If you follow the "What did you do to your 4th gen today" posts you'll see I made a rather long post about what I've done in the past 10 days to mine. But I left this part out mostly out of shame. Especially since I've been an ASE Master technician for over 30 years and I'm currently a high school auto tech teacher. I shouldn't have screwed up like this. Now the likelihood of anyone making the same mistake I did is pretty slim but I thought I'd put out a warning anyway. After all confession is good for the soul, right?
In an effort to clean up a rat's nest of charging cables, etc. I decided to add a couple of hidden USB ports; one hidden inside the console and another in the roof above the overhead console where the map lights are, (to plug in my dash cam and eliminate a wire hanging down). Without thinking it through I bought 2 female USB connectors with pigtails, (These) Amazon.com and wired them directly to 12 volts. I should have gotten true USB ports with the electronics inside to reduce the output to 5 volts. Major, major mistake. So the first time I plugged my iPhone in it ruined it. But at first I didn't know that. I thought it just wasn't charging. So I plugged in my rechargeable flashlight; (really loved that flashlight, lol). Then I realized both were ruined. (Dodged a bullet on my dashcam. Apparently it was able to withstand the 12 volts). And almost immediately I realized what I had done. Thankfully I had the insurance on the phone so I got it replaced. But the flashlight which I had gotten at Sam's was no longer available at the price I had paid so I went with a different one on Amazon. Not sure it's quite as bright but at least it does have adjustable zoom. (I guess the 90,000 lumen claim wasn't quite accurate, LMAO). Anyway, on the odd chance that someone else may have a brain fart like I did I wanted to post about it.

Hey, Thank you for posting this. I believe what you've done is not the first time something similar has happened. Fortunately you caught your mistake (albeit at the cost of a flashlight and phone), but you also posted the solution.

When I set up our dash-cam it came with a 12' cable to a cigarette lighter adapter and the last thing I wanted to do is have wires everywhere. I found a company called Dongar Tech¹ that makes a quick USB adapter (with the proper voltage) that plugs right into the back of the rear view mirror, but I would have prefered to hard-wire in a USB port.

I have a VW that I want to do the same thing for but Dongar doesn't have a solution so I'll have to visit your post again and see if I can tap into the power from the pano roof. Thanks!

¹Dash Cam Install Easy as 1..2..3.. – Dongar Technologies LLC

Im not an electronics expert at all, but im not sure you screwed up so much

I used one of these and wired 12v from the cigarette lighter as most of us do and havent had any issues. Amazon.com


My ram 1500 has a 110 amp plug for the rear passengers. We plugged our portable DVD player into that and it fried the DVD player. (this plug was from the factory). The Ram forums say something about a sine wave causing problems with electronics

Fortunately after letting the DVDs rest for a few weeks, they do work again, i think portable electronics and car charging are just fickle, unless youre an electrician

If I understand @importman correctly, he ran straight plug-ins that didn't step down the 12V input to the much lower output used by phones and other devices. So his iPhone, designed for a max charge of ~5V, got 12V instead. The ports you linked step down the input to the appropriate current.

@importman - thanks for posting your error. Sounds like something I could potentially do. And btw, it's tailor made for the very entertaining "Repair Mistakes & Blunders" section of RockAuto's monthly newsletter. Info below this blurb if you're inclined to submit it. Here's one from this year:

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Repair Mistakes & Blunders

I had just re-installed a freshly rebuilt instrument cluster in my 1970 Plymouth Road Runner along with an oil change and other routine maintenance. I took it for a test drive, and all of a sudden the oil pressure warning light started flashing as I turned a corner. As I straightened the car out, the blinking oil light stopped. During the next turn it had the same issue. It only happened on left turns. I was freaking out that maybe I forgot to put in enough oil so gingerly limped the Road Runner home.

As I pulled into my driveway (with the oil light flashing), I noticed the left turn signal bulb on the dash was not working. I did my dashboard yoga, and I found I had plugged the left turn signal bulb into the oil pressure warning light and the oil pressure switch wiring into the turn signal. I was relieved and embarrassed all at the same time.

Greg in Ohio
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Submissions:

Your Most Infamous Auto Repair Blunder
Use your woe to help others avoid similar mistakes. Please email your story to [email protected]. Include your mailing address and if you would like a RockAuto T-Shirt (please let us know your shirt size) or Hat if we publish your story. See the T-Shirts and Hats under Tools & Universal Parts in the RockAuto catalog. The story will be credited using only your first name and your vague geographic location (state, province, country, continent, etc.) so you can remain semi-anonymous!
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Thanks Bluesky. That's a funny blunder you made. But at least it didn't damage anything. I may submit mine and see if I can get a tee shirt. And yes, you read my post accurately. I still can't believe I did that. But, live and learn. Maybe it will help someone else.

Hey Reinout. Just to be clear I ran power from the fuse box up the A pillar and over to the center of the roof into a USB port. It's really easy. I just used one of those fuse tap devices and plugged into the accessory fuse. Then it's a simple job to remove the A pillar trim panel and feed the wire up and over. I removed the two visors on the driver's side to allow more movement from the headliner. No idea what would be involved in doing this on a VW though.

I wouldn't beat yourself up over it as we all make these mistakes from time to time. I myself, for example, was installing a bass control knob the other day in that little cubby that passes for an ashtray or coin storage in the center shift console of my 4th gen. I drilled the proper sized holes for the mounting screws and 8pin ribbon cable and checked the fit by temporarily mounting the control knob. I meant to remove it if more modifications were in order. Due to an unexpected case of brain flatulence I missed this critical step and began widening the ribbon hole like I was drilling for Texas oil. SO, my new bass control knob will be here sometime this afternoon. *sigh*

I installed two of these USB ports Amazon.com while upgrading the electronics, audio, and lighting all around.
One thing I learned on this adventure was to NEVER tie two USB ports to the same power source. That would have been just asking for trouble.

Even experienced pros make rookie mistakes... and you've provided a valuable lesson to others by humbly admitting as such.

That wasn't actually my blunder, it was just an example from the RockAuto newsletter. But trust me, I've had more than my share. In fact, I posted recently about blowing up one of my rear calipers by stupidly pushing the brake pedal while the caliper was uninstalled. Out came the pistons, never to be coaxed back into the bracket. Hello, new rear caliper.

You know, "Describe Your Dumbest Mechanical Mistake" could be a great thread here.

Better than washing your engine bay and ruining your $600 switch pro system....

Thanks. The VW would/should be the exact same way. I am, as usual, over complicating it . Unfortunately since that last posting my VW was broken into, $2k of gym equipment stolen, not to mention the cost of a rear window, and I had lost my job, so this project is on hold.

I like to think I've done things, learned things, know things, had life experiences. Then I do something and I think, "I should've known better gosh darnit!"

Then I add that mistake to my life experiences and try to not let it happen again. But I'll probably do something similar again. That's life!