So instead of having the phone charger plugged into the cigarette lighter, i'd like to have it permanently wired in, woth the wires running down under the centre console, past the gear stick and hand brake, with the actual connector popping out in one of the cup holders.

Would anyone have any ideas on how to do this? i've seen another car with it done but it was locked so noone to ask for directions

Cheers

Steve, Finland

 

Currently powered from the cigarette lighter presumably?

Depends how it's made. The will be some electronics in there somewhere knocking the voltage down from nearly 15V (when the alternators charging hard) to whatever the phone wants and regulating the current sent to the phone.

If the electronics is in a separate black box between the cigarette lighter plug and the phone plug then the cigarette lighter bit is just a plug. If so then it's easy, cut the plug off and connect the wires left over to a 12V switched supply, the one feeding the cigarette lighter is logical.

If the electronics are built into the cigarette lighter plug, ie you have a bit to plug into the cigarette lighter socket and a plain wire to the phone plug, then it's harder as you have to keep the cigarette lighter bit. Easiest way is to buy a cigarette lighter extension cable, this one here for example, part no 42248 at the bottom. Then plug the phone charger into the female end (and tape it up so it stays there) and cut the croc clips off the other end and wire it up to a 12v switched connection.