I’m looking to add a USB port to my car to make it easier to charge my phone on-the-go (I was using an adaptor in the cigarette lighter but it never sits right and keeps disconnecting).

 

I don’t need it to link to the stereo or anything like that - just need power.

 

What’s the easiest way of doing this? Is there any wiring I can link something up to… or can I connect something to the back of the stereo that can give me power? 
 

Thanks!

holy ****e its my identical dashboard,

which i reckon yours is another of the 2013 end of production "exclusive" spec? 

where in the Rep are you? im in Sth Tipp.

 

on the actual actual question...

where would you like to be plugging in the phone?

id probably just take the power from the Cig lighter wiring and run a cable through the dash/centre console to somewhere near where you want the output available

 

i have a double usb cig lighter adapter thats a good tight fit and havnt had any bother with it for over 5yrs now.

Quote

 

holy ****e its my identical dashboard,

which i reckon yours is another of the 2013 end of production "exclusive" spec? 

where in the Rep are you? im in Sth Tipp.

 

I’m in Dublin - I bought this second hand about 6 years ago but I reckon you’re right… it’s fairly well kitted out for a 10 year old car.

Quote

 

on the actual actual question...

where would you like to be plugging in the phone?

id probably just take the power from the Cig lighter wiring and run a cable through the dash/centre console to somewhere near where you want the output available

 

 

I don’t really mind - once it’s close enough to allow the cable to run to the phone even when I have it in a holder next to the steering wheel so I can use it for directions etc.

 

I did something similar to what you suggest on an Astra way back when and it wasn’t too much of a faff… is it much of a job with the Octavia?

 

I can do a bit of rewiring but the easier the better so there’s no risk of me breaking things… also want to make sure it’s a source that only powers with the ignition so I don’t accidentally end up killing the battery.

 

 

Quote

i have a double usb cig lighter adapter thats a good tight fit and havnt had any bother with it for over 5yrs now.

 

I’m not sure what it is about mine that’s causing the problem. It’s like the adapters don’t quite sit in properly, so it disconnects quite easily. The fuse went on it recently, which I suspect was a result of it shorting out because of this.

 

I’ve had a look and can’t see anything in there that’s in the way or blocking the connection, though.

 

There are old threads that show how to wire a packaged 12 volt to USB converter to a switched supply in the cabin fuse box. The USB socket is mounted in one of the spare blanks below the radio.

 

1 hour ago, pikpilot said:

There are old threads that show how to wire a packaged 12 volt to USB converter to a switched supply in the cabin fuse box. The USB socket is mounted in one of the spare blanks below the radio.

 

Thanks - I had a look through some old threads and found others asking similar questions but couldn’t find a how-to. I’ll have another look.

 

And I’ve seen the USB adaptors that fit into the spare blanks but they all have an odd connection on the other end… they seem designed to fit into the stereo in a port my one doesn’t have, but I’ve not seen one with any standard-looking wiring.

 

1 hour ago, petrolcan said:

 

Thanks, that looks like it might be a relatively simple job!

1 hour ago, adammaguire said:

Thanks, that looks like it might be a relatively simple job!

 

It is  

On 31/07/2023 at 17:14, petrolcan said:

 

It is  

I spoke too soon!

 

Trying to take the old lighter out but it won’t budge… am I right in thinking the circled bit is one of the two tabs I need to push in to remove it?
 

 

If so, they don’t seem to be moving at all.

 

Can’t seem to find any way to get it out without potentially damaging the trim around it

Those older threads, from memory, show how to remove the trim to get to the back of the socket to remove it - with a caution about short cable lengths.

 

1 hour ago, pikpilot said:

Those older threads, from memory, show how to remove the trim to get to the back of the socket to remove it - with a caution about short cable lengths.

 

Thanks, finally managed to get it out without having to take the trim apart… the issue now is that the prongs on the charger I bought are parallel, compared to the perpendicular prongs on the built-in one… so I’ll need to find leads that can bridge the two.

 

In the meantime I’ll give the old socket a good clean out and see if it lets the basic USB connector connect properly. As you can see in the picture it’s fairly grimey… looks like something was spilled in it long ago that was probably inhibiting the connection.

Could you use a piggy back fuse (eBay’s your friend) and take the power from an ignition controlled fuse?