HELP! Weird electrical issue on '05 LGT

[Catbeater]

I know this is long, but please help

(posted in Interior/Audio but haven't gotten anything back)

 

So my car has been having some issues... here's a brief rundown:

 

Two months ago my HIDs started flickering badly, wouldn't turn on unless the e-brake was pulled, and when the light switch was "off" they would strobe constantly.

 

I took it to a local shop owned by a friends dad, who came to the conclusion that the HIDs themselves were the issue (bad ballasts). They replaced them with stock HIDs and the system went to how it was stock.

 

However, immediately after getting the car back, the lights experienced another problem. THEY WOULDN'T SHUT OFF! I would drive around, in various settings (either with the Daytime Running Lights on, or Headlights on, Fog Lights on/off, etc.) and then when i parked and turned my car off, the headlights would not turn off. It killed my battery about 6 times in 2 weeks before I finally took it back to that shop.

 

They are now saying that they called a national help number who says that subaru's have issues where anything plugged into the power ports (read: cigarette lighter adapters) caused a feedback that kept the voltage too high to turn the lights off.

 

I don't personally see how that could be possible, since the only thing i have plugged in is my sirius radio, which itself shuts off every time i shut the car off because the power ports aren't powered when the car is off.

 

I want to install a new nav/gps/stereo in my car... but don't want to do it until we find this electrical gremlin.

 

Please let me know if ANYONE has seen or heard of an issue like this or what might be causing it. For now I have left my car at the dealership who is just randomly turning it on/off trying to get the issue to repeat itself so they can test it.

 

Sorry for the long post.... THANKS!

[m sprank]

Sounds like an issue with the DRL module. But I doubt the story you were given. We use the ACC ports for lots of stuff.

 

HID flicker is normal on 05-07 cars when used as DRL due to the unstable/low voltage to the ballasts. Why we disconnect DRL when using HID on those cars. DRL is tied to e-brake. Sounds like the DRL controller might be malfunctioning and causing your issues. Otherwise a rodent or something ate up some wiring and you have a short/ground issue. Could check charging system as well, but would expect other issues to arise if charging is weak.