And like MGs, most of the time, it’s the fault of the human involved.

The first thing I did when I got the Subaru, I had to get my iPod talking to it. I did this via a FM transmitter that used the cigar lighter for power. This meant I was unable to take advantage of that power supply for other purposes and it was ugly.

So soon after going this route, I wired in a second power unit, hidden behind the dash. In doing so, I accidentally dismantled the cigar lighter.

When I put it back together, I didn’t notice that the metal socket has cut-outs where the prongs go. This allows them to expand out when you plug in something that draws power. I put it back together 90° offset, which meant occasionally, but not always, the power would short directly to the ground that is the power unit shell.

Oops. It took about 5 minutes to find and fix the problem that has been vexing me for 2 years.