TIME FOR BLING, INNIT
Mark decides fit a twin USB adaptor and ignore the dodgy power-fold mirror for another month....
Having become a bit fed up with the fight between myself and my loved ones for the USB charging socket, it was time to do something. I know some of you will think the simple answer is to buy a two-socket USB plug for the cigarette lighter, but this means other accessories can’t use the socket and I regularly use my powered cool box for picnics and bringing home perishable comestibles from far-flung places. The solution came from a post on the Freelander Owners Club Facebook page.
In China, they make everything electronic, including things for which there is not yet a use. One of the FOC members had located a USB socket which fits into the blanks many of us have in our cubby box. The blanks used to be electric window switches, but on later spec models, these transferred to the armrests, leaving two spare positions, the others being used for the tailgate window and sunroof rocker switches.
Billed Universal Twin Dual Double Port 2 USB 12v In Car Socket Lighter Charger adaptor, it’s sold on ebay by smart-buy88 and more or less fits the same hole perfectly, giving you two USB sockets in a very convenient location.
The adaptor is less than £4 shipped, so I got one on order, then examined the technical challenge as the adaptor made its way across three oceans. The cubby box lid and liner is retained by four crosshead screws into tab clips, which can be easily removed. The adaptor needs a power supply and, as luck would have it, my 2005 HSE has a redundant ignition live with plug, intended for the original accessory socket for rear passengers which disappeared in this model, along with the passenger ashtray.
Now, I am aware that an alternative solution was available; to refit the accessory socket in the rear and use a USB adaptor plug in that. Or even fit another, round USB adaptor designed to fill an accessory socket hole. I decided against that because I wanted the extra USB in front.
When the adaptor arrived I realised it would need some slight modifications to be a snug fit in the hole left by the blank. The adaptor has raised keying on the sides, which required filing the switch hole a little with a needle file. It also has a large flange around the outside, just under the switch, which wouldn’t fit into the switch recess in the cubby box.
The adaptor has a rubber socket protector fitted – this was removed easily, giving me better access to this flange,
which I trimmed back with small snips. I then replaced the rubber socket protector.
The next issue was how to connect the ignition live to the two spade-end connectors on the USB adaptor. The ignition live has a connector block on it which doesn’t mate up with the adaptor, but I quickly realised that buried in the plug are nothing more than two spadeend connectors. I decided to try something really simple; to very carefully snip down the middle of the plastic and split the connector block.
It worked perfectly, the two spade-end connectors within it still surrounded by plastic insulation, though one got an extra few wraps of insulating tape. That saved a job with new spade-end connectors, wire cutters and crimping.
Any used car may have had its wiring altered, so I decided on a precautionary check of the polarity of the two cables, and connected a multimeter to ensure the purple cable was the live. I then spliced in an in-line fuse holder with 10A fuse, though this circuit is, of course, already fused under the dashboard.
To remove the switch blank from the cubby box, it’s much easier to push it out from inside. Likewise, so that I could route the ignition live safely and easily, pushing the tailgate window switch out gave me a good view of what was going on, and to ensure the live went to the positive spade end (purple/pink is live; black is earth). The wire routed clear of the handbrake mechanism, but I tied it back anyway.
All that remained was to pop the tailgate window switch back and push home the USB adaptor (it was a tight fit) then drop the cubby box back in and enjoy the blue glow of some useful bling.
I also nabbed a pair of genuine Land Rover roof bars for £40 secondhand, which have been hugely useful.
Next on my list – there’s always a list with a 100,000-mile-old car – is to replace the passenger side power-fold mirror, which I broke one day when it stubbornly refused to power-fold, and I went a bit Basil Fawlty on it. I also have my eyes on a set of more aggressive tyres for a spot of soft-roading I have planned.
Other than that, the car’s been great, and has delivered 8000 trouble-free miles so far. The ALIVE remap has been a revelation, making the car so much more sprightly and giving it mid-range grunt which is a real must for towing our little two-berth caravan.
The car’s recently had a mid-term service including oils, filters, ancillary belt and crankcase PCV breather. This latter item needs changing every 12,000 miles, because the risk is that a blocked PCV will pressurise the crankcase and cause all manner of problems including exhaust smoking and even gasket failure. It’s an easy job for a DIYER, I’m told (https://goo. gl/e2ww2l). Maybe next time....