Cigarette lighter vanished into the door...

[Chauch]

The main assembly has come apart and dropped into the door The bible has scared me with stories of tiny hands being required and high levels of pain - any wonderful tips as to how to get this sorted?

What assembly do I need to buy to replace it as I guess pushing the old one towards the speaker and just putting in a new one looks like an easier task than recovering the original?

[BrianMillar]

Hi
This happened to me a while back.
I don't have thin hands but I managed to juggle the old fitting back into place with about an hours worth of fiddling. Its a bit painfull on he wrists but it's possible to do it. I think it might be just as bad trying to get a new cigarette lighter fitted in depending on how it is secured from the back.

[Chauch]

Cheers Brian, sadly I think upon closer inspection, the plastic around the old housing has cracked anyway. I managed to get the metal sleeve back but could not manage to get it to seat properly....

[BrianMillar]

Mine was intact. It had just worked itself loose so it went back in without too much pain.
Maybe there is something on the market that can be fitted from the top and has some sort of spring clip to hold it once it is pushed in. Might be worth a look round the scrappies.

[Paul M]

Mine is loose and just sits in the aperture. Not wired up and the surround broken Its on my list of things to do so any advice re fixing would be appreciated.

[SimonV8ster]

Mine was loose so when I had the door panel off for something else a spot or two of araldite did wonders in holding the socket in place.

[Biggles111]

I had the same problem - the transparent collar disintegrated and the rest fell into the door. I messed around for a few weeks intermittently screwing it together, trying to fix the plastic collar with glue etc, then got fed up and let my local indie replace it when the car was in for other work. Cost was not much and it saved a load of stress. However, if you are more patient than me and want to replace it yourself I imagine TVR carparts and various others would have it in stock, as they seem almost to be a consumable.

[Chauch]

Biggles - exactly the same problem. Due a service soon anyway and I think I may just wait - the arse is that I use my battery conditioner through the socket so now get in nervously every time worrying about whether it will start or not....

[Overhere]

I ripped mine out by tripping over the cable of my sat nav (doh!) I took the speaker out and tried my damdest to reach it, no way, and I don't have big hands (Big feet of course, as all TVR owners have ;-)

I checked the bible on pulling the door pannel off and it looks a bitch, any other suggestions? Otherwise it's a job for the next time it goes in.

[Al 450]

A big nylon washer available from a plumbers merchant or DIY store fits snugly around the original ciggy lighter. Cut the external diameter down with a stanley knife until it is only about 2-3mm wide so it's not too visible and it'll stop the lighter falling down inside the door once it's screwed in place.