12V electrical socket in the cab

richardmartin · Oct 21, 2012

Hi, new to the forum, new cali owner. Have 2011 Cali, just bought yesterday. Have plugged my TomTom sat nav into the cab 12V socket, which I thought ran off the main battery. The tomtom is designed to turn off when power is lost. When I turn off the vehicle, exit and lock, power stays on from the 12V socket, and the tom tom stays on, which could drain the battery. Is this because the cab 12V runs from the leisure battery, or is it hotwired to the main battery without a bus bar?
Many thanks
Richard

JockMacMad · Oct 21, 2012

Everything in front of the front seats runs off the main battery.

richardmartin · Oct 22, 2012

Thanks for that, thought so, so why does the 12 v socket not power down when the vehicle is powered down? I have never come across a main battery 12v socket that is permanently powered even with the ignition off.

SteveW · Oct 22, 2012

richardmartin said:
Thanks for that, thought so, so why does the 12 v socket not power down when the vehicle is powered down? I have never come across a main battery 12v socket that is permanently powered even with the ignition off.

Hi, I have only had my Cali a few weeks now and I noticed the same thing as i left my phone plugged into the 12v socket in the front and it continued to charge when the keys removed. Worth checking when you leave it so as not to run the main battery down :thumb

Cheers

Steve

JockMacMad · Oct 22, 2012

I cannot say it does power down as it's simply a socket but when I try to watch a DVD that powers down after 30 mins whether your watching the DVD or not lol

ChrisandPenney52 · Oct 22, 2012

The cab 12V socket runs off the vehicle battery and continues to supply power when the engine is off. I think this is is pretty typical of current vehicles - I've certainly come across it in other cars. One plus side of this is that you can trickle charge the battery with a solar panel plugged into the socket.

richardmartin · Oct 22, 2012

Thank for your responses guys. Does anyone know where I can find a 12 v electrical supply near the dash that does turn off when the vehicle is turned off? Perhaps the same power supply that is used in the MDI?