Hi,

I have searched the forums, but haven't found what I am looking for.

Nonetheless, if this has been previously discussed, accept my aplogies and point me to the correct thread - TIA.

I want to connect a battery maintainer to my 1997 E420. The battery maintainer (Schumacher, which I got when I purchased another car used), plugs into a 12v outlet in the car. However, the (only?) 12v outlet in this car (cigarette lighter) appears to be SWITCHED - i.e. it is disconnected from the battery when the ignition is off.

The maintainer does not appear to have hardware to connect it directly to the battery, plus, given that the battery is under the rear seat, it would be a bit of a hassle to connect/disconnect it regularly.

Has anyone come up with a way to connect a battery maintainer on this car (W210) without having to leave the ignition on? I am aware of other gizmos that strap directly to the battery, but I wanted to see whether I could make work what I already have at home.

TIA

/alex
-------
* 1997 E420