# 1998 BMWil cigarette lighters

**URL:** <https://community.cartalk.com/t/1998-bmwil-cigarette-lighters/20332>\
**Category:** Maintenance/Repairs\
**Created:** [October 4, 2008, 2:52pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/1998-bmwil-cigarette-lighters/20332 "2008-10-04T14:52:08Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Behrfoot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/c68b51/32.png) [@Behrfoot](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Behrfoot)\
**Post date:** [October 4, 2008, 2:52pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/1998-bmwil-cigarette-lighters/20332/1 "2008-10-04T14:52:08Z")

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I just purchased a 1998 BMW 740il with 80,000 miles on it. Neither cigarette lighter works (front and rear seat) and it is not the fuse. Any thoughts about what to look at next?

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**Author:** ![rripstop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/65b543/32.png) [@rripstop](https://community.cartalk.com/u/rripstop)\
**Post date:** [October 4, 2008, 6:45pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/1998-bmwil-cigarette-lighters/20332/2 "2008-10-04T18:45:47Z")

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You can use a test light or voltmeter to see if there is any voltage at the fuse. If there is, then the problem is wiring between the outlets and the box. If not, then there is a relay or fuse problem under the hood.

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**Author:** ![oldschool](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/e19adc/32.png) [@oldschool](https://community.cartalk.com/u/oldschool)\
**Post date:** [October 4, 2008, 6:53pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/1998-bmwil-cigarette-lighters/20332/3 "2008-10-04T18:53:08Z")

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Have you checked with a different device (other than a cig. lighter element?)

Some kind of repair that did not re-connect the wiring.

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**Author:** ![Triedaq](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/65b543/32.png) [@Triedaq](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Triedaq)\
**Post date:** [October 4, 2008, 8:39pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/1998-bmwil-cigarette-lighters/20332/4 "2008-10-04T20:39:52Z")

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I had a 2000 Ford Windstar and the front socket where I wanted to plug in the cell phone charger didn’t work. I had no voltage at this socket, but all the fuses were o.k. I finally discovered that the socket had never been connected. There was a wire with a plug for the socket that was just hanging there. I pushed the plug in and it worked. Since I purchased the van new, I guess that someone at the factory was careless. I suppose it would be rare that careless workers would forget to connect both lighter sockets, but it’s worth checking. (Maybe BMW assembly line workers are twice as careless as Ford workers.)