Car audio question (broken radio connector retaing clip)

[wengenstein]

So I changed the bulbs in my OBC yesterday and in the process I had to take out the radio. Not content to just leave it resting near the shifter I decided to disconnect it and set it aside. I used a screwdriver, as suggested in the little diagram, to pry up the retaining clip so the radio can be unplugged. The clip would not budge. It was only sliding up about half way preventing me from unplugging the thing. Carefully, I put a little more pressure on it and the clip snaps clean in half. Once the retaining clip was broken, unplugging the thing was pretty easy.

My question to those with some car audio experience (I have none) is this, eventhough it seemed to go back together pretty securely should I consider fixing it? Am I risk of shorting something out and starting a car fire? Also, if I decide to replace the head unit, what are the downsides to foregoing the wiring harness and just hacking off the existing (and broken) connector, and instead just wiring things according to the wiring diagram?

Any advice is appreciated.

Dennis

[wengenstein]

anyone...anyone...? (That would be the holly-smoot tarriff act..)