Fried Dashboard Circuit Board

Help!

I have a 96 grand am GT, and just installed my Kenwood KDC8017MP3 head unit.  I used all the special wiring harnesses, so i didnt have to do any soldering or anything.  BUT, the headunit fried the circuit board that controls all my dash lights.  I found out afterwards that you have to cut the dimmer relay to prevent this from happening.  My question is,  there was no disclaimer in the headunits instruction manual, nor in the granams owners manual that would indicate that there are special procedures for installing a different headunit.  Is this something i should have known?  Its going to cost $300 to get a new circuit board for the dash, and i was hoping someone else might have had to deal with this before.  Any suggestions, or comments would be greatly appreciated.  vally78@yahoo.com

Thats why you should of paid a professional to do it right the first time.  Sometimes when you try to save a buck it bites you in the @ss.  It is common knowledge to us who do it for a living.  The gray and dark brown wire are for the dimmer.  If you had read the directions carefully  you would of capped them off so they would not of shorted out.  You hopefully learned by your mistake instead of trying to blame it on the manufacturer of the plug or radio.  Just my 2 cents.  Take it or leave it.

DanDan

But even if the installer screwed it up (ie did exactly what you did) then you can make them pay to fix it!!!! and may even be able to get the shop to give you a free install on something else as a gift for their mistake.   It is my experience the newer the car, the more abnoxious the factory gets with electronic devices controlling stuff, then you have an increase chance to have something get fried.   But I agree with DanDan, know what you are doing before you set it up, chances are if you are attempting a "routine install" call a professional shop ask there advice, or post here prior to your job, get all the facts, then make an attempt.   Doing it that way also will increase your knowledge base and help you get it right the first time!.

thats my 2.5 cents :)

Craig

heh, yea it always could be worse, like setting off an airbag!

Craig

no, but a fellow co-worker ( a while ago) has, very scary.....scared me into next week!!!...loud loud loud.....glad it wasn't my car, and not my company who had to float the bill for that one.

Craig

That sounded like a nasty experience. I'm about to put a Sony CDX-MP30 into a 1993 toyota starlet. I've got both the wiring diagram http://www.installdoctor.com/Harnesses/Toyota-Wiring.pdf

and the installation guide for the unit itself here http://www.xmradio.com/manuals/cdx_mp30_install.pdf

Is the above problem something that I should be wary of? I couldn't see any mention of dimmers in the diagrams. The connector in the car now match the "1987 and newer", will it slot straight into the back of the new unit? The specs for the new unit says it comes with ISO Connector: Supplied Adaptor. I'm hoping that it will be a case of connecting up the existing plug to the new unit?  Hope i'm not sounding too newbieish!

Thanks,

Mark