cigarette lighter replacement

2001 996 I took out the cigarette lighter insert to charge my phone. It fell on the floor unbeknownst to me and ended up getting crushed when I moved the seat up. I ordered an OEM replacement from Pelican. It came with the entire assembly (insert plus the housing that that inserts into the dash). I tried simply swapping the inserts but the new piece, while it fits fine into the car, doesn't latch when I push it in. I have two questions: 1. Is there something I can do to get the existing housing to latch onto the replacement insert? 2. If not, can somebody point me to a video or a thread with pictures that shows how to swap out the old insert. I've found videos that show how to disassemble the unit once it's extracted from the dash, but I don't seem to be able to find anything that actually shows how to do the whole job. Without good instruction, what does exist online suggests this can be a very finicky procedure. So, I'm looking for some good instructions before jumping into it.

Why not just leave the phone charger in place? There are some flush mount options available that aren't really noticeable when a cable isn't plugged in. I.e., Amazon Amazon

Install the non smokers kit, way more awesome

The diameter of the original equipment was a little large for most adapters. The replacement units are more accurately sized for accessories. Swapping these out isn't very difficult, but removing the old unit is a bit of puzzle. The pieces fit together in a funky way. Google "cigarrette lighter replacement 996 site:rennlist.com" for many threads on this subject.

Yes, the original unit was based on European specs, not North American. The easiest way to remove the old part is to break it apart from the back with a pair of wire snips. Just disconnect the wires first. There is a way to gracefully remove it but is very fiddly and not worth the effort. You're not going to use the old part anyway.

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Yikes! NO! Please don't break it... I've taken mine completely apart 3 times now (to paint the horseshoe). Here's a video that helped me do it: You Tube

That video would have made the first time I did this easier. Have to do it again so this will help this time. Thanks for posting.

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Tell me about it! I just replaced my stereo a few weeks ago and replaced the lighter with a USB port for charging/CarPlay. I think it took me a good half hour to get the lighter out and then I had to dremmel off the sleeve around it so I could mount the USB. And of course, the stereo doesn't like the USB port I used. It worked when I originally tested it but now it says "no response" when I connect anything to it. Now I need to find another solution. The hard part is that the stereo has a USB C connector on it which makes it hard to find a clean solution.

Why not break it? - So you can throw out the intact piece rather than a broken one? It's never going to be used again and it comes out in less than a minute with that method. If you like spending a lot of time in cramped positions needlessly, then go ahead. Oh, I forgot - keeping the original non-US spec lighter in your car adds millions to the value. I was going to buy that 996 but it didn't have the lighter socket that won't hold any accessories. Too much?