[Chris Tobin]

^ He is right. also on page 3 i believe it was stated that a in line fuse is not needed as well. apparently the ends have a built in voltage protector.

A fuse is cheap protection and much easier to replace than a burnt harness or whatever a "voltage protector" is. Properly fusing any and all wiring connections within 18-inches of the battery is recommended for ALL aftermarket wiring you add to you car no matter what the accessory is. It would be a shame to have the wire short for whatever reason without a fuse and burn the car to the ground rather than simply blow a fuse!!!

It is irresponsible to recommend someone not use a fuse whether there is a built in "voltage protector" or not. Especially as a "voltage protector" would simply protect a device downstream from too high or too low voltage not have anything to do with current protection at a constant voltage as would be the case with a shorted wire.

Sorry to be so blunt. But as an electrical engineer and former mobile electronics installer it really bothers me when I hear something like this that could severely compromise someone's car for no reason.

 

[Chris Tobin]

hey im all for fuses but if its not needed its not needed. i didn't make the harness with the built in protection but i plan on using in line fuses. i have 3 watertight ones from my motorcycle repairs so im getting my moneys worth. you can add them as a extra precaution but its not required. many members are running without them and they are fine.

its not irresponsible if the harness has a fail safe already

The harness has built in fusible links, negating the need for separate inline fuses.

10-4 a fusible link is different than voltage protection, which will do nothing for a short. Personally I would still use fuses rather than a fusible link as replacing a fuse is much easier than replacing a fusible link.

 

[Chris Tobin]

I was debating adding fuses to my harness as well, but opted not to since the fusible links were there and it would have given me more work. If I have to, I'll cut out the fusable links and install the two inline fuses I initially planned on.

That being said, in the event that the fusible links do fry, one can simply disconnect the harness and plug the OE connectors back into the headlight bulbs. Should take all of two minutes, and one can worry about the harness at a later date.

Good to know... many years ago when I was an installer on a regular basis you would not believe the stuff that cam in to us on a regular basis for repair or upgrades... Stuff like 4-gauge power wire with 16-gauge ground wire on large 1000-watt amps, power cables running unfused through the cowl and fender then through the door jamb and all kinds of other messes. I always charged more to repair someone elses poor work than to do the installation properly in the first place!!!

I'm too old and slow to do many more installs than my own or some friends/family these days but I do still enjoy high-end audio. In fact the upcoming issue of Ultimate Diesel Builder's Guide magazine will have a mobile electronics/audio/video systems theme with a buyer's guide and truck features that all have big sound systems installed in them as well as a truck upgrade with JL Audio gear in a Silverado 2500 HD and a review of the new Colorado Diesel. Pick up a copy of the April/May issue on sale starting 4.19.16.