One day, recently, I noticed that the cigarette lighter doesn't work, so now I can't charge my cell phone! Yea Yea, I know.. but I have kids and grandkids! I also notice that my heated seats don't heat, my heated mirrors don't defrost, my electrical mirrors don't adjust, my handy-dandy rear-view mirror doesn't adjust darker when cars approach from the rear, and the compass doesn't work! Thank goodness I have a decent sense of direction!
Sooooooooooo... I removed the coin drawer, which the former owner didn't even know existed, found the culprit - a 20amp fuse, and replaced it. Still nothing works :( I figured, the dork that I am, I had installed an old, blown fuse! So I bought a cardboard and plastic blister pack of a whopping TWO fuses.. wow.. what do they think, I'd steal it?? Anyway, I put a brand-spanking new fuse in.. ya know, the kind that light up as soon as it blows? Who'd've thunk that one up?? Well, you guessed it! I immediately owned a night light for my fuse box!!! Such a deal!! Jealous??
Anyway, my son, with his expertise, said to disconnect the battery before inserting my one, good fuse. He informed me, like I didn't know this already but just forgot, that my fuse can blow just inserting it.
Tonight, I came home from work and since it was still light enough to get under the hood, we disconnected...ok ok, HE disconntected the battery, and I inserted the 'FuseThatImmediatelyBecameAnotherNightlight'.
Anyone have any suggestions on what would be a common cause? I believe it to be the cigarette lighter, itself, but I can't figure out how to get the dang thing out! There are no repair manuals for this 2001 Outback.. I guess they're not supposed to break! The light on the lighter works, just not the lighter itself, and I had previously found a piece of something inside it when I tried to insert my cell phone charger. That's the beginning of the story, actually!
So, how do I remove the lighter??
Thanks!