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I have just spent the last two hours trying to find switch power anywhere on this car. Using a test light, every fuse on the driver side instrument panel and on the passenger side foot well shows that it is constant power. Maybe I’m starting to figure out why I always get low battery messages. Anyway, I also pulled everything down from the top of the windshield and tested every wire. Either they’re showing to be negative or constant power. Again, looking at even the rearview mirror, the green wire shows constant power, and the yellow and brown wire show nothing.
There is no way I believe everything in this car is constant, but I am at a loss on where to find it. I also can’t figure out how to take the sliding ashtray completely out, so I can’t just tap into the cigarette lighter.
I did search, but all I found was a lot of post about getting switch power from the trunk for dash cams. I am running the Escort Max 360C with the M2 dash cam, so I just want to get my radar detector and dash cam upfront. I would really appreciate any help. Anybody can provide. I can’t be the only one that’s having this problem. Thank you guys so much!
Do bear in mind that a lot of items will stay live for a short time after turning off the ignition, for instance you can still move seats and windows etc for a short while before the system then shuts down, my dashcam and separate TomTom stay powered for maybe 10 minutes before the car shuts down.
.This may be why so many of your wires appear to be live, maybe switch off the car and then wait a while before testing wires
In mine, a 2015 model I just picked up a suitable point in the fusebox on the end of the dashboard on the drivers side ( UK car ) , I think this fusebox was moved for the facelift model..
Funny, I was thinking that too. The other thing I realized is that I can program my radar detector to turn itself off after a certain amount of time. Not sure why I didn’t remember that I had to do that when I had a Tesla? Thank you for the help!
Originally Posted by roviw1
Do bear in mind that a lot of items will stay live for a short time after turning off the ignition, for instance you can still move seats and windows etc for a short while before the system then shuts down, my dashcam and separate TomTom stay powered for maybe 10 minutes before the car shuts down.
.This may be why so many of your wires appear to be live, maybe switch off the car and then wait a while before testing wires
In mine, a 2015 model I just picked up a suitable point in the fusebox on the end of the dashboard on the drivers side ( UK car ) , I think this fusebox was moved for the facelift model..
I hardwired radar and two dash cams (front/rear). I'm 99% sure I used 212 & 216 (both switched) in the drivers side dash fuse panel, fuse tap and neg connected to the bolt off to the left of the panel.
10/2/23 Edit* - Apologies, I just realized you are referencing the facelift w222. The fuse slots I had mentioned are confirmed switched for the pre-facelift, I can not confirm if the same applies for face lifted versions.
Last edited by vincheung; 10-03-2023 at 05:23 PM.
Reason: Adding applicable year.
I wired mine up to the cigarette lighter circuit, that is the only switched 12V I could find at the front of the car. None of the fuses in the drivers side fuse panel on the drivers side dash area are switched in the MY2018 and newer cars like they used to be. If you pop the triangle cover off the drivers side dash area and then remove the slide out ash tray you can run a wire from the ashtray to the driver side dash area and then up the A pillar to the top of the windshield. It's a 30 minute job. I used a straightened out coat hanger to guide the wire through the dash as it is a straight shot.
10-01-2023, 05:33 PM
