We took a 100 mile trip today and I tried to use the Garmin GPS and I couldn’t get it to power up. I tried 2 different GPS units and 2 different lighter plugs and none on the combinations worked. The car has an odd type of lighter where you push the center of the lighter down and it works. Any thoughts on how to make things work using the cigar lighter socket? Thanks
Please confirm you’ve checked the fuse first.
Yes the stock lighter works just fine.
That cigar lighter works just great for lighting cigars. It doesn’t work at all with generic cigarette lighter plugs. My solution – since I don’t smoke cigars – was to replace the OEM cigar lighter with a conventional cigarette lighter, available at any auto parts shop for two bucks or so. Of course, you’ve gotta get inside the console to wire it up.
If you don’t mind a more permanent fixture then you can get a connector that is a USB charging plug at one end, for your satnav / camera, and a fuse adaptor at the other end. Locate an auxiliary fused circuit, like the cigar lighter, and piggy pack the adapter plus USB cable from it.
Thanks for the help. I messed around with the Garmin plug and found out that if you didn’t push the plug all the way down it made contact. I made a rubber ring for inside the socket and after experimenting I found the right thickness ang I can live with that for now. Steve
I’m assuming you’ve tried rotating the plug in the socket. Sometimes when I plug my phone charger in, if it’s inserted in a certain spot, I get no power. After twisting it, it makes a connection and everything is fine.
I can’t say I’ve ever had something that wouldn’t charge being plugged into that socket.
There are at least two different diameter lighter configurations used by Jaguar.
you might need a collar around the plug.
I thought that’s how they all used to work, back in those days, i.e. you push the “element” down into the lighter hole until it snaps - when it heats up, the element “snaps” and pops up slightly from the hole … 
It seems the later “cigar lighters” were designed more and more for actual purpose of powering up electronics, rather than to actually light cigs with … However, with both my '94 and '95 I have been able to use my tire inflator using the socket. For some reason (smaller diameter?) the power plug fits rather loosely inside the socket but if you push it down hard into the hole all the way and are careful not to touch it or yank it with the cord it will connect/work. 
Thanks for the ideas Steve
I’ve given up on the cigar lighter plug/socket thing. Too unreliable, and worse when you need more than one device powered. Instead I use a piggyback fuse adapter with a couple of 12V->5V USB modules, and run hidden cables to where the satnav/dashcam/phone cradle is.
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