Hi Guys,
I'm looking to install trickle charging point in the boot of our MK3 Sport due to the number of short journeys we do so that we can keep the battery topped up easily. It has to be in the rear of the car as it's much easier to reverse into our drive.
I've been using a CTEK MX5.0 charger every few weeks so my plan is to install a socket inside the boot. I think I know how to route the cables most of the way, but I can't seem to find an easy route through the firewall to connect to the battery.
There seems to be a grommet hole for some cables just behind the battery which seems ideal, but I can't seem to get to it from the inside of the car. When I drop the glove box, all I see if more plastic and metal bracings covering the area. I can't seem to get to the other side of the grommet hole. Does any one know if there is an easier way to route a small cable into the engine bay area without having to drill a hole?
Also, I have two options in terms of wiring the cable to the battery and I'd like an expert to advise which one is best please.
1. Route both the positive and negative cables from the charging socket in the boot and connect directly to the positive and negative terminals on the battery.
2. Route only the positive (red) cable all the way through the car and connect to the positive of the battery. Then find and connect to a suitable grounding point near to the charging socket in the boot. I prefer this option as I only need to route a single wire but not sure if this is recommended as the kit comes with the same length red and black cables for option 1 above.
Finally, does any one know if using such a long extension lead for a trickle charger is a problem? The wire from the battery to the boot will be about 3-4m, then there's a 2-3m extension to the CTEK charger, so it will be about 5-7m in total and I think CTEK use 18AWG wires in their kit.