My cigarette lighter no longer works. I asked the accessories manager at my MINI dealership in KC to send me a new element but he said that's probably not the problem and that I should schedule it for the shop to look at. The problem is that I live 200 miles away. Any advice?

 

Did you check the fuse (F32).

 

Yes. Put in a new one and it blew right away.

 

Does the fuse blow right away even if the lighter element is out of the socket?

If yes, the socket itself or its connector might be shorting. There doesn't seem to be anything else that shares the F32 circuit. If the fuse blows only with the element in, it is probably the element as you had thought.

 

Thanks. I'm going to try that and I'll let you know.

 

are you running some sort of plug in gizmo? cell charger or fuzzbuster or gps ... ? I found the cig plug to be weak and after a couple of years of adapter in and outs the plug busted a mounting lug and it could short out. I put a 2 to 1 adapter in the plug and always attached other stuff to that adapter after the first fuse blown. Thus kept the stress off the cig plug itself.

Avail at any good autoparts or radio shack. One with a bending head is recomended.

 

Thanks Capt. I'm one of the few people left that uses it for a cigarette lighter. I'm going to check to see if it is the lighter or the plug.