my letter to them:

I wish to express my surprise with Motorweeks long term test drive of the 2008 Accord.I own a 2008 exl 4cly with automatic-similar to the one your firm "tested". Many people on various sites have complained about the accords dimming headlights. They dim about every 15 seconds when one is driving(including the taillights). More so when the a/c is on. Many people feel this "defect" is a serious higway safety issue-beacuse when theyy dim some people may think you are flashing them-etc.

Look at all the complaints on this issue on the NHTSA website IVOQ - File a Complaint



Also look at this site with some complaints: http://www.hondacarforum.com/honda-technical/41169-2008-accord-headlights-dimming-2.html#post252180



I ask: what are your "testers" testing when they do a long term test? Have they ever did a nightime test on this car? It is impossible not to see this problem. It only occurs on the 4cyl models-not the v6's. Also did your testers notice that there is NO trunk liner in the trunk? It is an OPTION on the 4cyl-models. I had to pay 60 dollars to get one. I never heard of a car that did not offer a simple liner in its trunk. Also did your testers also notice that the battery is about 1/2 the size of a usual battery for a car this size? Look at the battery tray-only 2/3 of the tray is taken up by the battery-the battery looks undersized for this vehicle.



I would never had purchased this car if I had know of these problems-problems your company failed to realize.

I have owned my car for a year, and mine is 08 accord lx-p.

As you know, it is the 4 cyl, but this issue, dimming headlights, never bothers me at all. It is noticeable when I stop. Besides, it barely happens.
While driving, I've never noticed it.


I didn't know that there is a problem in the size of the battery, tho.

my honest opinion, you don't know much about hondas.
starting off with the headlight problem, thats not a problem on just our accords, its on all honda's since they started to use ELD's in hondas. and every 15secs is a pretty extreme exaggeration. it especially dims when you use a/c because your a/c belt is connected with your alternator belt. when you turn on the a/c it puts a load onto the alt belt causing it to dim momentarily.

but i do think the trunk liner is point on, i thought it was bs that i have to buy the liner.

but your battery point is off. it looks like theres room because there is a hinge/hook that goes into the bottom of the battery to hold it in place from moving around the bottom and the hangers hold the top from moving. batteries are also rated by group size, i think honda and some other imports are rated 35 for group size.

my thoughts are you might be too use to a different car and that you're not too familiar with hondas yet.

What's been the general consensus as to the reason for the occasional/sporadic dimming of the headlights?

I really don't mind the smaller-sized battery & lack-off a felt trunk's deck-lid liner... IMHO, that translates to less-weight - thus better performance & fuel-economy! :D

I can understand if the trunk's deck-lid liner was molded ABS-plastic and/or had storage compartments, then of-course it's omission from some of the Accord models would be of question. But, other than supposedly dampening some sound in V6 models, it serves no purpose (perhaps to give comfort to your hostages locked in the trunk, preventing them from breaking their nails or bloodying their hands/fingers while trying to escape... lolz).

These comments aren't "problems":

It is an OPTION on the 4cyl-models. I had to pay 60 dollars to get one. I never heard of a car that did not offer a simple liner in its trunk. Also did your testers also notice that the battery is about 1/2 the size of a usual battery for a car this size? Look at the battery tray-only 2/3 of the tray is taken up by the battery-the battery looks undersized for this vehicle.

So your car didn't come with a liner that is an option...ok, it shouldn't. The size of a battery doesn't mean much, its the efficiency of it that matters.

No offense but if i was the person reading your letter, i would laugh and toss it in the trash.

I think it is funny when some people state that if they only would have known of certain issues they would not have bought the car yet only one of the complaints originally listed would be readily apparent during either a test drive or looking at the vehicle.

Next time look at in detail before you buy and do some research BEFORE you buy.

i think it has been reported that using a better battey will solve the dimming issue... if it can even be considered an issue

i think it has been reported that using a better battey will solve the dimming issue... if it can even be considered an issue
I consider it an issue, but not a serious problem. It's quite annoying, if not particularly distracting.

I'm gonna look into some other battery then, perhaps.

excellent... I know personally of two folks that changed to Optima batteries afterwhich the issue was non existent

the dimming problem has been resolved by upgrading the batttery. to me the dimming problem is not a factor. its just for like 1-2 seconds.
I got better things to worry about (what kind of wax I will buy, what mods will be next , LOL !!!)

excellent... I know personally of two folks that changed to Optima batteries afterwhich the issue was non existent

Yes it is official, I just purchased the Optima Yellow Top D37-78 and all dimming has stopped. Just remember to have your radio security code handy, you will need it.:thmsup:

Yes it is official, I just purchased the Optima Yellow Top D37-78 and all dimming has stopped. Just remember to have your radio security code handy, you will need it.:thmsup:

Searching on the web, I cannot find a Yellow Top D37/78 anywhere. Maybe you meant D34/78 ?

Also did your testers notice that there is NO trunk liner in the trunk? It is an OPTION on the 4cyl-models. I had to pay 60 dollars to get one. I never heard of a car that did not offer a simple liner in its trunk.


And this is important, to Motor Trend (or anyone else, for that matter), because it impacts long term reliability in what way? Just asking....

mike.

Searching on the web, I cannot find a Yellow Top D37/78 anywhere. Maybe you meant D34/78 ?

You are absolutely correct, D34-78. It has posts on the top as well as "screw-in" terminals on the front. Thanks for the catch ttDog!

For all the folks who don't have a 4 cyl, please stop with the comments. If I was behind you for any length of time at night you would not be happy.
My 2004 Odessey doesn't have this issue.

I'm glad to see that the battery upgrade has solved the issue for some.

This is definitely substandard engineering by Honda.

I just shot a vid showing how the lights no longer go dim. It's brief because my camera battery died while shooting!! Ironic huh!?!:lmao:


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SmnjipYR570

The trunk lining in any Honda is a complete and utter joke, sorry to say. I can understand a civic not having trunk lining, but come on. And it's not as if this is anything new from them either...

I doubt it was the engineers at honda who made the decision about the 4-cylinder battery. Probably the accounting department... just like they did with the front grill of the new Pilot, yes, that was not what the designer specified there too. We see a trend here and personally I think that honda is on the wrong track letting accountants make engineering and/or design descisions.

i thought there was a factory fix for the dimming headlights.

To OP: If absence of a trunk liner is a "problem" that would have prevented you from buying the car had you known about it, I would suggest opening the trunk next time you want to make a 20-something thousand dollar investment. Same goes for the battery: open the hood. Sounds to me like YOU are the one who didn't "test" the car. Sure, these are areas where shortcuts were taken to save money or weight or whatever the case may be, but they are things you should have known about before buying the car.

just an FYI.. Im still unsure as to why honda put the small battery in the accords... the" small battery as they call it actually is a standard size "51" bettery which is the standard on the Civics.. I cant say Im happy or approve with that decision as it obviously affect the CCA and pass through chargeability of the car hence the power drain... Think of it as if you were putting caps on a sound system.. the battery in general, like the caps, does nothing ,,other than (battery)start the car,, once started, the alt. does everything.. hence when the car is started, you can yank the battery out and run like normal... if there is a drain on the system where it pulls more amperage than normal, the battery kicks in and sustains and levels the load for balancing.. I personally agree that with the amount of electronics gizmo and gadgets the Accords brings They should have looked at a slightly beefier alternator, maybe 10 or 15 ams higher, and a standard sized battery.. trunk liner? oh puhleeeze spend 50 bucks and be done with the whining... to be honest.. If in life time is money, how much did you spend taking the time whining about that on insignivacant issue which really isnt an issue...? what I will kind touch on though is the stupid plug grommets dfor the trunklid liner that doesnt come with the liner.. LOL 14 of them # 27 and they are 3.87 each? who's getting paid off? lol
. Just my .02 :)
JJ

:dunno::dunno:If your car is still under warranty shouldn't Honda upgarde the battery for free? Just asking.

my letter to them:

Have they ever did a nightime test on this car?

so u copied and pasted...so u actually said that to them?

For all the folks who don't have a 4 cyl, please stop with the comments.

dg7 Why you so defensive? I think 90% of the comments came from fellow I4 owners...

dg7 Why you so defensive? I think 90% of the comments came from fellow I4 owners...

:stupid: i have the k24.

I never noticed a dimming problem in mine. Is this only with the 4cyl?

I never noticed a dimming problem in mine. Is this only with the 4cyl?

Yes, as far as I know. For the 2 months I owned my V6 Coupe I never experienced this problem.

I've never noticed a problem with my lights dimming. Is this really that prevolent? Maybe it's because I have HIDs that use less power?

I don't see what the fuss is about with the trunk liner either. What's the big deal? Doesn't seem like an important factor to consider in a car and there is no way I would pay $60 for it.