General Has anybody ever fitted a cigarette lighter in the boot?

[BrianMcL]

My eleganza doesn't have a cigarette lighter auxilliary socket in the boot unlike previous cars I've had.

It can actually be quite a useful thing, particularly if it's always live and I've often wondered if one could be fitted to the croma and if so what would be the best way to do it.

I got a tow bar fitted not long after I got the car and the installers fitted a bypass relay in the small cubby hole in the left hand side.

I've metered it and found the always live wires to and from the relay. Would anyone know if it's a simple matter of wiring in the accessory socket into the relay or is there a better way?

Also, what would be a rough guide to the wattage it would support?

 

[s130]

If your towbar wiring includes caravan/trailer power then you will have no problem.

1) check if you have TWO seven pin sockets (one black & one grey) If you do then you have to make a decision. Do you want your 12V power socket always on or only on when the engine is running. This will determine to which side of the aux power relay you connect in.

2) if you only have the 7 pin black connector then this is essentially a lights only feed. Having said this any reputable installer should have cabled for 15Amps UNLESS the used the Croma intelligent trailer connection. As you said they fitted a bypass relay then there should be a direct 12V (fused at 15A) directly from the battery to the bypass relay. Find this wire and you can pich up a fused 12V, 15Amp feed.

3) You may have a 13 Pin Euro socket. This may or may not be wired for aux power. Like 2) you can pick up a power feed from the bypass relay but it would be better to pick up the feed from the Aux Power feed.

Have a look on the Web for 7 pin and 13 pin socket wiring. Look at your car and especially look at wires coming off the battery that look "after market" and where they go. On the Croma the easiest way to get power feeds for caravans to the back of the car is to come straight off the battery, two feeds, both fused at 15A, and run the wires out of the engine compartment, under the car through the plastic trunking and then back up into the boot area via a hole in the boot floor pan.

Take a look at waht you have then report back if you are in any doubt as to how to proceed.

 

[Doofer]

If it would work for what you need to plug in, my preference would be to install a proper power socket instead of a horrid fag lighter thing. They are only used because of an accident of history - I find it amazing that the car companies can't get together and agree to switch over to a proper connector that could replace it.

My sat nav disconnects if it's wiggled in the wrong direction or I drive over a bump. The plug on my powered coolbox melted, and if I hadn't smelt it then it would have caught fire - it was only minutes away. I really wouldn't want one where I couldn't see/smell it. I certainly wouldn't leave anything connected by one powered in a parked car.

I'm sure there must be a semi-standard 12V socket that's used on caravans or barges etc.

Is there something you can put in-line on an always-on supply that cuts it out if the voltage drops below a level that leaves enough to start the engine?

 

[s130]

Is there something you can put in-line on an always-on supply that cuts it out if the voltage drops below a level that leaves enough to start the engine?

Probably yes but more difficult to identify. The most standard aux power relays will a) have a threshold adjuster and b) cut-out when the engine is not running.

It is possible to adjust some of these relays to drop out at voltages lower than 12V but generally they work in the 12V to 14V range. I have seen in the past units adjustable from 10V to 15V but finding one will require careful research and enquiries. Failing that one can make your own adjustable relay for a few pounds but the problem will not be the electronics/circuit but will be the packaging of the components into a neat and easily installable unit.