On 12/30/2013 3:56 PM, Smarty wrote:
> Having owned C5 and C6 convertibles which have been stored for the
> winter, I have become accustomed to using a trickle charger directly
> connected to the battery for many years. The rest of the car has been
> disconnected and only the trickle charger has been connected to the
> battery.
>
> The new C7 battery is no longer under the hood. It is in the trunk, and
> not as easily to disconnect and trickle charge.
>
> My question:
>
> Can I trickle charge via the cigarette lighter socket or another
> auxiliary power 12 V socket which the car also provides? Or do I have to
> get into the trunk, remove the trunk lining, and then connect directly
> across the battery as I have previously done for the last 15 years on my
> C5 and C6?
>
> Any advice would be appreciated.

Turn off the car, open door, remove ignition key. Plug something into
the accessory socket. If it works, you can trickle charge via that
outlet. If it's dead, so are you hopes of trickle charging in that manner.

Most of the trickle chargers available these days (battery maintainers)
have both battery clips as well as a plug and socket. Why not just
connect a lightweight cable and plug to the battery? Summer months,
leave the plug capped and cable stowed next to battery. Connect it to
the maintainer cable in the winter. That's how I do it with my C5 and
formerly did it with my C4.