Cigarette lighter power question

[sirmalloc]

Is it normal for the cigarette lighter to remain powered without the ignition switched on? I've got a charger for my iPhone and the light on the transformer stays lit even with the key removed.

[CalRick]

Yes - power to the lighter is unswitched.

[sirmalloc]

Originally Posted by CalRick

Yes - power to the lighter is unswitched.

Should I bother with unplugging a tiny charger for a phone every time, or is the drain fairly negligible?

[wasupdu]

Originally Posted by sirmalloc

Should I bother with unplugging a tiny charger for a phone every time, or is the drain fairly negligible?

It's a very small draw of power and can remain plugged in with no problem for short periods of time (2-3 days). The only real issue is that if this isn't your primary car then you may wanna unplug it in case you go more than a week without using it. It's just a cell phone charger....if it was a mini-fridge or a something else drawing any more power then it would be a different issue.

In a perfect world you should unplug it when it's not in use.

[TopDown]

Originally Posted by CalRick

Yes - power to the lighter is unswitched.

In the Z4.

However, in the wife's 335i the power to the lighter is switched, which makes my BMW battery charger with the lighter plug useless for her car.

[rc'Z]

No offense to anyone, but cell phone chargers left plugged into live cigarette lighters are battery killers, even if it is your every day car. Don't do it. Most phone charger providers warn against it.