Hello. My son owns a 2003 Land Rover Discovery II. We noticed that the key must turned to the on position for the cigarette lighter to provide power to an attached device.

What is the best modification method to provide constant 12 volt power to the cigarette lighter outlet (or add an additional power outlet) so he can charge his phone and other devices without requiring the key in the ignition?

Thanks.

Austin H.
text = 512-666-8585

 

Just run a lead from a fused link connected directly to the battery.

 

MAke sure you have a small fuse in-line with any wire extended from a fuse link.

 

I too will be doing this mod at some point. Last weekend we went to the desert and I have a 12 volt refridgerator. Of course, it would not run without the key on, so I had to occasionally go out and start it up.

I have the fridge plugged into the 12v outlet in the back, and I will be plugging in the Solar Chargers into the Front outlet to keep the battery from going dead. I've got 2 solar chargers from purchasing two of my wife's VW's. They used to give you a free solar charger with purchase because their batteries went dead easily and their outlets were always on.

The chargers use suction cups to stick to the windshield. On the VW the windshield is slanted MUCH more than the Discovery, so I may need to run the wire out the window to get a good angle towards the sun.

 

That little feature really annoyed me until I fixed it. I have an 8 gauge wire running into the passenger compartment that powers the amp for my subwoofers. I tapped into that for the lighter in the stock location plus I put one on the back of the console while I was at it. I used the factory lighter feed to power the GPS which I connected behind the dash and re-wired so that the lead drops through the little radio vent strip.

The 8 gauge wire has a 40 amp fuse on it which is fine for that size wire, but as soon as you step the wire size down you need to install the appropriate size fuse. For the lighters, I ran 14 gauge wire and used a 15 amp fuse. Here's a helpful link for sizing the wire and the fuses: How to Determine the Fuse/Wire Size for YOUR Project

 

Thanks to everyone who responded...big help in a timely manor...love this forum!!