Power to Cig Lighters
 

I'm fairly new to my 2005 X5. On my previous car, I left my radar detector plugged into the cig lighter full time and it powered up and down when the car was running. On my X5, it seems that the passenger side cig lighter is powered all the time (even when the car is powered off). Is there any way to change this?

Are you referring to the cig lighter located in the passenger side footwell?
It's not that hard if your mechanically/electronically enclined.
You would need to find a wire at either the front (located behind the glovebox) or rear fusebox that turns on and off with the key with a test light or DMM, then wire the cig lighter to that wire.

Unplug whatever you have plugged in to the cig lighter...it will continue to drain if not....Problem solved

You can add a switch to the cigarette lighter adapter to cut the connection off....

You can hardwire the radar detector to an accessory/ignition source using a hardwire kit for your specific brand and model.

All the cigarette lighters inside your X5 are powered at all times. SO without the key in the ignition, you can use the cigarette lighter for power or to light your cigarette.

:iagree: I have an 05 and that's what i do.