[DOC.f]

Hi all,

I have three 12V charging points in my car, one in the front (between the cupholders), one under the center piece for the rear seats and one in the trunk.

When holidaying I used my 12V charger to charge several cellphones and a tablet for the kids.
Unfortunately I discovered my 12V USB charger does not work in 2 out of the three. It does work in the trunk but not in the front and back charging points.
However my 12V car fridge does work in all three.

I tried several different USB chargers and they all just work in the trunk.

I took a detail picture of the charging point and I see a difference in the one in the trunk and the other two.

Front and rear seat charging points:



Trunk charging point:



If looked closely I notice there is less metal at the bottom and the number 4 appears for the front and rear 12V socket.
In the trunk the bottom is round and full of metal and the number 16 appears.

Could this be a manufacture fault?
Anyone has the same problem?
I find it rather unpractical to charge cellphones/tablets only in the trunk!

[thereef510]

I cant answer your question because I've yet to use the 12v lighter charger. But the simplest thing you could do is get a USB-C to lightning/USB-C or whatever cable end you need for your cellphones/tablets and charge off the USB-C ports mounted to the back of each front row seats.

[X5 45e]

Originally Posted by thereef510

I cant answer your question because I've yet to use the 12v lighter charger. But the simplest thing you could do is get a USB-C to lightning/USB-C or whatever cable end you need for your cellphones/tablets and charge off the USB-C ports mounted to the back of each front row seats.

If you ordered the travel and comfort pack that is. So probably that is the issue.

I have only tested the one in the trunk with a portable fridge and it works.

I have the T&C system and purchased the cables

If you don't have T&C you can still use the usb C in the centre for one device.

Sounds like the usb charger is not touching the bottom of the charging point? Can that be. The issue?

[mdk222]

It might be a blown fuse. I had a similar issue where the 12 volt outlets in the front cup holder and in the second row were not working. Dealer said the fuse had blown when plugging in multiple devices during a long road trip. The 12 volt outlet in the rear cargo area has a separate fuse. They replaced the blown fuse and both are now working for me again. I was surprised that the 12 volt fuse would blow when charging three phones at once using the USB ports and one 12 volt outlet, but apparently that was enough to do it...

[X5 45e]

Originally Posted by mdk222

It might be a blown fuse. I had a similar issue where the 12 volt outlets in the front cup holder and in the second row were not working. Dealer said the fuse had blown when plugging in multiple devices during a long road trip. The 12 volt outlet in the rear cargo area has a separate fuse. They replaced the blown fuse and both are now working for me again. I was surprised that the 12 volt fuse would blow when charging three phones at once using the USB ports and one 12 volt outlet, but apparently that was enough to do it...

But the fridge works in all 3 sockets. When the fuse is blown that shouldn't work either.

[LexxM3]

This is a well known (and annoying) problem. The issue is that there are multiple mechanical "standard" specifications for the 12V socket and there is a mechanical incompatibility with some/many plugs not reaching the +ve terminal at the bottom of the socket due to the misfit. People (including me) have literally had to shave down plugs. There were multiple detailed exasperating threads about it in the past, do a search and I'll post links if I find them first.

https://g05.bimmerpost.com/forums/sh....php?t=1557458

https://g05.bimmerpost.com/forums/sh....php?t=1689759

[Caramel]

Originally Posted by X5 45e

Sounds like the usb charger is not touching the bottom of the charging point? Can that be. The issue?

That is the best hypothesis. DOC, if you can stuff some tinfoil in the bottom of your charging points (avoid having it touch the sidewalls or your fuse might blow), you could see whether that helps your "faulty" charger work.

Leaves the question whether your charging points or your charger do not comply with industry standards (in case there are any).

[DOC.f]

Thanks for all the help!

Unfortunately I did not take the T&C package, so only one USB charging point in the front.

But I used another different charger this morning that I found by accident (old charger), and this one works!
The difference with the new ones is that the old charger has a large positive terminal (large metal head) in contrast to the new small pinpoint heads of the new chargers!

So no blown fuse but a well known problem as LexxM3 mentioned.
BMW should avoid this problem in the future!

[biterror]

Originally Posted by Caramel

That is the best hypothesis. DOC, if you can stuff some tinfoil in the bottom of your charging points (avoid having it touch the sidewalls or your fuse might blow), you could see whether that helps your "faulty" charger work.

This sounds like a good way for blowing the fuse.

They should never have started using the cigarette lighter socket as a common 12 V outlet. It was not designed for that. There's nothing but friction keeping the plug inserted while the center pin often has a spring, trying to push the plug out of the socket. (And when there's no spring, moving the plug by 0.01 mm is enough to cut the power..)

[M40i4me]

OP. My wife had a Mazda CX-5 and had a built in a power inverter Laptop desk in the passenger seat for 3 years. When we bought the X-5 I discovered the plug did not push in far enough so the the desk did not work! I decided to go online and purchase a portable power inverter for her computer. This one plugged in with no issues. I suspect your issue is the plug on your device as for some reason they are not all the same!

[LexxM3]

Originally Posted by DOC.f

Thanks for all the help!

Unfortunately I did not take the T&C package, so only one USB charging point in the front.

But I used another different charger this morning that I found by accident (old charger), and this one works!
The difference with the new ones is that the old charger has a large positive terminal (large metal head) in contrast to the new small pinpoint heads of the new chargers!

So no blown fuse but a well known problem as LexxM3 mentioned.
BMW should avoid this problem in the future!

BMW should avoid the problem and not hide behind "it's a standard". But root cause is idiotic "standards". See here: https://www.bimmerpost.com/forums/sh...php?p=25736010