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Using a SatNav no cigarette lighter

hey so I recently bought a car and am going to start driving it next month, theres a couple of things that I'm buying just before then too, like new wiper blades etc

I also would like a SatNav, as although I'm gonna generally be driving in places I know, there will be occasions where I wont be, one of them I'm possibly doing is a drive down to alton towers, which is obviously an area I dont know coming from Manchester, and its probably about a 2 and a half hour journey.

Problem is my car doesnt have a cigarette lighter (Its a corsa LS 1.2) and I've read that SatNav batteries only last a couple of hours, not enough for me to get there and back. I am going to have an auxilary port in my radio though, for using my ipod mainly.

So is there anyway of using a SatNav without a cigarette lighter?

Thanks

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Reply 1

Juno

Memorise the first part of the journey so that you can turn the sat nav on half way through.

Have a friend to map read.

If you're going somewhere like Alton Towers there will be signs once you get close.

Sent from my GT-S5363

Reply 2

SortYourLife

Original post by Juno

yes I know there will be signs and stuff and this is what I will try to do if there is no way of using a satnav, i was just wondering if there is one, as there will be other journeys where I would like to use a satnav,

thanks anyways though (:

Reply 3

rainbow.panda

There must be another way to connect a satnav to a car that doesn't have a cigarette lighter. Have a look in Halfords, they might sell a connector of some kind.

Reply 4

Juno

Original post by SortYourLife

My baby Corsa :emog has a cigarette lighter. He had a bath yesterday and now he's all clean!

You probably can get longer battery life sat navs, although they will be expensive.

My sat nav (Tom Tom) just uses a normal USB lead to charge, so possible some kind of mobile phone emergency charger would work, or possibly even just charge it off a laptop (although the screen might be distracting).

Reply 5

KCLeblanc

Original post by SortYourLife

Are you sure it doesn't have a socket. A lot of newer cars don't actually have a fag lighter but they've still got the socket it goes in. It'll probably be under a little flap that says 12v on it. Or in some cars the lighter is hidden in a fold out ashtray.

For most journeys of that length you will be doing a large stint on the motorway. When I had a sat nav I never used to bother switching it on till I was leaving the motorway.

Even if you use a Sat Nav you should have some idea where you're going in case the sat nav breaks or you mis program it. (If for instance you asked for Alton instead of Alton Towers you'd possibly end up in Hampshire, you really want to spot a mistake like that before you've done too much driving).

(edited 11 years ago)

Reply 6

anonymouse01

Yeah dude it's gotta have some sort of connector. I'm pretty sure it's law.

And stop being so reliant on sat nav. Use a map or print off directions from AA street planner or google maps.

Can't be that hard for you to memorise a couple of motorways and then switch on the sat nav once you get into town.

Jeez, youths these days

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Reply 7

Joinedup

Are you positive it doesn't have a 12v accessory socket (which just happens to be exactly the same as a faglighter rocket) somewhere?

If so you'll have to print off a route from google route planner or something.

Reply 8

SortYourLife

Alright cheers guys, I'm pretty sure I can't find one anywhere but will have a look.

I'm thinking of going Halfords for wiper blades, so will ask and have a look there.

I was also going to print off maps and directions, just in case Satnav didn't work or anything and I will have two friends in the car as well, but Satnav just seemed like an easier option

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Reply 9

JC.

Have you got one of those jumper packs?
They've often got a 12 volt feed on them.

Failing that, you could just wire one up yourself. You'll need some suitable guage wire, a ring terminal for the battery, inline fuse, a suitable female cigar lighter and identify a suitable earth point somewhere on the body.

Sometimes cars will have a 12 volt feed hiding in the rear or in the boot. My Disco has one - I use it to power our camping fridge.

Reply 10

Camoxide

Original post by SortYourLife

It was common for cars around then to not have the Cigar lighter. My Micra didn't have one. Just a plastic cover covering a hole. They weren't really used much then. It will have the hole for it but nothing in it. Usually the wires are still there so you can get someone to go to the scrappy and get one for you and plug it in.

You can charge the satnav through USB. Most new stereos have a USB port on them for you to connect your iPod to but you can use it to charge the sat nav.

(edited 11 years ago)

Reply 11

SillyEddy

Many are charged through USB while at home, so I imagine a portable phone charging battery pack should do. Something like This?

There are higher capacity ones if you need to do long distances, but probably not worth the money unless you'll be living off the Sat Nav for directions.

Personally, I'd just learn the route or ask a friend to read the directions. Smart phones are pretty good for navigation, and you won't need it for much of the journey. From Manchester it will be M6 South to Junction 16, Crewe, and down the A500 to Hanley. There are directions down the A500 towards Alton Towers... Either cut up through Hanley or stick with the A500 through Stoke-on-Trent and you'll get there.

Else, it'll just be following "A" roads to Macclesfield, across to Leek and picking up the signs.

I usually just look up the routes and remember them. It's cheaper than printing, and places like this are well signposted for 10-15 miles out.

Reply 12

Soph.Jade

Don't one of your friends have a sat nav on their phone you could use?

Reply 13

JC.

Thinking about it, Juno's suggestion of just turning it on for the last bit of the journey seems like a good one.

You only need to find the place, after all. When you come to head home you know roughly the right direction to head in and presumably you know where you live so getting back should be quite straight forward. This country is far too small to get lost in!

Reply 14

Nuffles

As JC said, it's fairly easy to wire your own in, as I did for my Morris Minor. The other option is something you can get from Halfords, with a 12v socket on one end, and two alligator clips on the other end that can be clipped onto the battery terminals. Run it from under the bonnet and into the cabin and away you go. You can modify it later on if you don't have the time now, to hard wire it in with a fuse and a bracket.

Reply 15

Hustler-1337

Original post by SortYourLife

You've got a number of options:

1. You can try getting one of those emergency power station kits used to recharge/ jump start your car battery. They usually also contain a 12v power supply. Hook it up to one of these and place it in the passenger seat/footwell. It'll probably be a bit awkward, but the purpose of it is to use it as an emergency. Also, it'll come in handy should your battery ever become flat etc.
Here's a cheap one or a more expensive one as an example.

2. Alternatively, if your phone also has GPS built in, why not consider using that when your battery runs out?

3. you can consider wiring one up as others have suggested, though I can't help you on this.

4. just use it when you really need it rather than using it for the full journey.

5. Use the trustworthy paper street map/atlas like people used to do a few years ago. :biggrin:

Or consider using a journey planner like Google Maps and print it out, ideally, with a route overview map as well.

(edited 11 years ago)

Reply 16

NatashaLee

Im not sure if this has been mentioned, but isn't there one in your boot?

My mums cigaret lighter broke, but she has one in her boot too (might just be a connector but it works) and she charges it up before we go anywhere then leaves in on charge in the boot whilst we're out ready for the drive back home.

They might not be, i haven't checked in mine but i know her car has one

Reply 17

CurlyBen

Have you looked at Google Maps yet? Depending on which bit of Manchester, you're looking at maybe an hour and a half and probably don't need to take much more than half a dozen roads to get to Alton.

If you go down the route of wiring in your own socket, be certain to fuse it (and use an appropriate size of fuse, i.e. one lower than the rated capacity of your wire).

Reply 18

Rybee

Original post by SortYourLife

Problem is my car doesnt have a cigarette lighter (Its a corsa LS 1.2) and I've read that SatNav batteries only last a couple of hours, not enough for me to get there and back. I am going to have an auxilary port in my radio though, for using my ipod mainly.

OP you have a few options.

You can buy a 12v Female Car Cigar Cigarette Lighter Socket. You can wire this into the car and then you will have a cigarette power outlet that you can use for your sat nav + other accessories.

(If you know what you're doing it's very easy. The easiest thing is to source the power from your stereo. Remove the stereo, connect the black cable to the -12v on the stereo, and the red cable to either the +12vconstant or +12vswitched cables, pop the stereo back in it's slot find somewhere to put your new shiny cigarette lighter plug)

Or, if you don't want to install a cigarette plug you can buy a +12v Sat Nav Charger and then wire it in exactly the same, and then instead of having to plug in the cigarette lighter accessory for the Sat Nav, you can just use the permanent power cord that you've installed, so it saves having to carry the charger cable around with you.

Note, I don't know what Sat Nav you have so them two cables are just examples, but whatever make/model you have, you can get one to suit.

If you are not able to do this yourself, then you can get it done for about £20. it will take any garage about 30 minutes. Halfords do provide this service at a cost of £39.99 if you trust them. I've installed 100's of them before so feel free to ask away if you have any questions?

-----

edit, just read that you are having an AUX port on your stereo. I assume that you are meaning you are getting a new stereo installed with an AUX port, as opposed to already having the stereo installed when you bought the car?

If you do mean that you are getting a new stereo in, that's perfect because whoever fits your new stereo will be able to hardwire you in a new cigarette 12v plug or a permanent power supply for your sat nav. It will only take them an extra 5 minutes :smile:

(edited 11 years ago)

Reply 19

SortYourLife

Original post by Rybee

Thanks this is great, yeah I'm swapping the stereo in mine with the one in my dads, as he doesn't use the aux port and I will. But cheers, will probably take this option! (:

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