PAINLESS WIRE HARNESS (thoughts)

I installed an American Autowire kit in my Duster. Great kit, high quality wires and connectors, very clear instructions. Had to learn how to do the crimping, but after a little practice it was pretty simple. And I'm not some wiring expert, just the opposite. I'd installed one factory style harness before, it was a totally finished harness in a much older car (very simple electrical, only a handful of circuits).

The only way I'd buy a factory replacement harness is if I was keeping the car 100% factory. The moment you start adding more modern, higher amperage accessories the factory harness becomes a colossal pain in the ***. I had a factory harness, getting rid of it was a major upgrade. Add a higher amperage alternator without worrying about burning everything up, no amp gauge bypass, individual circuits for plenty of accessories, no scabbing in wires to run a stereo etc...

I have not personally installed a Painless kit, but I've seen a few and know some folks that have used them. They do not have the quality of the American Autowire harness, and they're pretty generic. Definitely not a "perfect fit". I'm sure they can work fine but I think the learning curve is a bit steeper if you haven't wired a few cars before.

The AA kit is expensive for sure, but the quality of the wire makes a huge difference. As for not being able to use the factory wiring diagrams, well, good. The AA diagrams are far more clear and more accurate than anything the factory published anyway. They send oversized hardcopy of all the diagrams and you can download PDF versions too.