Hi,

I want to fit a 230 volt, 300 watt, sine wave inverter to my Octavia II estate. The inverter will be used to power a laptop, charging batteries, and powering other electronic equipment (both in the boot and in the passenger seat). I have been in contact with a Skoda workshop and they have suggested to either fit it in one of the storage spaces in the boot or under the glove compartment. The inverter I have bought can be switched on and off by a remote switch (not wireless). I have not been able to find any fitting guides on Briskoda or by googling.

My questions are:

1. If any off you have seen a fitting guide, can you please help me with a link?
   
2. Which option would you recomend fiting it in the boot and use a extension cord to power a laptop in the front seat, or fitting it in under the glove compartment?
   
3. I do not want to use one of the two 12 volt sockets. Is it possible to wire a new connection?
   
4. There are two unused slots for switches under the aircon control. Will it be possible to use one of them for the remote on/off switch for the inverter?

I hope you can help me with these questions!

Thanks!!!

Hi,

I want to fit a 230 volt, 300 watt, sine wave inverter to my Octavia II estate. The inverter will be used to power a laptop, charging batteries, and powering other electronic equipment (both in the boot and in the passenger seat). I have been in contact with a Skoda workshop and they have suggested to either fit it in one of the storage spaces in the boot or under the glove compartment. The inverter I have bought can be switched on and off by a remote switch (not wireless). I have not been able to find any fitting guides on Briskoda or by googling.

My questions are:

1. If any off you have seen a fitting guide, can you please help me with a link?
   
2. Which option would you recomend fiting it in the boot and use a extension cord to power a laptop in the front seat, or fitting it in under the glove compartment?
   
3. I do not want to use one of the two 12 volt sockets. Is it possible to wire a new connection?
   
4. There are two unused slots for switches under the aircon control. Will it be possible to use one of them for the remote on/off switch for the inverter?

I hope you can help me with these questions!

Thanks!!!

Halfords mate, they do one for £30, plugs into lighter socket.

I use it to keep my cola cold in the boot:D

Best using an exstention from back to front of car. hide te cableing under the plastic bits towards the floor of the car.

Halfords mate, they do one for £30, plugs into lighter socket.

The inverter I have bought

He already has one.

I personally would fit it under the glove compartment, providing there is room to fit it with adequate ventilation around it. Inverters can get pretty hot when they are getting close to the maximum output, so make sure the heater vent is not going to blow hot air over it.

Depending on the output of the inverter they are either on a fag lighter plug, or direct to the battery (fused) the latter is the better option IMO.

Oh, & welcome

be aware that most inverters when switched 'off' electronically, by a remote switch , still take a small amount of current (amps) from the battery , this current will be taken all the time ,and may be small ,but will drain the battery , if the car is not used for a period. Also if you have the Inverter running with no load on the output (240 volts) it will still take approximately 0.2 amps to 0.5 amps from the battery. I suggest it is wired from a 12 volt supply ,which is turns off when the car is not being used.

Another option is fitting it under the front passenger seat - removing the storage box first.

As Gismo68 suggests it's best to wire it back to the battery (via a fuse - have a look at the ICE installs for cable routing). Running at full wack, a 300W invertor will be pulling the best part of 30A - too much for the fag lighter sockets.

As Andy Pandy points out, the invertor may still pull current when switched "off". If this is the case with your invertor, I'd suggest wiring it via an automotive 30A relay (Halfords, Maplins). The relay can be controlled via a switch fitted in place of one of the blanks you mentioned.

A short report on the progress of my inverter project.

I have chosen an inverter of the same brand, Waeco, as the one fitted by Volkswagen in their Passat model (link). I hope that is an indicator of quality.

The inverter will be fitted in the front of the car. Either removing the box under the passanger seat, or under the glove compartment. It will be wired directly to the battery, and be controlled by a switch fitted in one of the free slots.

Thanks a lot for helpful advices so far! (more advices is welcome!!!)

Yes, Waeco do produce quality kit - originally battery powered fridges for boats.

Bear in mind that where ever you fit the inverter, make sure it's securely mounted and has plenty of air space – they can get quite warm. :flame: