always on lighter plug.......?

[mcrews]

I have seen some cars that have accessory (lighter) plugs that are always on. THe 2002 Q has to have the key on to get power to the plug.1. any good reason for the current set up?2. If not how difficult would it be?

I have a non-nav 02Q. I have a Treo 650 palm os. Palm only runs 1 bluetooth at a time. So to run a gps map program, I had to go with a gps that hooks into the plam thru the hotsync. (Can't use a bluetooth gps because I spend 5-6k minutes a month on the phone w/ a bluetooth headset.0 The connector also charges the phone and gets power to the little gps bubble that sits on the dash.I have checked this out for about 3 months so I'm about 99% sure.THe minor problem is that each time i get out of the car, the gps goes off and has to reaquire when I get back in. So I would like to make the plug hot.

any thoughts

Mark

[Skibane]

Although Nissan may have corporate lawyers who would tell you otherwise, there is no sane reason for cutting power to the accessory sockets when the ignition switch is off.

Obviously, the solution is to re-wire the socket so that it is connected directly to the battery (through an appropriate-sized fuse, naturally).

Note that unlike genuine cigarette lighter sockets, the socket that is intended for powering accessories is only fused for a few amps, and the socket itself may not be capable of safely carrying much more than that amount.

Personally, since I like to occasionally use high-current devices like DC-AC inverters and spotlights in my Q, the original accessory socket will soon be replaced with a genuine 20+ amp lighter socket, complete with a hard-wired connection to the battery - one of about half a dozen electrical mods currently on the to-do list.

[DetroitJazzMan]

I added two additional, always hot outlets in my Q, one I added to the rear of console into the blank just below the armrest, the second, I put into the front of the storage compartment under the armrest. This was done years ago. Im a Real Estate Broker with lots of toys that require power. Backseat outlet used for gameboy for clients kids to play with while we look at houses. Laptop in under armrest outlet which has 12V inverter switch. Mom and dad can view slide show of houses we will be previewing, everyone is content. Haven't had any problems with this setup, which I first added to my 97 Ford Hoghtop conversion van which I have setup as a mobile office. I have experienced no additional power drain as a result of these additions. My guess is unless something is plugged in, and the car is not driven for an extended period of time, this should not be a problem.

[qship96]

reason lighters dont work when key is removed from ignition,is to protect children who may be left in car alone from burning themselves or fire to interior from playing with lighter unsupervised.

[mcrews]

reason lighters dont work when key is removed from ignition,is to protect children who may be left in car alone from burning themselves or fire to interior from playing with lighter unsupervised.

Thanks for the replys......makes sense.

[Skibane]

reason lighters dont work when key is removed from ignition,is to protect children who may be left in car alone from burning themselves or fire to interior from playing with lighter unsupervised.

That may explain the lighter sockets, but doen't explain why the DC accessory socket is also switched...

At any rate, not everyone has kids, but just about everyone has a cell phone. The right approach would be to allow the owner to make the decision for him/herself - some "secret" programming sequence to either switch the sockets or turn them on full-time would suffice.

Simpler yet, remove the cigarette lighter plugs from the vehicle, if you have kids.

F'ing lawyers...