Any car accessory experts out there who can solve this mystery?
I got a new (used) car recently. An 07 Passat 2.0T. Everything is fine about it (besides the massive oil leak due to previous work by someone who, my mechanic tells me, did not know what they were doing -getting fixed as we speak)
Anyway, in the trunk there is a strange wiring setup I have never seen in a car and no one I've asked so far has seen this either. There are 2 wires. One is short and hangs from the roof of the trunk (and runs along it towards the back and out of sight) and has a male car DC plug on the end. The other is longer and extends out from somewhere where the trunk floor meets the rear seat-backs. It has a female car DC plug on its end. The 2 could reach each other and could be plugged into each other, but I found them unplugged and have yet to attempt plugging them in.
The car is in the shop so I can't run out and check further right now, but this is driving me nuts. What could it be?!
My first thought, for anything foreign and electrical in a trunk, is that there was an amp and a subwoofer in the back. But if it's a regular DC cigarette lighter input I'll assume that they had some sort of beacon light, probably for a construction vehicle, that they needed a quick connect and disconnect. The female end you're seeing probably is just an extension and leads to another male end somewhere. I'd try following the female end to see where it goes before plugging the male connector into it, though.
Disclaimer I'm only offering my opinion, and am in no way offering you expert advice. If you set your car on fire or get a 12v shock don't blame me. thanks!
Perpetual motion machine. Don't tell Big Oil, they will confiscate your car and make sure it never sees the light of day.
@eraten: Thanks for the input. Ya I have a car audio expert friend and he couldn't think of why the wires were there. He has a toner I can use if we really can't figure this out.
The beacon light seems highly plausible, but there don't seem to be any other indicators of something like that being mounted on the car. And I feel like an 07 Passat with moon roof and heated leather seats is a little extravagant for a service vehicle.
@90mcg112: I'll take it under consideration. One thought I had was it could just be 2 ends of the same wire cunningly wrapped through the body work....
Maybe the previous owner had a visit from Xzibit and the car was re-done for an episode of "Pimp My Ride"? They put some pretty crazy electronic set-ups in those cars.
I would just ask the mechanic working on it now, or call the local VW dealership and see what they say.
@wickedd365: That was my plan for when I go to pick it up
If they are cigarette or power point type plugs, it was added aftermarket, not from the factory. Or possibly some backyard Joe cobbled something together.
I customize my own stuff and am not an expert.
Look around the fuse box for the wire. Look under the hood for extra after market wiring. Does the wire look like it belongs in the car. Example I used heavy gauge speaker wire for power. I had an amp that had a very heavy gauge red wire.
My guesses are. Amp for a better stereo.
OR
12 connection in the back for kids DVD player.
Who knows what people do.
Last thought double check the lights (especially easy to miss lights like the licence plate light). Maybe the user unhooked cable that is shorting out.
It sounds like someone wanted a power point in the trunk for multiple so that is what I think the female end is for. The male end might have got to a powered magnetic antenna for cb, or cell, or maybe short band. When they sold the car they just cut the cord at the antenna instead of un-wiring it.
@countdown: They make magnetic mount beacon lights. So there might not be any sign of one being there, as they are easy to take off and leave no trace. But I do agree, that would be a pretty extravagant service vehicle. But the government does what they want.
Service lights. Perhaps auxiliary flashing lights for cars used for undercover traffic cops?
(NO one should take me seriously on this; my mechanical ability is about on a par with my sense of direction, and I get lost in elevators.)
Maybe they just wanted an extra power outlet to run a cooler -- they make some that plug into your cigarette lighter.
@capguncowboy: That was a thought of mine, but it does not explain the male plug hanging from the roof of the trunk :(
IT'S A TRAP! DO NOT CONNECT THE TWO! (Spoken by someone who doesn't have a freaking clue). :)
@jsimsace: rofl
In case anyone is still following, the mechanic doesn't have any ideas either. We did notice the male plug is labeled "radioshack" and has a mechanical on/off switch on the top. Flashers of some sort are seeming more and more likely, but I can't figure out where the other end of the wire goes to (mainly cause I still haven't had much time; prepping for a camping trip to the UP).
I'll try to remember to update this thread if I ever figure out what it is.
Ok, I think I figured it out (sorry for delay, just got back from camping). They are both ends of the same cord! The male end is intended to go into an outlet built into the trunk in the wheel arch area (critical piece of information, did not notice the outlet there before). The female end, I think, is intended to be run into the cabin as an extra DC outlet in the cabin (rather than the trunk). No idea why they had to run it along the trunk roof, but this is almost certainly what they were doing. I guess they just threw the loose female end into the trunk for storage and to get it out of the way when they sold it...
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