@LoudThunder I just want to have a hands free call without spending much money. And also not to have to charge whatever device I use regularly. Thus the wiring the current bluetooth to the accessory socket adapter so it never runs out of charge. And thus thus my concern over surges when starting the car… IIRC somebody told me once upon a time power surges when starting the car can damage things that are plugged into the accessory socket.
If that’s the goal (and the only goal) why are you messing with bluetooth and recharging at all. Buy a phone holder that mounts to the windshield or dash with suction cups or clips onto the dash vents or console and just use speaker phone.
You can’t be actively holding a phone to talk while you drive but regulations clearly state you can use your finger to accept, decline, or initiate a call. When my phone is paired to my car I have to press the call button on the steering wheel or info screen to accept an incoming call. Same difference.
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That is a great idea, I wounder why I didn’t think of that 3 days ago… 
Just picking. 
I still think it’d be nicer to have the bluetooth… no need to place the phone in the holder every time you drive. Am I the only one? 
My bluetooth attaches to the visor.
You have to put the phone somewhere everytime you go some where so the holder is perfect for this . You said you don’t make many calls so why are you making this difficult?
@VOLVO-V70 What’s do difficult about running a usb wire to the bluetooth?
Eh I guess it’s just a matter of personal preference…
This posting has received almost 30-postings (some of which are yours…) but of the 20-odd suggestions you have been given (some of which the members have spent some of their own time researching for you…). You have offhandedly rejected each and every one of them.
Sunce your “Personal Preference” is so undefinable and you should just turn off your phone and not have to worry about it anymore while you are driving… Once you get to where you are going, turn your phone back on and if you did receive one of these precious calls, you can return the call then, when you are not driving, and you can then pick up a bag of sugar on the way home… L L . . .
*** “Personal Preference that is undefinable” You do not want to keep charging your Bluetooth; You do not want to want to place your phone in a holder; you do not want to have to handle or hold your phone while you take those “once a year Very Important Phone Calls” (as in, “Who is this?”).
So where do you intend to place your phone while you are driving as you wait for that one phone call?
@LoudThunder Did you see my reply to your previous post?
Garmin looks like a nice way to go except for the break-in factor… if it exists.
That’s most definitely not a rejection that’s a consideration. I just prefer the bluetooth I have now it’s what I’m used to and it does the job. And nobody ever answered my question directly about whether surges are a risk through the accessory socket when powering on the car. Not much else going on in this thread if you read between the lines.
However I did find a possible reason not go the bluetooth route. It might drain the battery while the car is off…
Anyways if nobody wants to guide me as to my personal preference then this thread is dead. There’s also the DIY factor for the project, it would be fun to get the old bluetooth going. Isn’t DIY the main point of this forum? And why is everybody so opposed to my preferred route? Is the car going to implode or something?
Need more information about your car. Most cars these days have one power point (accessory plug or “lighter”) that is powered all the time and one that is only powered when the car is on. Obviously with the second type battery draw is not an issue.
I still don’t understand your bluetooth issue though. You want to drive with the phone put away in the console or in your pocket. But how would you accept an incoming call?
When I have my phone in bluetooth mode in my car I still have to press the button on the center screen or the one on the steering wheel to accept the call. What’s the difference between pressing a button on the dash or on the phone?
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Back in the day before smart phones, I had an FM transmitter I connected to my iPod using a headphone interface. I plugged mine into my 12-volt outlet/cigarette lighter. A quick search shows they still sell them on eBay.
Mine worked best with the radio’s antenna lowered to keep out outside interference. If you can place the FM transmitter right next to the radio, you might get better sound with the radio’s antenna disconnected.
@asemaster This is my guy. It has a call button so that’s how. Hmmm my car only has one outlet. Any way to figure out if it’s the former or the latter? Manual maybe? It’s a 2002 BMW 330Ci. Thanks.
@BoboTheClown Definitely considering that option. Don’t you still need to use the phone or bluetooth for sound input via the mic?
@asemaster Actually my car definitely has the always on type I inflate my tires all the time with the car off and the inflator plugged in.
If you’re inflating tires all the time perhaps you should have the offending tires repaired?
@asemaster I mean all the time like every 2 months or so at the most when they’re down 1-1.5 PSI … I’m a perfectionist when it comes to tires
Ok, you want an answer concerning the accessory socket causing a surge and burning out your accessory… There are two possibilities… Yes, it can happen and No, it will not happen… And now you should Google it and see if anyone else on this Green Earth has reported an accessory being damaged by an accessory socket and if you do find one or two, remember there are million and millions of cars on the road… Which means you probably have a better chance of your car being struck by a bolt of Lightning and shorting out your accessories than your accessory socket doing it all on its own…
About 50-years ago, I was preparing for a long trip in my car… Two days previously, I checked over the whole car over, tires, wiper blades, all fluid levels, (oil, radiator, windshield washer fluid, battery, brake fluid, etc…). After wards, I drove the car around picking up last minute supplies. The Next day, I stopped by the local gas station and filled up. When I got back in and turned the key to start the car, the battery blew up, the whole side and most of the top was gone and I had battery pieces and battery acid all over the engine…
I used their water hose to wash off the mess and bought a used battery from the garage and went to an Auto Electrical Shop and had the entire electrical system checked out and they could find nothing to cause the explosion, especially since all the cells of the battery were filled to specified levels.
I then took it to Sears and had them check it too and I bought a Die Hard Battery.
Since then, I have never had another battery explode nor has anyone I know or their friends/family/etc have a battery explode…
But if you really believe that it could or will happen to you, how do you justify taking that Blue Tooth adapter out and recharging it over and over again in your home… You have a better chance of your home’s electrical system suffering a surge or brown out…
@LoudThunder K Thanks for the informative response. Your luck ran out that time, good nobody got hurt. Or you got lucky since nobody got hurt…
I actually called Crutchfield today and to my surprise low-end radios are only ~100$. Contemplating that option, the Garmin option, and Crutchfield also showed me an FM transmitter as well. I don’t like the possibility of the Jabra bluetooth using power while the car’s off so that option might be out the window.
Crutchfield was mentioned in the 3 reply to this post yet we got alllll the way to 37 posts before the OP called them.
@Mustangman Still giving me a hard time eh? Who says I had the time anyways?
I’ve taken enough flak in this thread. Cya.