I have a 400W power inverter in my trunk which i use for the freezer. it was well under the specs required for hardwiring it, so it just comes off the back cigarette adaptor.
I saw this rope of led lights at the hardware store the other day, and I thought, what the heck, I'll put them in. so i get a roll of 3M automotive double sided tape and run them under the rubber along the windows and use the tape along the plastic rails between the windows.
I have to say I was amazed how easy it was to install them, and the 24' roll expands up to something like 300 feet (with 12 sets together). they are not very warm, so I'm not worried about burning the car or melting anything. they are pretty thick though so they may not be great for long term use under the black rubber moulding with half of the roll exposed. they are waterproof, so I'm thinking about getting a couple extra sets and running them on the outside of the car. they fit through the boot corner gap without breaking or pinching. will have to post some pictures of course.

but as long as the power ratings are below that of the hardwire requirement for the power inverter, is there any other issue I should be thinking of for doing this? I have been leaving the inverter on when I start the car. should I get a remote switch for it so I don't kill the starting cranking amps of the battery?

updated:
been testing to see how I can break this setup and make it better.
can run off direct battery for only 3 minutes until the car battery reaches the cautionary shut down stage and car shuts off. re-routed the lights to be on the outside of the rubber seals. makes it less clean looking but that way I won't wear or stretch out the rubber seals around the doors and windows. also makes them much more visable from the outside. 3M auto tape is amazing stuff

 

Pictures?

 

 

Woooh, dance party!

Looks pretty cool. If you want some thinner LED strips check out www.oznium.com. They have a ton of LED's on there.

 

I had thought about doing the Ozium strips of LED lights. but would be quite cost prohibitive for as much as I put on.
Put on the second strip of 24 feet on this weekend, ran it around remaining windows, out the boot, around the roof rack, surfboard and cut a hole into the ice cream cone.
is very visible without being blinding at night.

 

found out blue lights on a vehicle are illegal in florida so swapped to white. have 24' of blue wrapping a freezer. so now have 48' wrapped around the outside, through the boot, and around the windows with 3m auto tape. both sets can be plugged together, but I have them on a surge protector with a switch so can turn them on and off quicker. that makes 72 foot. estimated 360' is still a valid future upgrade, but might just start looking for neon ice cream signs on ebay. nice thing about led's is that they don't get hot.

 

Beavr, how did you install the inverter? Where did you locate it?

Thanks!

 

1000W inverter located beneath cabin air filter on passenger side. threaded from battery to 100amp fuse, through air intake and through the corner of the cabin air filter. that way, didn't cause any permanent harm to the filter or have to drill through any body parts, but it could just as easily been drilled through. cabin air filters are pretty cheap. wanted to keep as short a cable as possible. there is space and it is a short distance to located the inverter in the glovebox, but it is easier to turn the inverter on/off by reaching up under there and flipping the switch.
had thought that the 1000watts was overkill, but we added a pull behind freezer trailer for larger outdoor events. the extra load is good on a hot summer day when the lights, bubble machine, and both freezers are on full blast.

 

Have you upgraded your battery and/or alternator?

 

ran the original 2004 battery out towards the end of summer and replaced it with a NAPA. I keep a battery jump start power machine in the trunk in case she sits on the beach with the motor off for too long.
the strips of LED's draw minimal power, as do the freezer & bubble machine. I remember hooking it the car to the scantool once to see what it drew for amperage, but forgot what it was. some sections have quit working on the original string, there are 2 places where 2 feet of lights no longer light up, think water got in where I might've nicked the coating.
hadn't thought about upgrading the alternator. has worked out ok so far for power. I got rid of alot of unnecessary items from the car like the car computer & monitor, roof lights, and the big trailer-freezer hasn't gotten a ton of usage. have 3 tandem strings now, but the other 2 aren't attached with 3M.
I seem to recall that I am using a 50 AMP fuse and not a 100AMP.
battery has got enough power to run an electric chainsaw with the motor off for 1/2 hour, thats about as long as we've tested with just the external accessories on as well.