FM Transmitter

[Hoobastank]

Hello I am seeking help with a problem I am having with my 1999 328is. I just bought a FM transmitter so I could use my i pod with the stock stereo system, but the transmitter doesn't seem to draw power from the cigarette lighter in the car. Now the problem isn't the lighter cause it works fine and there is no problem with it's fuse, and also not the transmitter because it works in my friends 2000 chrystler cirrus. Any help or more knowledge about this problem would be greatly appreciated.

[kalinrs]

I have heard that our cigarette lighter plugs are kind of iffy and not always accept the accessory you plug into. For some reason the way it was designed it doesn't make good contact with all the different things you can plug in. So far I haven't had a problem with a few chargers and an inverter, but I am expecting something to be rejected soon.

You can also try to rotate the plug once it is in a little and see if something shows up. Be careful not to blow your fuse (have spares around)

[MParallel]

Does your stock stereo have a CD changer port? If so, why not get a Dension/Dice-ish interface and hook up your ipod through that? No need to have wires running over the center console for an ancient FM transmitter.

[sully42]

Did you try something else, like a phone charger or a GPS? Your lighter could function normally, and your contacts on the side could be bad.

[flyfishvt]

Anything you plug into the cigarette lighter has to be almost perfectly centered to work. My Igo charger is like that. If its off just a bit to one side it looses contact with the center contact in the bottom. You also should take a meter and test that the wires to the lighter are on the correct posts. If you touch the red lead to the center contact in the bottom and the black lead to the side you should get "positive 12v" If you get a negative reading then someone has swapped the leads on the lighter. Just pull the sunglass cubby out or remove the shifter boot and foam insert so you can swap them back.

Make sure your meter reads negative dc current.

[leonidas]

Does your stock stereo have a CD changer port? If so, why not get a Dension/Dice-ish interface and hook up your ipod through that? No need to have wires running over the center console for an ancient FM transmitter.

i agree.
that way you dont have to worry about the annoying static and switching stations while you drive.

[Hoobastank]

Well I just bought the transmitter for 100 and some dollars, so it's brand new and would be nice to be able to get it to work. What baffles me is that it works in a 2000 car but not a 1999 one.

[Mad Cow]

Well I just bought the transmitter for 100 and some dollars, so it's brand new and would be nice to be able to get it to work. What baffles me is that it works in a 2000 car but not a 1999 one.

$100? Really? For that price you could've gotten a real interface like MParallel said. And yea in my experience the cigarette lighters in these cars are a bit iffy. From what I know there are 2 types, one of them being normal sized and one being wider. I'm assuming the wider one is the one with contact problems because the prongs on accessories might not fully reach the sides.

[MParallel]

Yeah $100 for an FM transmitter is pretty steep.

I'd invest in a nice ipod interface. Not only will quality be much better, you can also use the radio to control the ipod and it will also charge the ipod while plugged in.

win-win-win if you ask me.