James,

I can think of an alternative to removing your cigarette lighter.

Radio Shack carries nifty 3-hole accessory plugs.  I wired mine to the
accessory battery and plugged in my fridge there -- I have an Igloo
fridge/warmer.  This left two more plugs, one for my 12V fan, and the other
for my CB radio.  Problem solved with no hacking any precious plastic bits.

Chris

----- Original Message -----
From: James Fritz <jfritz@willinet.net>
To: <vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM>
Sent: Friday, July 28, 2000 3:01 PM
Subject: How in the h*ll?!?!???!!??!?!

Friends,

Ok, thanks to Mark, Sean, Tim, Keith, Michael, and Bill I've been able to
get my glove box out (the obvious always seems too obvious!) aI'm always
impressed with the speedy help I get from this list.  Mille graci!  Anyway,
I'm trying to remove my cigarette lighter.
I don't smoke.  We bought a 12vdc refrig and used it on a short trip to
Chicago.  Everytime my daughter put her feet on the dash to "relax Dad!" she
hit the plug with her foot and shorted out a fuse (3 in 500 miles....)  So,
for the trip we're taking tomorrow out to Colorado I decided I'd just remove
the whole thing and stick it into the glove box, out sight and away from her
feet.
I took out the glove box (big hands, couldn't work on it), removed the radio
and the air conditioning controls to finally get at it.  I disconnected the
quik-connect plug on the lighter, popped the lighter body nearly all of the
way out but there seems to be something blocking me from pulling it totally
out.  As best I can tell, peering into the ashtray hole (boy I hate trying
to get used to bifocals!), there looks to be some electrical piggyback.  I'm
guessing that it would allow you to tap off the lighter for another
electrical device.  I've tugged and swore and it won't budge.  Until I get
that dang thing off I can't pull the unit out of the dash.

How in the h*ll do I get this stupid thing out?
It should be so straight forward and easy and I've already killed 2 hours
and all of my good karma for the next month.

Any ideas?
TIA
Jim in Iowa
91 Passat Wagon GL
89 Westy
66 Beetle