Anybody know if the cigarette lighter goes off after the car is turned off awhile ?

My 2009 & 2012 did immediately, so I was able to leave my cell phone and/or my GPS plugged in without fear the battery would die. My new 2014 appears to stay alive after I shut down.

Any suggestions for a better way to get power for them ?

-Mike 2014 MCSa 2Door


edit: Yes, the lighter does appear to shut off.

 

I can confirm in teh F56 the lighter socket stays powered for a short time after shutdown and lock, then powers off. I have not watched it to find out what the duration is yet. The best option to power any accessory is probably a fuse tap in your desired power configuration (always on or on/off with ignition). There are a ton of videos and comments out there on adding a fuse tap. Determine your power configuration, Amperage of fuse needed, size of the fuse, location of a fuse to piggyback on in the fuse box, whether it is a direct 12 V. supply to the device or you need to insert the GPS/Phone/Camera adapter into the circuit with a lighter socket, and where you want to hide the wires/sockets. An example of this is in youtube video .

 

They go off after like 15 minutes or so when the car actually goes into deep sleep mode. Trunk light does the same thing.

I just keep my microUSB charger plugged in there as it's drawing almost nothing with nothing attached to it. But I can understand if I had a GPS device on the dash and it was powered by the cigar jack, I wouldn't like it that it takes 15 minutes until it finally powers off.

On the other hand, the car battery is AGM battery which is much better for power cycling so it might not be a concern after all. 15 minutes at 2W wouldn't be that much power.

I have a dash cam hardwired to one of the fuses that will power off immediately, but you probably don't want to go that route just for a GPS.

 

Check the installation instructions for the MINI Click & Drive system. It's an attachment in this thread.

https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...ml#post3971256

They connect it with a lighter socket dongle to the body domain controller.

"A258*3B" Pin 20 and 24.

 

The front lighter/power adapter shuts down after 2 minutes not 15.
To verify this lock your car, then leave your keyfob 30 feet away from the car.
Go back and look.

If the keyfob is in your pocket while waiting for your GPS to power off,
the DME will think you're about to open the door, and keep power active.