so i installed a new stereo system in the car and now i'm having 2 minor issues. my radio isn't turning on. i used a test light and verified that there is no power present. no fuses have been blown either. so now i'm stumped. any idea what it might be?

also, my fog lights aren't turning on. haven't really checked anything with that yet. trying to figure out what's going on with the radio first.

Check the fuse box in the engine bay.

that was the first thing i checked. fuses aren't blown.

That's really all it could be. I think the stock radio might have a fuse on the back of it

First stop using a test light. Get a digital multimeter I think Harbor Freight has one for about five dollars. For basic 12V you don't need something very complicated to trouble basic car electrical issues.
Check the fuse box in driver or passenger foot well. I'm not sure which side it is on in the xB.
Now on to the install questions, did you buy a vehicle side harness or did you cut the harness that was plugged into the back of the radio?
Also, the aftermarket radio might have a fuse on the back of it. I haven't seen any Japanese cars with fuses on the factory radio itself usually only seen on higher end European cars.

i'm not using a stock radio. like i said, there is no power going to the headunit. it's not the headunit for sure. could it be a cut wire somewhere? i'm totally stumped right now.

Make sure the connection from the headunit to the OEM harness is correct and made well. I almost always solder and heat shrink harnesses.

found the problem. wires pulled out of harness equals a bad thing. easy fix though. now i need to figure out the fogs.