New US Beat Owner with Gauge Cluster Fuse issue

[WatchmanPP1]

Hello All,

New member here! I've been reading the forum for a while now and just last weekend picked up by own Beat imported into the US. Super excited to say the least, but also concerned at the moment. I have had my gauge fuse blow twice since getting it home on Saturday which causes the car to die (obviously an issue). At first I thought it might have been due to the drive home from where I picked it up which was a 7 hour drive at highway speeds (scary and fun at the same time). Now that it has blown again I am not so sure.

The first time the fuse blew was on Monday as I was driving back from lunch with the A/C on (this might be important). I was stopped at a light and the engine bogged heavily before finally revving high enough to pull away. Next stop light it was idling at 500 rpm and just died. Quickly diagnosed that it was the gauge fuse and replaced it and drove straight to the auto parts store to get more fuses. With the new fuse it ran perfectly fine, but from the moment I started it up until today I had not used the A/C since it was a partial suspicion that it may have been the culprit. Today the same scenario happened on my way back from lunch again, A/C on, idling at 500 rpm before dying, so I am starting to think the A/C might be causing the issue.

After replacing the fuse I decided to pay attention to exactly what happens when I turn on the A/C. When I turn on the A/C the engine idle immediately goes from around 1100 rpm down to 900 or less, and it never rebounds like it should to compensate for the added stress on the motor. When I turn it off the idle jumps up to about 1200 or 1300 before settling back down to 1100 or so. I checked the fuse and it seemed a little warm but since I had only tried it for a minute it wasn't definitive at all. Obviously something is pushing a bit too much current through the gauge fuse, but I am unsure where to start looking. Any tips or thoughts from more experience owners!?

I will be forever grateful for any thoughts, and I am looking forward to being a part of the community! And as a thank you for your help and to cover the internet tax here is a picture of my car and a picture of an adorable otter.