Is your cigarette lighter illuminated?

[Tom]

I ordered a dash trim piece -- the long one that runs above the glovebox. The new one has the same part number stamped on it as the old one, but they aren't the same. Among other things, the replacement part doesn't have a socket for the bulb that lights up the cigarette lighter. Anyone know if Porsche had an official solution for this? Did the later cars (with the twist-style glovebox knob) not have a light for the cigarette lighter? If the later cars DO have an illuminated cigarette lighter, where is the light bulb mounted?

I'm not inclined to let the bulb flop around back there. Unless I'm missing something, I think this will be another 3D printer thing...

trim.jpg (252.61 KiB) Viewed 1602 times

[Darwin]

I believe my MY88 does. I just had the glove box out, too, dang it. If I remember correctly, the light for it was at approximately the 7-8 o'clock position looking at it from the back.

[Tom]

Thanks Darwin. Hopefully someone with an airbag dash has the trim off and can take a look. I'm talking about the separate little bulb that sits right next to the cigarette lighter so can see where to put the lighter back at night. Were you talking about that one too (i.e., not the dome light inside the glovebox)?

I'm inclined to print a little bulb holder and stick it to the side of the clock, but if the airbag cars also have the light even though the bulb holder is no longer molded into the trim, then I can't help obsess a bit on what/where/how the light bulb goes for the cigarette lighter on the later cars (and whether I should be doing it that way instead....).

[Tom]

Well after searching high and low, I cannot find any discussion about the change-over, so here's a carpoke's exclusive. Porsche eliminated the bulb socket on the trim piece (which broke off my old trim piece anyway) and, in it's place, they integrated a bulb holder into the electrical connector for the cigarette lighter (see pic, part number 944 612 439 00). I'm guessing the light shines brighter into the lighter this way, and is surely less likely to snap off like mine did. At any rate, mystery solved. Pelican sells the new socket with bulb holder for $5, but I'll probably just print a bulb holder and be done with it....

new lighter connector.jpg (221.15 KiB) Viewed 1560 times

[Tom]

I posted the file and more pics in the 3D-print section below if anyone wants one, but here is my bulb holder. Gotta love 3D printers.... I guess this is why everything take 9 times longer than I plan.....

bulb-holder-installed.gif (534.79 KiB) Viewed 1554 times

[danmartinic]

My '88 has a light when you remove the lighter.

The little tabs on the far left side that hold this piece down are broken on mine. The resulting misalignment drives me nuts.. funny thing is, every now and then I see this on Porsche literature from back in the day.

Your original piece's tabs are still intact? Why did you change this piece? It's still available new? I bought a used one from a well-known supplier and it arrived with the tabs neatly sheared off geezzzz

Any way to fix these? Print something that can be attached both sides?

[Tom]

On my original trim, the mounting holes were cracked, and the mounting hole on the end was completely broken apart, meaning I could not install that whole trim piece securely to the dash. The bulb holder molded into the back of the trim was also broken half off, not that I realized that until after studying up. I ordered a new trim piece from Porsche (same part number as the one with the bulb holder) and discovered that it is now made without the bulb holder. As best I can tell, all of the new trim pieces are missing the bulb holder (and have the same number molded into them as the original versions). After studying up, I discovered that Porsche moved the bulb holder to the connector that plugs onto the back of the lighter. I image somewhere there is a TSB from Porsche that says if you change the trim piece, you now need to change the cigarette lighter connector too.

If your bulb mount is broken, your options are to find an original trim piece with the bulb holder still intact (good luck), or replace the cigarette lighter connector with the new version that has the bulb holder built into it, or cut off the remnants of your bulb holder and use my 3D printed holder, or get creative with glue/zip ties/etc....

[Markjameswagner]

I posted the file and more pics in the 3D-print section below if anyone wants one, but here is my bulb holder. Gotta love 3D printers.... I guess this is why everything take 9 times longer than I plan.....
please send one of these. [email protected]

bulb-holder-installed.gif

On my original trim, the mounting holes were cracked, and the mounting hole on the end was completely broken apart, meaning I could not install that whole trim piece securely to the dash. The bulb holder molded into the back of the trim was also broken half off, not that I realized that until after studying up. I ordered a new trim piece from Porsche (same part number as the one with the bulb holder) and discovered that it is now made without the bulb holder. As best I can tell, all of the new trim pieces are missing the bulb holder (and have the same number molded into them as the original versions). After studying up, I discovered that Porsche moved the bulb holder to the connector that plugs onto the back of the lighter. I image somewhere there is a TSB from Porsche that says if you change the trim piece, you now need to change the cigarette lighter connector too.

If your bulb mount is broken, your options are to find an original trim piece with the bulb holder still intact (good luck), or replace the cigarette lighter connector with the new version that has the bulb holder built into it, or cut off the remnants of your bulb holder and use my 3D printed holder, or get creative with glue/zip ties/etc....

[Markjameswagner]

Please send me one of these and your other wiper switch holder.

[email protected]