TStachnicki

Brodit's installation guide does not say that the PDA holder should be unplugged when the car is being started. It is the UK seller that is saying this. I think he is reluctant to supply a replacement, and is implying that I have misused the product.

I have successfully run the charger for my GPS receiver from the cigarette lighter socket. Brodit's holder/chargers are supposed to be high quality products. Regards, Tony

The fuse did not fail. This afternoon, I mentioned the problem to a computer engineer. He said that if the socket remains 'live' while the engine is being cranked, the voltage will drop, and then recover when the engine starts. He also said that the PDA holder should be able to cope with this effect. I think that some of the car's electrical circuits are 'disconnected' when the engine is being started. I don't know about the cigarette lighter. Regards, Tony

I have been using a Brodit holder to charge/power my PDA (SatNav) for about six months, but it has now failed (the PDA is OK). The vendor says that the holder should not be plugged-in to the cigarette lighter socket when the car is being started, because it may be damaged by a voltage spike. Usually I set-up the PDA before I start the car, and leave it plugged-in when I stop at a petrol station. The car is a Skoda Octavia vRS. Neither the car's handbook, nor the Brodit guide mention this potential problem. Is the vendor correct, or is he trying to wriggle out of supplying a replacement? Regards, Tony