New Boxster S and Porsche Charge-O-Mat

[bax52uk]

I changed my Boxster S this month to a three month old one. Im away from the car for weeks on end due to work, and use the Porsche Charge-o-mat accessory to keep the battery charged through the cigarette lighter.

The new car doesnt have a cigarette lighter, and I didnt think about it til I took delivery as I just assumed it was standard which it isnt. The rather unhelpful guy at the dealer said I could simply plug the chargeomat into the 12v Power Outlet in the car and that works. Does it ? Power going into a Power Out sounds like a recipe for a fire to me?

Anyone help ?

Thanks

[Moog72]

Genuine question but why is the 12V power outlet any different to the cigarette lighter? Surely they both provide 12V power "out"?

[bax52uk]

I dont know. Probably me being stupid, but just wary of attaching mains power into something saying "power out" on it.

[kingston12]

No difference as I understand it, just that it is unfashionable to call the 12v sockets in cars 'cigarette lighters' any more.

[timmybob]

Mine has spent much of the New Jersey winter on the trickle charger using this method. The dealer wasn't being unhelpful...

[bax52uk]

Thanks all. I just tried my Charge-O-Mat and the battery indicator does not light up as before on the Chargeomat unit. The Porsche.com website states a "special adapter should be used in cars without cigarette lighters". My dealer never mentioned any adapter, just told me to plug it straight in but I dont think that works as the battery light does not come on.

Anyone got any thoughts?

[gtforty2601]

bax52uk said:

I dont know. Probably me being stupid, but just wary of attaching mains power into something saying "power out" on it.

It wouldn't be mains power as the charger reduces the amperage to something pretty small. If the socket is the same as that for a cigarette lighter it should be OK to put power in to charge the battery. For peace of mind check again with the dealer.

[DaihatsuNinja]

I think 12v sockets and cigarette lighters are basically the same. However some are only powered up when the ignition is on and some are permenantly powered up - trickle chargers feed current in rather than drawing it out but the socket still needs to be "powered up" for them to work.

[BertBert]

can we conclude that schoolboy physics was ignored by most?

[Stirlings]

Plug a mobile phone charger in to the socket with the ignition off
if the LED on the phone charger comes you know its ok to plug the chargomat into it

[mankey]

My understanding is that as well as being ignition-switched, some power-outs are rated differently.

[ChrisH370]

The problem I have discovered since trying to use my old Battery Conditioner on the 981 is nothing to do with the socket, it is that both "auxiliary power sockets" or cigar lighters, as they used to be called, are powered down dead after locking, or leaving the car after a few minutes so the battery conditioner does nothing, neither can these sockets be used for anything else such as charge your phone, ipod, air compressor or whatever, as you would expect to and as on the 987.
Useless, the OPC says it part of the design on the 981 electric system so you can only charge via the battery.

[thegoose]

BertBert said:

can we conclude that schoolboy physics was ignored by most?

I was just thinking that. Where does the OP think the cigar lighter gets its power from if its socket is not a power outlet?

I do appreciate that it's of no use for charging through if it's ignition switched though.

[Gouldian]

After 9 weeks of non use started 981 on Sunday having been connected to a Porsche Battery Conditioner nearly 12 years old and used on my 986. Also powered air compressor while I checked all tyres and without the ignition switched on. OPC confirmed when I bought the car that all would work the same as 986 and it does.

[Magic919]

So which is it? One says powered and has used them, another says not.

[timmybob]

Magic919 said:

So which is it? One says powered and has used them, another says not.

Actually, two of us have said we use them successfully. I can't comment on whether the socket powers down on locking as I leave the car unlocked in the garage whilst on the trickle charger. Mine (US spec car, although I can't imagine it'd be different for the UK) doesn't power down when just left.

[ChrisH370]

Mine is a Cayman 981 and my OPC Parts today confirmed what I said that the 2 in-car aux.power sockets go dead after a while. Infact my Cayman S Driver's Manual states that AFTER 30 MINS they switch OFF. The advised the only Battery Charger suitable is the CTEK type with adaptor leads for it to be connected via croc. clips to the battery +ve terminal and earthing stud,you must not connect to -ve terminal, or you will damage the barry monitoring circuit, see pics of this in the manual.
So the new design is intended to stop the battery being drained for more than 30 mins. and all those who are thinking they can use these outlets for other devices will find after 30 mins they can't without putting the ignition back on.
I know there are 981 Boxster owners who dispute this but I am saying on my Cayman this is the way it works and the OPC has confirmed it.

[dreamcar]

Just read this 2 year old topic regarding trickle-charging using Porsche charge-o-mat. I've always used this in the past and I am pleased to report on my 2015 Boxster GTS it works just fine by plugging into the 12v socket in the rear compartment of the centre console. It does NOT work connected to the cigarette lighter socket (my car has the optional smother package, only to get the neat lid over the otherwise cheap and nasty looking otherwise open box in the centre console) Car has been on life support now for three days and the trickle charging is still working in the same way as it always has on my previous 987/1 Boxster S, 987/2 Cayman S and 997/2 Carrera S.