Fitting a 12v adaptor thingy

[TravellingChick]

Okay so my Autohomes doesn't have a ciggie lighter so where on earth is the sat nav gonna go!

Can I just fit a 12v thingy or does it have to be a ciggie lighter? Could any garage do this for me or am I in danger of stuffing the electrics?

TIA
Sarah

[rainman]

Sat Nat, Shmat Nat I say - buy a map!

[TravellingChick]

Sat Nat, Shmat Nat I say - buy a map!

Yeh okay Retro Boy!

D'you want me to crash while I try to read a map and drive?

[kathyshack]

you can buy cig lighters from motor factors, which is what we had orginally, but then we changed to a nice neat one from a caravan shop. Its like a little box which has a fold down lid. depends what you want really.
you can see it in this picture of my interior just below the light switches:-


I think they're supposed to be relatively easy to wire up, but i always get someone who knows what they're doing to do it for me just to make sure its safe.
kathy

[TravellingChick]

ooooh nice interior! posher than my house

It's primarly to run the sat nag off so I really want something on/near the dash, so probably just a cig lighter would do I guess. No idea how/where to fix it tho.

Agree with electrics, just need to find someone I can trust who won't charge a bomb. Love my local garage but they ain't cheap!

Ta
Sarah

[rainman]

So how come you haven't got one in your dash? I think it would have had one originally. Is there just a gaping hole where it used to be? If so, the wires for connecting it up are probably still there.

[TravellingChick]

I couldn't find one when I looked at it. Does yours have one? Maybe it went by the wayside when they put the fancy minidisc stereo in.

[rainman]

minidisc what now?
Actually i've got the owner's instruction manual here and there's no sign of a cig lighter so mine must have been fitted afterwards. (in other words, I was wrong)

[TravellingChick]

minidisc what now?
Actually i've got the owner's instruction manual here and there's no sign of a cig lighter so mine must have been fitted afterwards. (in other words, I was wrong)

Where have you got yours then?

[Mocki]

Ebay or walk into any tat shop or halfrauds and pick either a single or a mutli socketed one up, cut the plug off and wire it to your leisure battery, red to + black to neg via a inline fuse holder with a 5amp fuse in it

[Vanagonman]

Just to let you know, most campers were originally base-model VW transporters which did not come with cigarette lighters...so don't fret if yours didn't have one or have one retrofitted...

Assuming you need a quick adapter just to get the Sat Nav working until you get your new van home....

Just do what I did. Go to Halford, or another motor factor and buy a two-or-three outlet cigarette lighter adapter which plugs in via a short cable to a cigarette lighter.

Something like this:


Cut the male ciggy adapter part off. Use the wires to run directly to the battery (the battery is under a hatch under the driver's seat on your van). You will need someone to crimp a couple of prong wires like these on the end of the cigarette adapter wires (ignore the fact there are three wires illustrated and the labels - the idea is show the correct connectors you need):



One goes to your positive lead on the battery, the other goes to the negative. Don't worry if you get it mixed up. If it doesn't charge the sat nav, then just swap the wires around.

This will get you home. When you get home, have someone fit a fuse on the positive side (for safety) and plumb the wires properly.

[TravellingChick]

Brilliant! That's fab, thank you.

I can get home okay but I'd like to get the sat nav up and running pretty soon so I'll get onto that as one of the first jobs.

My leisure battery is under a flap on the passenger side I think, hope it hasn't been fiddled with LOL!

[Vanagonman]

Brilliant! That's fab, thank you.

I can get home okay but I'd like to get the sat nav up and running pretty soon so I'll get onto that as one of the first jobs.

My leisure battery is under a flap on the passenger side I think, hope it hasn't been fiddled with LOL!

If your camper doesnt have one, has one been removed, or has a flat leisure battery, use the main battery under the driver's seat.

[Mocki]

Just to let you know, most campers were originally base-model VW transporters which did not come with cigarette lighters...so don't fret if yours didn't have one or have one retrofitted...

Assuming you need a quick adapter just to get the Sat Nav working until you get your new van home....

Just do what I did. Go to Halford, or another motor factor and buy a two-or-three outlet cigarette lighter adapter which plugs in via a short cable to a cigarette lighter.

Something like this:


Cut the male ciggy adapter part off. Use the wires to run directly to the battery (the battery is under a hatch under the driver's seat on your van). You will need someone to crimp a couple of prong wires like these on the end of the cigarette adapter wires (ignore the fact there are three wires illustrated and the labels - the idea is show the correct connectors you need):



One goes to your positive lead on the battery, the other goes to the negative. Don't worry if you get it mixed up. If it doesn't charge the sat nav, then just swap the wires around.

This will get you home. When you get home, have someone fit a fuse on the positive side (for safety) and plumb the wires properly.

thats the thing i was talking about....

[TravellingChick]

Brilliant! That's fab, thank you.

I can get home okay but I'd like to get the sat nav up and running pretty soon so I'll get onto that as one of the first jobs.

My leisure battery is under a flap on the passenger side I think, hope it hasn't been fiddled with LOL!

If your camper doesnt have one, has one been removed, or has a flat leisure battery, use the main battery under the driver's seat.

teach me to read things properly! good tho, now I know where the main battery is too!

Jeez, I scare myself y'know!