Passing electrical cable from engine area to car interior

[Riverman]

Hi all
I would like to have the ability to connect my C-Tec charger to the battery on new C-43 AMG coupe because I tend to occasionally leave the car unused for 4 or 5 weeks at a time.
I know the battery is in the engine compartment and I could connect direct there, but my car is parked in private communal car park with other residents and I cannot leave cable running across areas. Also because of very restricted space I have to reverse into my allocation parking space so driving head into the space for easy access to the bonnet is not really not an option.
Just sold my previous car (XKR Dynamic R) which has battery behind panel at rear of boot area. There, to avoid trailing cables, I wired a cigar lighter socket (with fuse) in the boot direct to the battery terminals so I could plug in charger without trailing wires across floor.

I want to do the same on the C-43 but I will need to pass the small charging cables through the engine bulkhead from the battery terminals and then under the carpets etc to within the boot area. I hate exposed cable which is why I want to conceal them under carpets or trim.

I am told the existing cigar lighter will turn off with the ignition and I prefer to connect direct to the battery.

Has anyone experience of passing cable through the engine bulkhead? I'm sure there must be some grommets that already get cable from the engine bay into the interior of the car but I have not seen them yet. I notice that there is a fuse box under the boot floor. Could this be the way to go?

Had this new car for just over two weeks now and driven about 450 miles so far. I love it but still have no idea how most of the menus and options are accessed.
Reading the extensive hand book list many options that I suspect my car does not have which makes it even more confusing.

Any advise / suggestions would help enormously

Riverman

 

[optimusprime]

Riverman Need to know what power supply you will be uesing to run the charger ...You will need a 240 volt supply ,,yes .yet you say you cant trail cables over the floor .Is there a 240v socket on the wall ...if so then this answers my question . Also what year is your mercedes ? C43 AMG ?

 

[optimusprime]

Shout up if this is not your model W205

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[Riverman]

Riverman Need to know what power supply you will be uesing to run the charger ...You will need a 240 volt supply ,,yes .yet you say you cant trail cables over the floor .Is there a 240v socket on the wall ...if so then this answers my question . Also what year is your mercedes ? C43 AMG ?

Thank you for your quick response

I have a standard 240v socket on the wall in the communal garage. That is not the problem

My car is brand new (ex Demo) picked it up 3 weeks ago.
Just to confirm that if I were to drive head into my allocated spot I could easily connect the charger to mains and run charge cable to the engine bay. However, because of very tight space to manoeuvre the car I usually reverse into my space. Then to get charge cables into the engine bay that would trail the charging cable the length of the car over the floor and could cause problems for car parked tight to mine

I would not want my neighbour to trip over my charge cable when accessing his car which is why I am trying to get a battery connection in the boot which will be close to the socket on the wall and the charger

Sorry if that sounds complicated

Riverman

 

[geoffus]

Is the car undercover?
Can you extend the 12v output from the charger and lay the wires inside a floor cable cover, all you need to do is connect a small length of cable to the battery under the bonnet. Just leave a push in connector on both ends of the charge cable and connect the charger when needed.
The cable cover can sit happily under the centre of the car out of the way.
Be a lot easier than threading wires through the bulkhead and carpets of a brand new car.

D-Line Light Duty Floor Cable Cover 1.8m Black - Screwfix

Order online at Screwfix.com. Protect cables and prevent accidents caused by trailing cables. Neat tapered design, abrasion-resistant with a ribbed, non-slip back. Pre-split base for ease of use. Simply uncoil to lay flat. Ideal for areas of light foot-traffic. FREE next day delivery available...

www.screwfix.com

 

[ALFAitalia]

Can you just not run the cables on the floor under the car.....no trip hazard then??? I have to do this on my drive as I cant get out if I drive forwards in!

 

[CabrioChap]

I used to have an XK and had my CTEK connected in the boot like yours.. I used a CTEK ‎56-531 extension cable which was connected to the battery terminals (similar to your socket).

On my Mercedes, I connect the CTEK to the battery under the bonnet and have the cable come out at the windscreen, then I can route the cable over the wing mirror and to the back of the car that way.. You can get a 2.5m extension cable from Amazon to get the cable further to the charger..

 

[StMarks]

Can you just not run the cables on the floor under the car.....no trip hazard then??? I have to do this on my drive as I cant get out if I drive forwards in!

Wouldn't he still have to pop the bonnet every time, and fiddle around running the charging cable up and on to the battery terminals.?
Fwiw I can see how "just opening the boot, plugging in a connector, and closing the boot over the cable" would be preferable, especially if this was going to be frequently used.

I notice that there is a fuse box under the boot floor. Could this be the way to go?

It seems probable that if there is a fuseboard in the boot, that there will be an unswitched supply cable within it somewhere. A few minutes playing around with a multimeter should identify if that's the case. If so, I would expect piggybacking a fused socket for your charger to connect to would be fairly straightforward.?

 

[m80]

Is there a 12 volt socket in the boot area? They're usually powered when the ignition is off.

 

[CabrioChap]

Also, TBH.. the Jag would empty the battery in 2 weeks and would cause all sorts of problems.. I didn't like leaving it at the airport for trips away.
My Mercedes battery keeps it's charge much better..

On my previous Merc, I did used to plug my CTEK into the small 'start-stop' battery, located in the boot under the carpet, to make sure that was always topped off if I wasn't going to drive it for a while. You could see if there is somewhere to attach the CTEK in the boot already.

Alternatively, buy a USB jump pack if you are going to leave the car for long periods.

 

[Riverman]

Is the car undercover?
Can you extend the 12v output from the charger and lay the wires inside a floor cable cover, all you need to do is connect a small length of cable to the battery under the bonnet. Just leave a push in connector on both ends of the charge cable and connect the charger when needed.
The cable cover can sit happily under the centre of the car out of the way.
Be a lot easier than threading wires through the bulkhead and carpets of a brand new car.

D-Line Light Duty Floor Cable Cover 1.8m Black - Screwfix

Order online at Screwfix.com. Protect cables and prevent accidents caused by trailing cables. Neat tapered design, abrasion-resistant with a ribbed, non-slip back. Pre-split base for ease of use. Simply uncoil to lay flat. Ideal for areas of light foot-traffic. FREE next day delivery available...

www.screwfix.com

Many thanks for the reply
That solution is something I will try and report back

 

[Riverman]

Wouldn't he still have to pop the bonnet every time, and fiddle around running the charging cable up and on to the battery terminals.?
Fwiw I can see how "just opening the boot, plugging in a connector, and closing the boot over the cable" would be preferable, especially if this was going to be frequently used.


It seems probable that if there is a fuseboard in the boot, that there will be an unswitched supply cable within it somewhere. A few minutes playing around with a multimeter should identify if that's the case. If so, I would expect piggybacking a fused socket for your charger to connect to would be fairly straightforward.?

The possibility of finding such a fuse connection seems like a great idea Some detective work required
Brivarman

 

[Riverman]

I used to have an XK and had my CTEK connected in the boot like yours.. I used a CTEK ‎56-531 extension cable which was connected to the battery terminals (similar to your socket).

On my Mercedes, I connect the CTEK to the battery under the bonnet and have the cable come out at the windscreen, then I can route the cable over the wing mirror and to the back of the car that way.. You can get a 2.5m extension cable from Amazon to get the cable further to the charger..

Many thanks for all the suggestions and the time you all have taken to reply
Riverman

 

[Riverman]

Also, TBH.. the Jag would empty the battery in 2 weeks and would cause all sorts of problems.. I didn't like leaving it at the airport for trips away.
My Mercedes battery keeps it's charge much better..

On my previous Merc, I did used to plug my CTEK into the small 'start-stop' battery, located in the boot under the carpet, to make sure that was always topped off if I wasn't going to drive it for a while. You could see if there is somewhere to attach the CTEK in the boot already.

Alternatively, buy a USB jump pack if you are going to leave the car for long periods.

Thanks for replies I will be looking at your suggestions over the weekend
Riverman

 

[optimusprime]

Talk to a good auto electric shop for them to rig up a safe system , for you to charge the batteries.Dont forget cars warranty . Thinking about EV only on a smaller scale