into my PC all day now and still only half charged. I did take it out in the car for half hour earlier, without plugging it in, and it started to discharge what charge it had got within ten minutes.
It is also getting rather hot while on charge. What are my chances of PC World offering me a new one?
I’ll keep you posted.
Did you register the satnav with Garmin when you bought it? (You would have had to if you wanted to do any map downloads etc.) If you did then you should be able to go back directly to Garmin under the standard 12 month warranty if you don’t get any job with PC World.
PC World replaced it this evening. They contacted Garmin while I was there and they said it was a known fault.
I’ll set it up this week and then cross fingers.