Our new Boxster isn't going to be used as a daily driver. Once a week or so is all the use it will probably see. I know Porsche offers a maintainer that uses the lighter socket. I have also seen other brands that are set up to use the lighter.

My question is this: Wouldn't it be "better" to hook a harness directly to the battery and leave the end of the pigtail is an easily accessible position? Like maybe behind a seat or in the trunk? Heck ... you could even run it to a convenient place like a grill panel or similar.

I have used maintainers on Harleys for years, and we have always wired the harness directly to the battery.

Just seems to me like the "proper" way to do it ...

 

Keep It Simple, Stu###. The lighter socket method works so well for my Porsche, VW, and Audi, no pigtails, popping the hood, wrong connection, etc.

 

cigarette lighter has a stronger fuse than all other 12v outlets, that is why you should also plug the air pump into it.

 

Yeah ... I understand that. The question was, why use an outlet instead of wiring directly to the battery?

While I do understand the simplicity of "just plugging it in" ....

It just seems to me that you'd get a better charging rate if you went directly to the battery instead of running through the plug, fusebox, and another fuse beforehand. Maybe I'm wrong?

 

The cigarette lighter is very adequate for the charging that is needed with a battery tender type of charger. The main limiting factors of this type of charging is the charger to car wire size, and the charger output in amps. The entire object of the "tender" type of charger is to not charge quickly. It is to charge slowly, then maintain at full charge with a float (trickle) charge. If the battery is deeply discharged, and needs a full charge, then use a regular 10 or 12 amp charger to get you going quickly. The tender type are to maintain and add to the battery life with a full charge almost all the time when not in use. A tender type will fully charge very highly discharged batteries, but it will take several hours. I use the cigarette lighter on a Battery Tender.

 

I also use the cigarette lighter for my charger and have had no issues. Starts every time I come back to it, which is about once a month.