Cigarette Lighter Retainer Clip

In true old-school fashion, E30s were not equipped with cup holders. BMW was of course able to find a spot for a cigarette lighter in the center console. For those not familiar with what a cigarette lighter is, it’s where you plug in your USB dock to charge your vape pen ;). Nearly every car ever made after WWII has one of these conveniences. Yet the cigarette lighter retainer clip is somehow one of the weakest points of the E30 interior.

It’s no secret that BMW tends to err on the side of over-engineering. True to form, the cigarette lighter, or more accurately, the cigarette lighter retainer clip, is a tiny, over-engineered piece of plastic, Even in the E30. It is a translucent amber, cylindrical plastic sleeve. Halfway around the circumference from each other, two clips protrude from the top ring and past the outer wall. The two clips hold the the canister to the ash tray assembly for inserting DC power adapters. Like much of the other plastic attached to these 80s legends, this little plastic clip becomes brittle and often disintegrates after 30+ years. The power port is then floating around in the cavity between the console and the transmission tunnel.

At this point the port is resting on the two electrical leads at the bottom of the can. Because it is in the vicinity of the ash tray which most people fill with loose change, a coin can find its way underneath the cigarette lighter port. A coin can then bridge the two leads and short the circuit – or worse… ask me how I know.

The replacement cigarette lighter retainer clip from E30 Update has been re-engineered to be stronger than OEM. Printed in clear translucent PETG, you won’t have to worry about it cracking and dropping out of the ash tray. Unlike the original, it is not amber. So we do recommend replacing the stock illumination with a red or amber LED replacement lighting.

If you prefer a stock console setup in your E30, this cigarette lighter retainer clip from E30 Update is a must. It provides a firm, like-new DC outlet experience for plugging in a USB dock, or even a cigarette lighter!