Can I use the cigarette lighter in my car to charge my phone?

Even when it is not charging anything, leaving the phone charger plugged in may drain the car battery and may deplete its power if the engine is not running. However, new car chargers have safeguards, such as the ZUS® Smart Car Charger, which can cut off charging when your devices’ are fully charged.

As Matthew said, the charger has a plug on it that fits into the cigaret lighter socket instead of the lighter unit. Pull the lighter unit out and put it in the glove box and just plug in your charger! Take out cigarette lighter and replace with charger. Most late model car have neither ashtray nor cigarette lighter.

The cigarette lighter receptacle (also called a cigar lighter receptacle or cigar lighter socket) in an automobile was initially designed to power an electrically heated cigarette lighter, but became a de facto standard DC connector to supply electrical power for portable accessories used in or near an automobile.

The “outlet” is the cigarette lighter although I think that none of the new cars actually have a cigarette lighter – it’s simply the place where one plugs a GPS or cell phone charger. The cars are not built as ‘no smoking cars’ by the factory, so cigar lighters are still fitted as standard for that model of car.

The 12V socket, also known variously as a car cigarette lighter or 12V auxiliary power outlet, is the primary method by which power is delivered to portable electronics in cars, trucks, boats, and in a handful of other contexts.

While this might seem complex, it’s actually not. In basic terms, cigarette lighter sockets are accessory sockets, but accessory sockets aren’t necessarily cigarette lighter sockets. And while they both work with 12V plugs, receptacles that meet the newer of the two standards will not accept cigarette lighters.

You can also use a test light to check for power, if you have one, or examine the fuse panel to see if the cigarette lighter fuse is blown. If the fuse isn’t blown, and the socket has power, then there may be an issue with either the socket or the accessory plug that you are trying to use with it.

Replacing a fuse with a lower value one, however, is not unsafe but may cause problems if the load current is higher than the fuse value. It is thus generally recommended to replace it with a fuse of the same value. However, in some cases, it is probably okay to use a fuse with a lower value.

Check what devices or lights are on that circuit, as it may be the case that a new amplifier pulls too much power, causing the fuse to blow. The number embossed on the fuse, such as 5, 10 or 15, indicates how many amps may be pulled through the fuse before it blows. Each wire in a car has a specific gauge or thickness.

How to Change a Fuse

Locate your car’s fuse panel.

Take off the fuse panel’s cover.

Locate the blown fuse.

Remove the broken fuse.

Insert a replacement fuse of the correct amperage—make note of the fuse panel and your owner’s manual on this one.

Keep a few extra fuses of various amperages in your glove box.

Need a hand?

Turn off all lights and unplug a few appliances in the room or rooms that have lost power.

Locate and open your electrical panel.

Always use caution.

For circuit breakers: Look for a breaker that has moved from the “on” position to the “off” position, or is halfway between the two.

It’s easy to tell if a glass fuse is blown; it will show scorch marks, and the filament will be melted. To check a ceramic fuse, use an ohmmeter or continuity tester. With an ohmmeter or multimeter, you should see a reading close to zero ohms if the fuse is intact, or infinite if it’s blown.

Steps

Open your circuit breaker panel.

Identify whether any breaker switches have tripped and are in the “Off” position.

Switch the breaker back to the “On” position.

Identify the circuit for the breaker you suspect is bad.

Unplug all electrical appliances connected to that particular circuit.

If the switch flops back and forth and there is not definite “on” or “off” position, the breaker is probably bad. If the circuit breaker does NOT trip immediately: Chances are you have an overloaded circuit, meaning that the circuit has more electricity flowing through it than it is rated for.

Old breakers can also cause flickering. Similar to your home’s electrical systems, the wiring in your breakers can go bad over time. Faulty breaker wiring can short and overheat, which can cause flickering.

Loose wiring is the most serious reason for flickering lights and a main cause of house fires. Shut off the light at the circuit breaker before removing the fixture to double check the wiring. If the fixture looks like it might be loose or insecure, it’s time to call an electrician.

That’s why problems with the alternator could be signaled by dimming or flickering car lights or headlights. Ground Wires: When these become loose or disconnected power won’t be supplied like it should, which could manifest through flickering lights.

6 Symptoms of a Failing Alternator

The indicator light. It’s quite likely that your vehicle is equipped with a warning indicator light in the dashboard titled “ALT” or “GEN.”

Headlights are dim or flickering.

Other electrical failures.

Strange noises.

Car stalls or has difficulty starting.

Battery dies.

Waits says the average price to replace an alternator with a remanufactured one is $400, while Gunning adds that a remanufactured alternator on a typical, domestic car, costs about $300 to $500, including parts and labor. The price of a new alternator can run from $500 to $1,000.

The best way to check battery charge is with a digital voltmeter. A fully charged battery should read 12.65 volts. A reading of 12.45 volts equals about a 75% charge and is good enough for further testing. Anything less means the battery is low and needs to be recharged.