Is it just me or are the lighter/12V dash outlets in Vanagons a totally
useless waste?

I've never gotten any good use out of the one in my '84, everything
always seems to fall out as it isn't deep enough.  On top of that the
mounting scheme with the plastic ring to hold it in place is pretty
worthless, especially after a couple tabs break off.

Does anyone have any good mods for making the lighter port more usefull,
stable, etc.

Are the greenish plastic rings still available from VW?  I have my dash
out at the moment and would at minimum like to replace my broken ring and
possibly epoxy it to the dash so it can't break or work its way out in
the future.

Thanks!
  Tolga