I was just told by a BMW center service department that the cigarette lighter on the Z4 isn't supposed to be used to power anything, and that there is *no* auxilary power on the Z4. I was having an issue with my new Z4's cigarette lighter power working only intermittently.

This seems very strange to me. How do people wire up their radar detectors, cell phone chargers, etc?

06 model has no such issue. I use it regularly for feeding my iPod or charge cell phone. I didn't notice any problem using it for vacuum cleaner or inflator.I have also 12 to 120V converter to power AC chargers.

I've noticed some posts about weakness of battery of 07 Z4, so probably it is a reason to limit a usage of lighter.

My lighter socket isn't a perfect fit... I had to rotate my radar detector socket 90 degrees for it to work.

My TomTom 910 GPS in my '04 Z4 would lose power occasionally and I'd have to fiddle with the plug to get it working. I didn't have this problem in any other car, but it wasn't enough of an issue for me to bring it to the dealer. How often do you lose power?

I, too, have trouble powering my Garmin Nuvi 680 with the cigarette lighter. I have to wiggle it around before it "connects" properly and then if I jar the adapter just a little it loses it's connection.

Has anyone tried the Z4 Power Socket Relocation kit from LeatherZ? It's designed to give you your lighter back if you install their Complete Guage Kit. It is supposedly plug and play and replaces the blank plate over the ashtray. I wonder if it accepts adapters more readily than the stock cigarette lighter. I would image you could either re-direct the power from the original lighter to the LeatherZ one or split the power in two for two outlets.

Don't some European cars have a slightly larger power socket? I remember my old original Escort (the Mike Valentine one) came with a sleeve to make the power plug slightly larger diameter. I had to use it in my '80 Audi 5000 to keep the the Escort's plug from popping out.

It sounds like the diameter of the lighter receptacle may be slightly larger on your cars then what's commonly used here in the US. It would probably be easy to replace the receptacle which would resolve any future electronic issues.

I have an 06 Build Z4 Coupe here in the UK and have to agree that the 12v socket is a very poor fit.

I've had other BMW models and two MINIs, but this is the first issue I've had in this area....

Well I'm not able to get *any* power from it. When I first got the car, I went driving for a number of hours with my GPS plugged into the cigarette lighter outlet. It worked... for about an hour. It then stopped working after that. A few days ago it worked again... for about 30 minutes.

Now that I read over these replies and talked to the BMW service center, I tried wiggling it and all sorts of different positioning... without any hint of power whatsoever. I tried it so much that I seriously doubt it can be resolved by just wiggling, and I tried many different devices without any of them working.

So... does anyone know what the icon in the fuse diagram looks like for the cigarette lighter? Replacing that sounds like the next best thing to try, but I can't figure out which fuse(s) to replace- the icons are too cryptic in the fuse box diagram.

So... does anyone know what the icon in the fuse diagram looks like for the cigarette lighter? Replacing that sounds like the next best thing to try, but I can't figure out which fuse(s) to replace- the icons are too cryptic in the fuse box diagram.

I blew the lighter fuse when I was tapping into it to wire up my diy homelink module. IIRC, it was fuse #5 @15A, but don't quote me on it.

I replaced my ashtray with the iPod adapter. In doing so, the kit came with a cigarette lighter assembly and it works perfect, plus I get to play my iPod.

I replaced my ashtray with the iPod adapter. In doing so, the kit came with a cigarette lighter assembly and it works perfect, plus I get to play my iPod.Probably it is why I do not have problem with lighter.

I blew the lighter fuse when I was tapping into it to wire up my diy homelink module. IIRC, it was fuse #5 @15A, but don't quote me on it.

Number 5 fuse @ 15A is correct. I had plugged in one of those multi outlet adapters into the lighter and blew the fuse. Don't know why as I didn't have anything plugged into the adapter.

I have used the lighter to power my Garmin but, as some have said, the connection can be iffy. I have had the unit lose power and then come back. Sometimes I have had to jiggle and twist the connection to restore power. However, when I went to Homecoming, I had the Garmin plugged in the whole time and never had a power problem. Must have had it plugged in just right.

The European and US 12volt cigarette lighter socket specs are slightly different... read about it on Wiki. But yeah, if you wiggle it, it usually works... depends on the shape of the power adapter. My Monster plug always works while my Nokia OEM charger plug never does.

Ironic the Z4 is made in the US and sold more in the US than anywhere else but it has the Euro spec plug while most other bimmers do not.


So wait, does the iPod OEM kit come with what?

Number 5 fuse @ 15A is correct. I had plugged in one of those multi outlet adapters into the lighter and blew the fuse. Don't know why as I didn't have anything plugged into the adapter.

I have used the lighter to power my Garmin but, as some have said, the connection can be iffy. I have had the unit lose power and then come back. Sometimes I have had to jiggle and twist the connection to restore power. However, when I went to Homecoming, I had the Garmin plugged in the whole time and never had a power problem. Must have had it plugged in just right.

FWIW, I have been thinking of installing 1 or 2 powerlet sockets on the trim panel below the climate controls/above the ashtray. The connection is much more secure than relying on the cigarette socket. EasternBeaver (http://www.easternbeaver.com/Home/Main/Products/Powerlet/powerlet.html) has a Powerlet adapter cable for the Garmin Nuvis. Their PPC-015-36 adapter cable puts the voltage converter inline in the cable, making it a much more compact and secure electrical setup and than relying on the bulky Garmin power adapter.

FWIW - I use my cig lighter receptical to run my cellphone charger (motorola razr) and haven't had a problem with it.

I had the same problem of blowing the fuse when I tried to use a multi-outlet adapter alone with no power draws. This was on a brand-new car less than an hour old.
Seems to me that a 15 amp circuit should be sufficient. Perhaps the design of the outlet socket itself needs revision. For us perhaps the fix might be adapting an aftermarket socket to fit. Anyone tried this?

The first day I got my car when I plugged in my V1 I had to fidget with the plug, turning it, re-plugging, etc. to get it to work. After that it worked fine, but sometimes it would act up and be off even when it was all the way in.

I just purchased my Z4 and I have the same problem with my Garmin. Being and Electrical Engineer I had to find out why the lighter socket did not work.

The problem appears to be two things. One is the lighter socket is much more shallow than the lighter socket on my other American made cars so that most plugs will not stay in the socket tightly, and two, the ceramic insulator in the bottom of the lighter socket (the +12V terminal of the socket is mounted in the grove of this insulator) is elevated higher than the isnsulator on my other cars. This prevents the plug from making contact with the +12V terminal of the socket.

To solve my problem I used a "Y" splitter cable. The plug on the Splitter cable fits into the lighter socket and I plug my Garmin plug into one of the legs. This works fine for me and it is a cheap and easy fix. You can get a "Y" splitter at any auto parts store or Radio Shack.