flatso

Is there one in the back I can't find?

MazdaManiac

iTrader: (3)

It is in the back half of the center console.
Slide it back and then lift it up.
There is a power outlet in the back.

flatso

thanks I will check when I get home. And 'power outlet' is more PC in these days of smoke free cars.

MazdaManiac

iTrader: (3)

Well, "power outlet" is what Mazda calls it.
I suppose you could move the cig lighter from the dash to there, but it would be hard to use and would turn the front cig lighter into a "power outlet".:p

Trx8

I think some cars have accessory sockets that are not intended for use with a lighter; they are not designed for the heat exposure. The manual refers to:
- Lighter in the dashboard
- Accessory socket in the center console

They don't mention using the lighter in the center console.

eccles

All lighter sockets can be used to power accessories, but not all accessory sockets can be used with a lighter. True accessory sockets lack the internal clip that holds the lighter element depressed until it's hot. I suspect that the RX-8's rear socket is like that.

flatso

so what is that socket for if not for a lighter can you hook your radar detector back there?

RevRaz

Your Laptop or any other DC Powered device.. Cell Phone, PDA..etc.

Chief

I definitely use the back one for cell phone charging

Mikelikes2drive

i wouldnt put the radar detector in the back because then how would u see your radar detector and i think most radar detectors say to put it in the front right under then rear-view mirror.

and isn't charging ur cell phone in the car really bad for battery life? xP

Chief

Actually I think I've only charged the cell phone in the car once, that's only for emergencies. But I can't imagine it would be that bad for the battery, I;m sure some people charge the cell pones in the car all the time

Shooter

the sockets are only hot when the key is turned to accessories i believe. it doesnt work when the key is in the off position so there is effect on battery life......

eccles

I believe the expressed concern was for the life of the phone battery, not the car battery. This could be a genuine concern given the right combination of battery type and charging circuit - NiCd batteries, for example, develop a "memory" effect if they are not allowed to discharge fully every once in a while, and even Li-ion batteries can only survive a finite number of charging cycles.

Anyone interested in more information can find probably more than you wanted to know at Battery University.

Genom

I've charged my cell phone battery in car exclusively for the past 5 months myself. Just works out that way.

BTW, dont let Maurice get ahold of this thread!

(funny, j/k, haha?).

WVU RX8

The only place I charge my cell phone is in the car; this has worked out fine for the phones and the cars, whether in my RX8 as well as past cars. I've rewired the RX8 accessory outlet in the center console to be on full-time, so the phone is fully charged each morning. The rewiring is accomplished at the fuse panels beside the driver's left leg; not a big deal once I got the diagram. (removed the Accessory fuse (which supplies only this Accessory outlet) and added a new wired-in fuse powered from a full-time source).