Electrics Basics Question

[sfbabytyres]

Sorry to ask quite a basic question about car maintenance, but I have a secondhand car 82k miles on the clock and I would like to get a few repairs done and I'm wondering whether it's worth just running the car into the ground rather than going ahead?

I have already had the timing belt and power steering belts and the battery replaced to try and keep it alive and on the road for as long as possible (I need it for work and do about 1k miles a month.)

There are a few things like the electrical socket / cigarette lighter which has not worked since we bought the car (secondhand) and electric folding mirrors which sounds very snazzy until you activate them at which point one mirror will offer a very slow clap in the manner of a Bond villain congratulating you before you are escorted towards his exotic collection of piranhas.

Because I'm a bit scared / ignorant about offering my car up to indie garages, I always visit our local brandname garage who says they pretty much don't do anything electronic. Ugh.

So I don't know if there's a specific type of garage I should visit or if it's a question of buying a boatload of tools, hopping on Ebay for the parts and loading up YouTube and having a crack myself? (I am usually *terrible* at this)

What do you do? And what would you recommend?

Thanks for any help folks!

[feef]

For the lighter, have you checked the fuse? Wouldn't be surprised if someone had drawn too much current on it in the past and just blown the fuse.

[sfbabytyres]

Ah, amazing, thank you! I will take a look.