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Message: <blockquote data-quote="PollyCranopolis" data-source="post: 1776853" data-attributes="member: 553423">Me and my buddy went about throwing a cd player in his 97 Saturn SC1. Being lazy *** holes, we cut the harness, and wired the wires directly into the HU. A smart person would have ran it from the batttery fused, or spent $10 for a harness. It played fine, but the deck would reset its memory everytime it was turned off. We pulled the HU back out. Me being a dumbass, and assuming the power wire from the stereo harness was run from the fuse box, we sparked the power wire off the metal a couple times making sure we had spark.The wire shorted out. No longer would the headlights, guage lights, dome lights, or ignition work. We discovered that the car could be started by pushing in the power door lock button. "No problem!" I blathered. "We just blew a fuse under the dash. I'll replace it and we'll be back up in no time". The only trouble was the power wire running from the stereo harness wasnt wired into the fuse box. It was wired straight into the computer under the hood. My buddy totalled the car a week later driving at night, trying to use only his parking lights which still worked.Lesson:  Dont assume that your HU wiring harness is totally seperate or fused from your cars essential electrical circuits. A short in your HU harness can and will make your car undriveable and may effect essential parts of your cars computer system, especially in newer vehicles. It's always better to run direct from the battery fused, or pay $10 for a harness.Another instance of my stupidity involves the time when I was eager to get my car system in and didnt have a fuse for the HU to run it from the battery. I ran it anyway, thinking it would be fine for a few days until I could get the part. Me being a lazy *******, a few days turned into 2 months. One day I picked my buddy up and gave him a ride into town. I pulled up next to the curb to let him out. I did'nt notice the power wire for the HU hanging down underneath the dash. As my buddy exited the vehicle, he caught his foot on the power wire, stretching it. The wire turned red hot. The yellow coating disentigrated onto the floor. The car filled with thick black smoke almost instantly. I lunged for my cd book, grabbing it and hitting the wire, breaking the connection. The wire fell onto the kick panel and onto the carpet, burning a big long line from the kickpod down across the carpet.Lesson: Dont even think of installing ANY car audio equipment without the proper fusing and protection.</blockquote>

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