I looked in the owner's manual for this answer but it just confused me, so i figured i'd ask all of you what you thought. The only "mod" i've been willing to swap from the intrepid over to the maxima at this time are the interior neon lights, being they are easy to put in and only run to the power outlets. I have them running to the one thats in that little box on the passanger side. I realized that they only get power when the car is turned on either to auxilary or fully running. Some people have told me that it wont hurt the battery if i leave it plugged in all the time, tho after reading the owner's manual it seemed like you should only keep it plugged in when the car is running, but i wasnt sure if it was reffering to this outlet or to the outlet in the center console or if they are both the same. So what do you guys think? Is it ok to keep them plugged in or should i unplug them after each use?

 

If you were to leave your car unattended for a long time, say a few days, I would definitely unplug them. Other than that, I don't think anything bad would happen, but don't hold me responsible if it does!

 

I think the owner's manual means you should not leave the ignition in the accessory position for a extended period of time since any device plugged into the power outlet is getting its power directly from the battery. Shouldn't be a problem when the engine is running or when the ignition is completely off.

 

Yeah i wouldnt leave it in for days, but i never go that long without driving as it is anyways.

 

If the power outlet isn't live when the car is off then the lights won't be draining any power from the battery so it won't affect anything whether they are plugged in or not.

It is like a lamp that it plugged into a socket that has a switch to turn it off and on. If the switch is off there is no draw on the power at all.

What does the amount of time have to do with anything? The only time that would be a factor is if the plug was live and there was a switch on the light that was off, sometimes the device will still draw a small amount of power... but this can't happen if the plug is dead when the car is off.

 

Good point, conclusion is im keeping it plugged in. Plus people dont see the neons cuz they are hidden. so when i turn the car on it looks so cool to see their face when they come on.