Cigarette Lighter not for chargers?

[Coderedpl]

So my cigarette ligther outlet does not give my tmobile charger any charge at all, but when i plug it in the way 1 next to the handbrake, it does...anybody know what the issue could be?

Dealer said that its not supposed to be used for charging and possibly a blown fuse or something, they wanted to charge to fix it

[SilverBullets]

both of mine charge... my GF and I will charge our phones at the same time

[HPW]

Does the cigarette lighter work?

If no, I'd check the fuse. A coin can easily fall in there and short it out.

If the cig lighter works, then it may just be your phone charger is shaped in a way where it doesn't get all the way in there? I know with mine I have to rotate it 90 degrees to get it to fit.

[rg_a4]

mine both work man. my question is do any of the 2 cut the power when the car is off cause mine don't seem to. they stay live.

[Coderedpl]

mine both work man. my question is do any of the 2 cut the power when the car is off cause mine don't seem to. they stay live.

I know the one next to the handbrake does stay on, at least for me :P

ill check the actual ligther later

[Pworld]

Does the cigarette lighter work?

If no, I'd check the fuse. A coin can easily fall in there and short it out.

If the cig lighter works, then it may just be your phone charger is shaped in a way where it doesn't get all the way in there? I know with mine I have to rotate it 90 degrees to get it to fit.

AND GETTING THE COIN OUT IS A PAIN!! yea the one under the handbrake wont charge. the one by the shifter will. sucks.

[elwigglero]

Dealer said that its not supposed to be used for charging and possibly a blown fuse or something, they wanted to charge to fix it

That's BS. Make sure you don't pay to have that fixed.

[AudiTFSI3o3]

i actually almost have the same prob. the cig lighter by the radio works. it provides power to car chargers, Roadtrip, etc. However when i plug in the cigl lighter, it doesnt work?

[A42S4]

BS. both should work.. ask audi to fix or see if fuse is blown

[Sal_B7]

Yeah thats kinda cool, how they stay charging when the car is off, cool feature.

[CBRmatt600]

i actually almost have the same prob. the cig lighter by the radio works. it provides power to car chargers, Roadtrip, etc. However when i plug in the cigl lighter, it doesnt work?

I have yet to figure out how to work the lighter itself. I have held it down all the way, held it down lightly, pushed it down once, and I get nothing. After trying a few times I will eventually get the thing hot every so often, but I definitely can't do it on the first time around.

[AudiTFSI3o3]

I have yet to figure out how to work the lighter itself. I have held it down all the way, held it down lightly, pushed it down once, and I get nothing. After trying a few times I will eventually get the thing hot every so often, but I definitely can't do it on the first time around.

the weird thing is it used to work.. didnt do anything to the lighter. just left it in the glove box for a while since the roadtrip was in.

[HPW]

mine both work man. my question is do any of the 2 cut the power when the car is off cause mine don't seem to. they stay live.

mine stay alive as well. i'd rather it cut the power, as i'm worried about draining the battery if i leave a charger plugged in.

anyone have any idea if this is a legitimate concern or would it realistically take a year to drain a battery via a draw on the cigarette lighter?

[Coderedpl]

Ok well i pushed down the actual (lighter) and got no feedback at all so I'm guessing my fuse is blown?
Which 1 is it/

[BlK_beauty]

I had my fuse go out on both and the dealer replace them per warranty...sounds like they are BS'in you

[wayneB7]

So my cigarette ligther outlet does not give my tmobile charger any charge at all, but when i plug it in the way 1 next to the handbrake, it does...anybody know what the issue could be?

Dealer said that its not supposed to be used for charging and possibly a blown fuse or something, they wanted to charge to fix it

A cell phone charger is fundamentally the same as any other 12VDC plug designed to fit in the cig lighter, so I don't know what the dealer is getting at saying that it is not supposed to be used for charging. Might be right on the blown fuse though.

[Coderedpl]

So blown fuse should be covered warranty though shouldnt it?

[wayneB7]

I know the one next to the handbrake does stay on, at least for me :P

ill check the actual ligther later

Both outlets are live when the car is switched off. I dislike that because I leave my radar detector in the cig lighter and as a result I have to manually switch it on/off every time. In my other vehicle it behaves normally so it simply cuts power to the radar detector when I switch the car off.

[wayneB7]

I have yet to figure out how to work the lighter itself. I have held it down all the way, held it down lightly, pushed it down once, and I get nothing. After trying a few times I will eventually get the thing hot every so often, but I definitely can't do it on the first time around.

I have exactly the same experience. These Audi cig lighters are crap. Mine does not stay in when pushed -- you have to hold it down and then 'guess' when it is done heating up. Good thing I don't smoke. I even bought another lighter off eBay -- looks perfectly new -- and that doesn't heat up at all, even when you hold it down. All other lighters I have had -- you push it in, it stays in untiul heated up then it pops up, ready for use. I wonder if anyone here has this behaviour with their lighters?

[wayneB7]

So blown fuse should be covered warranty though shouldnt it?

No -- never seen that happen. It is a consumable item. If they do replace it, it would be as a courtesy, I am sure. They are not at all expensive, and the labour would be the biggest part of the cost to replace.

[wayneB7]

Ok well i pushed down the actual (lighter) and got no feedback at all so I'm guessing my fuse is blown?
Which 1 is it/

Could be a dead lighter -- see my post above.

Best way to check would be a multi-tester (multi-meter).

[scoobycarolan]

My armrest jack lights the LED on my charger but my iPhone doesn't charge anymore. I figured it was the charger, not a fuse. Which fuse do I check?

[B5A4Kevin]

if the lighter goes down but does not heat up or pop back up when heated, check/replace your fuse. panel is on the drivers side a-pillar behind the cover. there should be a map with fuse locations/numbers and a description of each. also make sure there are no foreign objects in the socket which would short it out, popping the fuse. warning: some after market chargers can and will make the fuse pop.

if the lighter does not stay down by itself, the retaining tabs are out of adjustment. remove the fuse as previously stated (to avoid shocking the shiz out of yourself) and use something like a butter knife or pick or screwdriver (flat head from the trunk kit works fine), and bend both of the tabs slightly inward. try pushing the lighter back down again. if it stays down, then plug the fuse back in and wait for it to heat up, if not, refer to previous steps. this is an adjustment and not covered under warranty after 6months/6k, but if you are a loyal customer, most dealers will do it for free.

[nycmalu]

Isolate the problem. Is it the outlet or the charger? If it's the charger, chances are the fuse blew inside that, or the wiring is frayed on the INSIDE. If it's the outlet, you might just have to open up the fuse panel and change out an automotive fuse. No need to pay a dealer to do that. If that still doesn't solve the problem, then it's been shorted out and you might need a whole new outlet. That you can take to the dealer

[nycmalu]

My armrest jack lights the LED on my charger but my iPhone doesn't charge anymore. I figured it was the charger, not a fuse. Which fuse do I check?

If the LED on the charger lights up, then that means the problem is not with the car. It is doing its job and sending power to the charger. Since the LED is coming on, the problem is not the fuse in the charger either. I'd say that the wiring is to blame or the pins on the end are not in place anymore. They can easily be moved around by accident. Go to a local radio shack (because they usually have a setup where they can test a car charger) and try your charger and a brand new one. If the new one works, there's your problem. If it doesn't, time for a new iPhone since that is where the problem lies.

[Coderedpl]

The light on my charger lights up when i put it next to the handbrake.
Next to the shifter it doesnt light up at all. Pushing down the actual lighter doesnt do anything, it doesnt pop back up with a red/orangish bottom and its not hot at all.

I will be checking fuses.
Thanks guys

[scoobycarolan]

Steven wins!!!'

[HPW]

As B5A4Kevin mentioned - there's a map of the fuses on the backside of the fuse panel, which itself is located on the side of the dash, driver's side when the door is open. It's seriously the easiest fix ever, so no need to go to a dealership for it. Just pop off the panel, check the map, pull the fuse, look at it to confirm its blown - the metal band in the middle with be broken/burned. Your local auto parts store will have replacements for a few bucks.

[wayneB7]

if the lighter does not stay down by itself, the retaining tabs are out of adjustment. remove the fuse as previously stated (to avoid shocking the shiz out of yourself) and use something like a butter knife or pick or screwdriver (flat head from the trunk kit works fine), and bend both of the tabs slightly inward.

Kevin,

I am at work presently so can't inspect the socket or the lighter, but I do know the lighter has slit(s) in the side of the part that is inserted, and in these slots there are tabs that serves as a guide to ensure that the moving part slides straight down.

Don't know what tabs are in the socket.

What tabs, therefore, are you saying that has to be bent slightly inward -- ones on the socket or ones on the lighter. Sounds like the ones on the socket ...?

[Coderedpl]

Kevin,

I am at work presently so can't inspect the socket or the lighter, but I do know the lighter has slit(s) in the side of the part that is inserted, and in these slots there are tabs that serves as a guide to ensure that the moving part slides straight down.

Don't know what tabs are in the socket.

What tabs, therefore, are you saying that has to be bent slightly inward -- ones on the socket or ones on the lighter. Sounds like the ones on the socket ...?

I had connection problems with a light socket on another car and i pulled the prongs or w/e inside the socket. so more than likely he means the ones inside the actual socket.

[Tusin]

Seriously, if someone goes to a dealer to have a fuse replaced, sell the car back and buy a daewoo....

[B5A4Kevin]

yes i was referring to the 2 metal tabs/prongs/retaining deal-eyo's in the socket. they supply either the power or ground for the lighter (iirc ground, but not sure), and when its pushed down, the lighter completes the circuit and warms the coil in the lighter. when it warms up completely, the heat makes the 2 retaining tabs expand, causing the lighter to pop up. after enough heat cycles, the tabs just stay in their release position, and dont retain the lighter when its pushed down. the tabs just need to be bent back inward some (after removing the fuse!!!) so that they hold the lighter in place when it is pushed down.

[Coderedpl]

Seriously, if someone goes to a dealer to have a fuse replaced, sell the car back and buy a daewoo....

I never said im going to have the dealer replace the fuse...just described what my problem was, if you are referring to me.

[wayneB7]

yes i was referring to the 2 metal tabs/prongs/retaining deal-eyo's in the socket. they supply either the power or ground for the lighter (iirc ground, but not sure), and when its pushed down, the lighter completes the circuit and warms the coil in the lighter. when it warms up completely, the heat makes the 2 retaining tabs expand, causing the lighter to pop up. after enough heat cycles, the tabs just stay in their release position, and dont retain the lighter when its pushed down. the tabs just need to be bent back inward some (after removing the fuse!!!) so that they hold the lighter in place when it is pushed down.

Thanks Kevin. I will try it this weekend. Maybe the dud from eBay will start to work.

[spyder101]

So my cigarette ligther outlet does not give my tmobile charger any charge at all, but when i plug it in the way 1 next to the handbrake, it does...anybody know what the issue could be?

Dealer said that its not supposed to be used for charging and possibly a blown fuse or something, they wanted to charge to fix it

Christ people! The power outlet is for chargers and the cig lighter is for cigs, plain and simple. This is why Audi put an outlet under the handbrake because, people keep popping the fuses in the cig lighter. Yes, the dealer will charge to fix this because, you don't know what your doing. Sorry if I sound like an asshole but, it's the same ol' crap I hear from people. "Audi does'nt have a coin holder so I will stick 15$ worth of change in the ashtray or credit card holder." Then you guys bitch about having it fixed because they won't open anymore. Where in the owners manual does it say to put change in them? OK, I'm done talking shit now but, you guys gotta take some responsability for your actions.

[nycmalu]

^WTF are you talking about. They are the same plug, running off the same 12V source, with the same fuse rating. You are just brainwashed if you think that they don't provide the exact same amount of power. How are people supposed to run GPS units and radar detectors? From the plug under the ashtray? Is there a designated location for change in our cars that the owner's manual provides? I guess we can't have any change in our cars. And since it's called a business card holder, I guess we can't put anything else in there. God forbid someone keeps shrink wrap tubing in there (like ME)... Not everything has to be done by the book man.

[spyder101]

Ofcourse not everything has to be done by the book but, be prepaired to pay the price. I don't know how many times I've had to pull loose change out from the ashtray then customers start bitching about having to pay for the repair because, they feel that Audi should have told them it's not a coin holder. Here is another example...same scenario...cup holders next to MMI control panels or indash cup holders. Customer goes to work and brings an open lid coffee cup with him. Sets the coffee in the cup holder, drives the vehicle, makes a hard stop and coffee goes flying all over the panel. This guys proceeds to chew us up and down because, he feels Audi should'nt have put a cup holder so close the the MMI panel and want's the repair for free. Give me a break! My point is to use common sense and take responsability. you wanna put a charger in the ashtray that is made for the cig element, be prepaired. There are different chargers out there, some will work and some won't. The larger the charger, the more risk you run by shorting out the contacts...then blowing the fuse. The one below the armrest was designed specificaly for chargers. Do you undersatnd now?

[HPW]

spyder-

look, i definitely agree with you that customers should take responsibility for their actions (change in the cig lighter, coffee on the mmi), but using the cig lighter to run a charger really shouldn't be outside its realm of expected function. understandable that, as you and kevin was mentioned before, some aftermarket chargers may pop the fuse.

it sounds like you've encountered a lot of a-holes at work for this, but it's no reason to take it out on all of us, is it? cuz i've never put change in my ashtray... i put it in the business card holder, and only about $2 worth. :)

[Coderedpl]

.....Yes, the dealer will charge to fix this because, you don't know what your doing.

I hope you are not referring to me. I bought the car used FYI and it already had this done to it.

About cup holders, some are better than others as well :P

[Hockenheim]

Does the cigarette lighter work?

If no, I'd check the fuse. A coin can easily fall in there and short it out.

If the cig lighter works, then it may just be your phone charger is shaped in a way where it doesn't get all the way in there? I know with mine I have to rotate it 90 degrees to get it to fit.

where is the fuse? I have this same problem and my bro just pryed a penny out of there.