A week ago I bought a Toyota Corolla and asked about the dots on the windshield. I’ve got another question about it.
We test drove two Corollas on the lot, both were former rental cars with low miles. Both were missing the little cap or cover over what used to be known as the cigarette lighter, but is now the “power accessory port” or something. I went to get it replaced yesterday only to find out it isn’t a simple cap, but a part that requires dismantling and removing the lighter, putting in the new piece and replacing the assembly.
Why would this be missing in the first place on two rental car Corollas? If it was just one, I would call it a fluke. But on two similar cars, I would suspect something being done intentionally. If it was just a simple cap I would expect it would easily get lost of vacuumed up in a cleaning process, but it looks like someone had to go in and take apart the assembly in order to remove the cap.
So, why are these cars missing that little cappy thing?
I don’t know, but my first guess is that they got yanked off. Those caps are retained by a little strap that seems to hold them right in the way of using the socket, making them an irritant. One good pull and, voila!, nuisance gone.
Just go to the auto parts store and buy an actual cigarette lighter. For three bucks you’ll get what in essence is a dust cap when it is in the socket.
Oh, it’ll be replaced for free and all, I just was wondering if there was an organized legitimate reason for it to be gone in a 6 month old car with 10k miles on it in the first place.
Some rental places offer plug-in GPS/satnav systems; possibly they couldn’t get it all the way into the socket with the cap in the way, so they just cut it off.
Sounds to me like a problem that doesn’t particularly need solving. Just don’t stick your finger in the socket. Not enough dust is going collect to make the socket inoperable. And if it does, it’s nothing a quick blast of dustoff wouldn’t blow out.
I once drove a Honda Civic where the driver’s side door was stuck shut, so I took out the passenger seat and climbed in the other door like it was a Mercury capsule.
The missing power port cap will make the car look all tough and RoadWarriorish.