Hi all,

Help required for Mk 3 focus 2011 onwards.

Is it possible to charge the car battery from a connection inside the car, by means of a car charger or a solar panel.?

(I use to charge my old Mk 1 Focus from the cigar lighter through a open door window in the car)

I have noticed that the power to the 12 volt power sockets in the centre consul are automatically cut off after a short time, so they cannot be used.

Are there any permanent live wires in the fuse box below the glove box that are suitable (safe) to connect a power socket to ?

All help appreciated

Barry T

so you want to charge the car but without opening the bonnet? most of them you just hook direct to the battery itself.

Hi all,

I have found fuse 26 in the boot is permanently live, so I have been able to keep the battery topped up using a solar panel, some times I can go a week without using my car, and then find the battery almost flat when I come to use it again.

I am a bit concerned at charging the battery from the mains using this method in case I damage the electronics, has anyone tried it ?.

It is very difficult to gain access to the battery from under the bonnet when the car is in garage. (Lack of space) . I know I can fit a connection from the battery to inside the car but I do not want to damage the seals. I fitted my own car alarm in my mk1 focus and it was a pain wiring it up, I am looking for a easy solution.

Barry T

I'm not going to say yes or no on this but I have a maintenance charger for my bike, at most it pumps out 0.7amps and charges/keeps the battery topped up in 6 stages.

It's designed to be connected straight to the battery without disconnecting it, it has a lead that is connected permanently. It will charge a battery up to 32Ah or there about and maintain a battery of about 100Ah?

It can also be left connected for months at a time which is great for my bike through the winter!

Something like that must be suitable for charging on a car without disconnecting the battery?

I'd say an auxiliary lead wired direct to the battery would be the best solution too, had thought you'd need something which put out more than 0.7A but this seems to be the common output for kit available on the web.

You could maybe route the lead so the connector is just inside the upper grille so it's easy to access without opening the bonnet each time.