F30POST
F30POST
2012-2015 BMW 3-Series and 4-Series Forum
BMW Garage BMW Meets Register Search Today's Posts Mark Forums Read
BMW 3-Series and 4-Series Forum (F30 / F32) | F30POST > Technical Forums > Mechanical Maintenance and TSBs: Break-in / Oil & Fluids / Servicing / TSBs and Service Bulletin > Charging phone in car? Bad habit?
Studio RSR
Post Reply
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread
      08-19-2014, 11:38 PM   #1
richie_s
Private
32
Rep
79
Posts

Drives: 335i x drive M sport (F30)
Join Date: Oct 2013
Location: PA

iTrader: (0)

Charging phone in car? Bad habit?

I always have my phone plugged into my car via USB for music, but I heard people talk about their car's electronics being affected by it.

The horn on my car recently blew out and I'm guessing my phone had something to do with it...?

Anyone want to share experiences of charging their phone while driving and what it does to the car?
Appreciate 0
      08-21-2014, 08:48 AM   #2
Fronzdan
Lieutenant Colonel
United_States
273
Rep
1,690
Posts

Drives: '24 M240 xDrive
Join Date: Mar 2014
Location: MA

iTrader: (0)

This makes no sense to me. Your phone is only another current draw on the battery like everything else in the car. Unless your phone is pulling down like 20 amps, which would probably melt your USB port, it's not going to interfere with anything. And if you leave it plugged in all the time, it should only pretty much be fully charged all the time unless you go days without driving.
Appreciate 0
      08-21-2014, 10:41 AM   #3
Tr0y
First Lieutenant
England
118
Rep
311
Posts

Drives: F33 428i M Sport Convertible
Join Date: Jul 2014
Location: Leicester

iTrader: (0)

Really??
Appreciate 0
      08-21-2014, 01:36 PM   #4
FC4
Brigadier General
2644
Rep
3,393
Posts

Drives: Yes
Join Date: May 2014
Location: US

iTrader: (0)

Totally.

If we make a venn diagram of total number of people who have had electrical issues with their BMW, and the total number of people who have charged their phone, I think we'd find a significant overlap. This might very well be the reason.
Appreciate 0
      08-21-2014, 05:17 PM   #5
Fronzdan
Lieutenant Colonel
United_States
273
Rep
1,690
Posts

Drives: '24 M240 xDrive
Join Date: Mar 2014
Location: MA

iTrader: (0)

Is that like the Venn diagram of people who have some kind of rattle or buzz in their F30 and people who eat chicken? Eating chicken makes your F30 rattle!
Appreciate 0
      08-22-2014, 06:09 PM   #6
Jdem2
Private
14
Rep
58
Posts

Drives: BMW
Join Date: Apr 2014
Location: NJ/PA

iTrader: (0)

Quote:
Originally Posted by Fronzdan View Post
Is that like the Venn diagram of people who have some kind of rattle or buzz in their F30 and people who eat chicken? Eating chicken makes your F30 rattle!
Breathing oxygen makes my F30 rattle.
Appreciate 0
      08-23-2014, 10:24 PM   #7
richie_s
Private
32
Rep
79
Posts

Drives: 335i x drive M sport (F30)
Join Date: Oct 2013
Location: PA

iTrader: (0)

y'all is bitches
Appreciate 0
      08-25-2014, 09:39 AM   #8
Orion4
Lieutenant Colonel
United_States
472
Rep
1,560
Posts

Drives: 2013 335i Sport Line Sedan
Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: Melbourne, FL

iTrader: (0)

If your iPhone was somehow (cant imagine how) causing electricial voltage/impedence issues, you would have other symptoms from other systems that are a lot more sensitive to electrical anomalies than a horn. by the way, you have 2 horns at different frequencies. I had one of mine fail about 6 months ago and the remaining horn sounded terrible.
Appreciate 0
      08-25-2014, 09:58 AM   #9
carlos@velosdesignwerks
Brigadier General
United_States
624
Rep
4,309
Posts

Drives: BMW M4
Join Date: Jun 2013
Location: Miami

iTrader: (0)

No way.
Appreciate 0
      08-26-2014, 01:39 PM   #10
richie_s
Private
32
Rep
79
Posts

Drives: 335i x drive M sport (F30)
Join Date: Oct 2013
Location: PA

iTrader: (0)

Quote:
Originally Posted by Orion4 View Post
If your iPhone was somehow (cant imagine how) causing electricial voltage/impedence issues, you would have other symptoms from other systems that are a lot more sensitive to electrical anomalies than a horn. by the way, you have 2 horns at different frequencies. I had one of mine fail about 6 months ago and the remaining horn sounded terrible.
Yes, the lower horn completely blew out in my car.

Turns out that it was because I flashed my high beams while I was blaring my horn at someone drifting into my lane. I didn't quite connect the two, but I remember that ever since that incident, the low pitched horn gradually started to get raspy and eventually fizzle out over the course of a few months.

I'm getting a new horn covered under warranty. I still think it's a possibility that the plugged in phone overworked the circuitry because a horn shouldn't fail simply because I flash my high beams at the same time.
Appreciate 0
      09-13-2014, 11:25 AM   #11
douggreglas
New Member
0
Rep
10
Posts

Drives: ..
Join Date: Nov 2012
Location: ..

iTrader: (0)

Quote:
Originally Posted by richie_s View Post
Yes, the lower horn completely blew out in my car.

Turns out that it was because I flashed my high beams while I was blaring my horn at someone drifting into my lane. I didn't quite connect the two, but I remember that ever since that incident, the low pitched horn gradually started to get raspy and eventually fizzle out over the course of a few months.

I'm getting a new horn covered under warranty. I still think it's a possibility that the plugged in phone overworked the circuitry because a horn shouldn't fail simply because I flash my high beams at the same time.
No. There is absolutely no way the current draw from the phone is causing problems. A standard USB port supplies at most 500 mA @ 5V, or 2.5 watts.

The alternator on a 3-series, meanwhile, supplies between 2,400 watts and 2,900 watts (varies with trim level).

Let's assume that various inefficiencies (stepping down in voltage, losses in the wiring system, etc) lead to your phone putting 10 watts of load on your car, then your phone uses up about 0.4% of the alternator's capacity.
Appreciate 0
Post Reply

Bookmarks

Tags
charging, phone, phone charger, usb, usb audio

Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off



All times are GMT -5. The time now is 04:24 PM.




f30post
Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.11
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions Inc.
1Addicts.com, BIMMERPOST.com, E90Post.com, F30Post.com, M3Post.com, ZPost.com, 5Post.com, 6Post.com, 7Post.com, XBimmers.com logo and trademark are properties of BIMMERPOST