Unswitched 12V Cig Lighter Socket or Sleep Mode

[DroMike]

I would like to keep power to one of the 12v cigarette sockets for an hour or three once in a great while. Two questions for current Series 7 owners:

1. Is there an unswitched (power always on) 12V cig socket available, and if not -- like in my Chrysler -- can I simply switch a fuse socket so I can make it either (switched or unswitched)? and

2. [Esp for i7 owners]: Can one put the car in "sleep" or "standby" mode (presumably making the 12v cig sockets active) for, say, 1-3 hours and be away from the car? Obviously I'm not clear on what sleep or stanedby mode is or does and what the difference is, if any.

Thanks!

[freshxdough]

No. Realistically what are you trying to achieve. You may as well just hook up to a power at all times and control your power switch manually to ensure you don’t kill the 12v battery.

[DroMike]

Well, it's actually for parking mode on a separate Blackvue dashcam (yes I know the i7 has some camera functions while parked). Because I've now discovered there isn't some long-term standby function ("Standby" on a BMW is evidently simply "Accessory" like other vehicles), I've purchased a separate and autonomous dashcam battery pack meant specifically to power the camera when the car's power is turned off. This was the $250 bite I was trying to avoid by starting this post (and others elsewhere).

[fanofthe7]

I work a lot in the back of the car (when parked) and the car will go in standby mode. This is not what you want in a chauffeur car. I want constant power in the car and constant power on 12v socket.

[seans]

Originally Posted by fanofthe7

I work a lot in the back of the car (when parked) and the car will go in standby mode. This is not what you want in a chauffeur car. I want constant power in the car and constant power on 12v socket.

I’ve sat for a few hours in the back of my own car and noticed if I dismiss a few notifications on the iDrive display after I switch the car to accessory/standby mode, the car stayed on for those whole two hours, music and climate controls included.

My vehicle is a US model. It was not charging either.

[DroMike]

Originally Posted by fanofthe7

I want constant power in the car and constant power on 12v socket.

I don't know if this is available on your (or my soon-to-be) i7, but on my Chrysler -- and many other vehicles -- you can easily change a 12v socket/outlet from a switched (powered only when car is switched on) to an unswitched (always on or "hot") outlet (OR vice-versa depending on your desires).

HOW? You merely find the [mini-]fuse in your car's circuit box that powers that particular socket and move it from the switched to the unswitched position. Find your fuse box schematic in your OM to determine which fuse controls the socket/outlet.

In the below diagram of one of my two fuse boxes, the #12 fuse is the one that controls one of my sockets/outlets. Note that there is an empty space adjacent to it. That's where I moved the fuse. That position sits it on a bar that carries unswitched/always-on/hot power, as opposed to its original location which doesn't. Therefore, after you correctly identify the fuse, all you then need is a pair of needle-nose pliers and maybe 60 seconds of your time and voilà!