I just ordered this power adaptor:

http://store.griffintechnology.com/autopilot

and haven't received it yet. I'm wondering if it will charge my iPod when the engine is not running...like overnight?

 

No. The cigarette lighters (front and back) are disabled when the car is off.

 

That's what I thought. When ordering, I asked and they said they did not know specifically about my Mini, but that unless there was passthrough, it would not. In my '05MCS with an aftermarket Alpine, charge was continuous. Oh well.

I'm hoping that if the car lays idle for a day or two in cold weather and the iPod battery fully discharges, I will still get instant power when I turn it back on.

 

That depends on how discharged the battery is on the iPod. if it is fully dead then you will not get instant access to it. they need to have about 10% battery or so to actually turn on. If not then they stay off until turned on after charging to at least 10%.