Nissan Micra 1.0 Tempest 1998

Are you sure that the socket part that you need is not there?

Some cars are sold without the bit the heats up for safety reasons, but the socket is still installed. The blank cover then just pulls off, revealing the socket.

If not, any reasonably competent auto electrician or experienced DIYer would be able to install one for you.

HTH

Chris

the wiring is very, very likely to be already there inside the panel. buy a cigarette lighter socket, preferably from a main dealer (as the connections will be all correct) and pop out the blanking plug , fish out and connect the wiring and connect up. Ordering the socket will be the slowest bit of the job.

Chris Whelan ( snipped-for-privacy@prejudicentlworld.com) gurgled happily, sounding much like they were saying :

SAFETY reasons...? Do me a favour...! It's because the manufacturer's too pikey to spend 1/2p on one on a poverty spec car.

Or to make some vague anti-smoking point.

Some years ago, not too far from where I live, two young children burnt to death when left inside a car whilst the mother was visiting someone. The inquest determined that the probable cause was the children playing with the cigarette lighter.

It was shortly after this that some manufacturers starting leaving the hot part of the lighters out...

If you had looked at some specifications before posting, you would have found that many cars, at all trim levels, don't now include cigarette lighters; they have "accessory sockets" instead.

Chris

Adrian wrote in news:Xns98EE6F2FB18BDadrianachapmanfreeis@204.153.245.131:

That's the real reason, of course.

Well from the safety point of view, cig lighters should be fitted passenger side only; since we have all the controversy flying around lately about how dangerous the use of handheld devices is whilst driving.

Stu

See my reply posted 5 minutes ago for the *real* real reason :-)

And that would be safer how? Do you not think that someone who smokes would worry about leaning over to the passenger side to light up?

Chris

Chris Whelan wrote in news:KvbIh.50126$ snipped-for-privacy@newsfe6-win.ntli.net:

Certainly that's the best reason for not having one. Call me cynical, but I don't think it's anything to do with why bean counting manufacturers leave them out.

No, you missed my point. We're all being told how dangerous it is to hold something whilst driving. So why fit the cig lighter closest to the driver? If it's unsafe to hold a phone then it's unsafe to hold a lighter. I mean, people have been pulled up for eating an apple, FFS!

Stu

I think you possibly missed mine. If it's dangerous to hold a lighter that was close to hand for the driver, it would be much more dangerous to hold a lighter that was significantly more difficult to get to in the first place.

My point was that a smoker would be unlikely to consider not using the lighter at all!

FWIW, I consider that whilst driving, doing anything with your hands that is not involved in controlling the vehicle warrants the attention of the police.

Chris

The probable cause would appear to be somebody being dumb enough to leave two young children in a locked car.

I can't say I disagree with you. It's certainly not something I would have done with my kids.

If I remember correctly, the car was a three door hatch. The children were left in the car because there was a dog in the house that they were frightened of.

Of course, without any means of ignition they may well have been unharmed.

Chris

Chris Whelan wrote in news:sSbIh.32061$ snipped-for-privacy@newsfe4-win.ntli.net:

You're right, I did. I read the words "leaning over to the passenger side" and my warped brain registered it as "passenger leaning over to the driver's side" :-)

Quite right. I certainly wouldn't have done when I was foolish enough to smoke. It shouldn't be in a position that suggests it's for the driver's use, though (like in the centre or to the right of centre).

Right again, but when did you hear of someone being pulled up for smoking or using a CB?

I must admit, I've used a phone whilst driving many times, both with and without hands, and IMHO, the real reason it's so dangerous is because it steals so much concentration from the task of driving. I never had an acdident but I always recognised the increased difficulty in concentrating when making driving manouvers and it didn't lessen when I went handsfree. These days I either get my passenger to answer it or ignore the damn thing.

That's why I think all this banging on about clampdowns and how everyone has to be handsfree isn't going to cure the problem. People who have been run down by drivers on the phone running lights didn't die because the driver was holding the phone, but because he/she wasn't concentrating on the road!

Stu

I can remember years ago someone being prosecuted for making a roll-up on the move!

I've tried to use my mobile whilst driving; I simply can't do it! I'm amazed when I see people, often much younger than me, texting whilst on the move. Their thumbs seem to move in more directions than mine are capable of!

I'm in absolute agreement here. I think if there was any way of policing it, then all 'phone use whilst driving would have been made illegal

Chris

They leave things like that out of the poverty spec models even if it costs them more to take them out. It's so they can have a headline price, like "New Micra from only 5999" or something, but it's so totally cynically stripped you end up paying 6750 for the next one up because you decide you'd like rear windows that wind down, seats that tilt, a clock, his _and_ hers vanity mirrors etc. etc.

Chris Whelan wrote in news:50iIh.21585$ snipped-for-privacy@newsfe2-win.ntli.net:

A lot of wagon drivers can do this with one hand ;-)

It depends on the situation as to how severe the difficulty is. The trickiest scenario I've come across is trying to negotiate an unfamiliar city centre or multi-lane roundabout in heavy traffic, when someone rings to ask a question that you have to think hard to answer.

In my local area, government ads have been playing on local radio that demonstrate the difficulty of concentrating on two things at once, followed by a warning not to use a phone whilst driving. To make this point of argument whilst continuing to sanction the use of handsfree kits is an audacious hypocrisy, IMHO. Of course it couldn't be effectively policed now that so many vehicles have the equipment in place, but they should at least make a stand against the use of handsfree by outlawing it and banning equipment sales.

Stu

Lovely! Popped off the blanking plate to find a connector behind (not a socket though unfortunately!), so will have to track down the part and install the correct fuse :o) Thanks everyone