dash top 12v power outlet

[meeso]

Can anyone confirm on a 2021 highline V6, the 12v outlet in the dash tray on top, is it meant to power down? I run my dashcam form it, and it seems to stay on, and over a longer period, flattens the battery.

not sure if its meant to, i may just bite the bullet and hardwire the cam to a switches power source, but it was super convenient to use that one.

thanks

[Guest001]

Can anyone confirm on a 2021 highline V6, the 12v outlet in the dash tray on top, is it meant to power down? I run my dashcam form it, and it seems to stay on, and over a longer period, flattens the battery.

not sure if its meant to, i may just bite the bullet and hardwire the cam to a switches power source, but it was super convenient to use that one.

thanks

Just get a couple of Addafuses and connect it to the fuse box DO NOT use ABS or AIRBAG fuses

[meeso]

Ack. understand. Got me confused as hell why VW would enable a lighter socket to retain power on after ignition switched off?

[Newkidontheblok]

Ack. understand. Got me confused as hell why VW would enable a lighter socket to retain power on after ignition switched off?

Yes. It stays on permanently. Campers love it. You don't need to have a key in the ignition to run your LED's from your Kings' pull out awning, for instance.
Also, you can plug your 10w solar panel into it to keep the battery charged. My solar panel sits there on the dash if the vehicle is going to be stationary for any length of time. A block of foam holds it up against the glass.

If this permanently on state is an issue, do what I did and plug in the solar panel when parked for extended periods and
1) buy one of those multi outlet powerboards with the switches for each outlet and 2 USB ports. Has a digital voltmeter on the end of the lighter socket plug. When you stop, isolate any circuits from the powerboard. The board has an LED ring around each port so that you can easily see if it's got power or not. Ebay purchase. About $12. And you now have a diagnostic on your electricals - a voltmeter.
2) get a Voltage Sensitive Relay (VSR). The VSR will isolate load from source when voltage drops below 12.7v. Cheap on ebay.

Insert the VSR at the main power distribution board off the battery. There's about 5 major circuits there. It's all good. The VSR's are rated to 120 amps and this way, you don't see the VSR but only the circuits you want isolated are cut when battery voltage drops (usually shortly after stopping motor). You'll need to get a couple of copper cable lugs to complete the connection. And a metre of heavy duty household cabling from Bunnings. Solid core is my favourite if you can find it but multistrand is fine. This way, the circuit is self isolating, fully automatically engaging and you don't see any of the modifications. They are all under the bonnet. And it's good for 120 amps. I've got another two outlets in the tub. If they're all on the same circuit, one VSR can handle the lot.

[meeso]

What a carry on

Thanks both. i actually like Newkids reply, it seems to me that he was providing a bit of logical reply, directly acknowledging the query. No need for a sarcastic reply , Yes, i can and should have wired it exactly as you say, the wiring isnt an issue, it was the choice of power source, and when these cams come with a cig socket plug, why not use a source thats close and accessable. What most people dont know is which sources are turned off after ignition. i wrongly assumed this one was and didnt check with a meter.



Try be humble !

Newkid.. thanks mate

[Guest001]

I prefer to be tidy and not have wires hanging out of fag power so always do it the accepted way, which if nothing else is tidy and not obvious that you have a camera.

In both my cars the cameras and toll tags are blacked out with matte black paint and can hardly be seen With cameras worth near to a grand it pays to hide as much as you can. I certainly would never use a cheap power board after seeing one overheat and nearly go on fire. Yes I know 12v wont do that but cheap is never good..

[Newkidontheblok]

I prefer to be tidy and not have wires hanging out of fag power so always do it the accepted way, which if nothing else is tidy and not obvious that you have a camera.

In both my cars the cameras and toll tags are blacked out with matte black paint and can hardly be seen With cameras worth near to a grand it pays to hide as much as you can. I certainly would never use a cheap power board after seeing one overheat and nearly go on fire. Yes I know 12v wont do that but cheap is never good..

Sacre Bleu!
I would never recommend something cheap!! Paid at least $30 for the "12V 3 Way Multi Car Cigarette Lighter Socket Splitter Adapter Dual USB Charger". That's actually about $5 more than the isolater.
Been running that board 5 days a week for 12 hours a day for 2 years now and no problems. Powers a data logger, 30w inductance phone charger, DVD player, solar panel... Only problem is not enough outlets. I love the fact that the board has switches for each circuit. And that each power socket lights up with a blue ring to indicate that it's got power. Takes the guesswork out of whether the circuit is live or not.

But if you want discretion up front, sure, get the VSR and mount it out of sight under the bonnet. Just depends on whether you own the vehicle or if it is a fleet asset I suppose. Company aren't too keen on people drilling holes in their equipment so I just put a few alternatives up there to cover all bases. Sometimes the solution needs to be portable.

So, yes, in answer to your question, the ciggy lighters stay on which is kind to campers but not to batteries.
I bought the VSR but haven't installed mine yet. I've yet to work out how ARB connected up the rear tub lighter sockets which were done pre-delivery.
In the meantime, I've been using the 10w solar panel to top up the battery by virtue of the permanently 'on' status of the lighter socket and manually switching stuff on/off through the power board until such time as I hardwire the VSR under the bonnet.

[The_Hawk]

When it comes to dash cams you either want to power them down when the car is off, or if you want some sort of parking mode to record bumps while you're away from the car you want a battery discharge prevention device. Basically it allows the dashcam to keep drawing power but cuts it off if the battery gets below a certain level to ensure you can still start the car.

Battery Discharge Prevention - DashCamTalk

I've seen hacky jobs which put a battery bank (or secondary battery in 4WD's) in line with the camera to provide that power independent from the normal car battery, I've seen solar setup's as Newkidontheblok suggested. You're only limited by your imagination (and your wallet ).


The flip side to this is do you even need a dashcam? A Dashcam is only useful if you have an accident, are not at fault and the other party does a runner or tries to blame you... How often have you had that experience in your life?
...and even then what's your excess compared to the dashcam? For people investing in high-end things like Blackvue cameras ... well that would pay my excess twice over.

(That's the logic argument, but I still have a camera in my car and am still considering if it's worth putting one in the Wifes new car... mostly because I like toys and I would only spend a little on VIOFO cameras and install them myself on the cheap).

[Guest001]

When it comes to dash cams you either want to power them down when the car is off, or if you want some sort of parking mode to record bumps while you're away from the car you want a battery discharge prevention device. Basically it allows the dashcam to keep drawing power but cuts it off if the battery gets below a certain level to ensure you can still start the car.

Battery Discharge Prevention - DashCamTalk

I've seen hacky jobs which put a battery bank (or secondary battery in 4WD's) in line with the camera to provide that power independent from the normal car battery, I've seen solar setup's as Newkidontheblok suggested. You're only limited by your imagination (and your wallet ).


The flip side to this is do you even need a dashcam? A Dashcam is only useful if you have an accident, are not at fault and the other party does a runner or tries to blame you... How often have you had that experience in your life?
...and even then what's your excess compared to the dashcam? For people investing in high-end things like Blackvue cameras ... well that would pay my excess twice over.


(That's the logic argument, but I still have a camera in my car and am still considering if it's worth putting one in the Wifes new car... mostly because I like toys and I would only spend a little on VIOFO cameras and install them myself on the cheap).

I look at cameras like insurance. You never need it till you do and if you havent got it you will wish you had.

Viofo are good cameras for the price but are a little bulky for my liking, hence my preference for Blackvue.

Having a low excess puts premiums up and with the analogy of not spending big money on a camera why have such a low one. Mine are $600 and it keeps the premium down. Havent had an accident since 1995 so have I been paying premiums for nothing???? I dont consider so.
Hers a pic of my camera and toll tag blacked out and hardly noticeable and also a pic of the battery saver i use

[Manaz]

I look at cameras like insurance. You never need it till you do and if you havent got it you will wish you had.

I installed mine the weekend AFTER a truck dropped a couple of rocks out of its uncovered load that required two panels to be resprayed. So yeah, I tend to agree with this (both the insurance part and wishing you had one if something happens and you don't).

[petemac110]

Ack. understand. Got me confused as hell why VW would enable a lighter socket to retain power on after ignition switched off?

Take this with a grain of salt, but on the MQB chassis cars (Golf Mk7, Passat B8, Tiguan etc) you can move the position of a fuse to switch the cigarette/12v outlets from permanently on to switched. Not sure if this also applies to the Amarok. It could be worth investigating:

How To Make Your 12v Outlet Stay On ~ No Tools Required - YouTube

[Guest001]

Take this with a grain of salt, but on the MQB chassis cars (Golf Mk7, Passat B8, Tiguan etc) you can move the position of a fuse to switch the cigarette/12v outlets from permanently on to switched. Not sure if this also applies to the Amarok. It could be worth investigating:

How To Make Your 12v Outlet Stay On ~ No Tools Required - YouTube

Not on all of them as you would see if you looked at an Amarok fuse box Fuse 59 is supposedly the ciggy socket

Also it seems the Amarok is NOT built on the MQB platform.

[petemac110]

Not on all of them as you would see if you looked at an Amarok fuse box Fuse 59 is supposedly the ciggy socket

Hence the "take this with a grain of salt" part of my post

From what I've uncovered, fuse number 43 (25A) is the correct fuse for the cigarette lighter socket on the "68" fuse box that you've pictured above.



It seems that you're referring to the older fuse panel on which no. 59 is the 25A fuse for "12V outlets no. 2 and 3" and no. 52 is the front cigarette lighter socket.

[Guest001]

Hence the "take this with a grain of salt" part of my post

From what I've uncovered, fuse number 43 (25A) is the correct fuse for the cigarette lighter socket on the "68" fuse box that you've pictured above.

[ATTACH=CONFIG]54523[/ATTACH]

It seems that you're referring to the older fuse panel on which no. 59 is the 25A fuse for "12V outlets no. 2 and 3" and no. 52 is the front cigarette lighter socket.

Fair enough but none of them appear to be able to be moved like in my Tig Etc

[petemac110]

Fair enough but none of them appear to be able to be moved like in my Tig Etc

Yeah, I think you’re spot-on about that. It’s a bit of a shame that they didn’t include it.