Honda Stream Battery Woes: Starting Issues and Dim Lights

Hey there! I had a pretty similar issue with my 2014 Honda Civic (also owned an Accord before). I have some basic car experience, mostly routine maintenance and minor repairs. Those symptoms sounded exactly like what I dealt with! Initially thought it was just the battery too, but when I took it to my trusted mechanic, they diagnosed a defective control unit. It was causing weird electrical issues, including dim lights and starting problems. The repair set me back about 600 Euro, but it fixed everything completely. Can you share more details about when these symptoms started and if you notice any pattern, like does it happen more after the car sits for a while or when it's cold/hot? Also, are there any warning lights on your dash? This info would help determine if you're facing the same issue I had. Let me know these details and I can share more about my experience!

Thanks for sharing your experience! I've had my Stream for a good while now (98596 km on the clock), and this is my first major electrical issue. The symptoms started about a week ago, and you know what's weird? It definitely gets worse when the car sits overnight. Haven't seen any warning lights on the dash yet. I really appreciate the heads up about the control unit, that's something I hadn't considered. Been keeping up with regular maintenance (just had my service done last month), so I was a bit surprised when these issues popped up. Did your mechanic mention how to spot the difference between a battery issue and a control unit problem? Just trying to avoid unnecessary repairs if I can! Thanks again for the help!

Hey again! You know, your symptoms really remind me of what I went through. My Civic had about 95000 km when these issues started, pretty close to your mileage! The overnight thing is super interesting because that's exactly what happened with mine. At first, I totally thought it was just the battery being old. Here's something my mechanic taught me, if it's just a battery issue, you usually won't see the lights flickering while the engine's running. In my case (and sounds like yours too), the flickering happened even after the car was started, which was a big clue it wasn't just the battery. Quick tip from my experience, before going for the full control unit replacement, get them to check the alternator connections too. Mine turned out to be the control unit, but my mechanic says loose alternator connections can cause similar symptoms and it's a way cheaper fix. I remember being super frustrated because, like you, I'd kept up with all the maintenance. These electrical gremlins can pop up even in well-maintained cars though. Let me know what you find out, I'm really curious if it's the same issue I had! Just a heads up, if it is the control unit, don't wait too long. I tried to "live with it" for a couple weeks and nearly got stranded when the problem got worse. Keep us posted!

Thanks so much for all the detailed info! That's really helpful about the flickering lights while running, I'll definitely pay attention to that. You're probably right about not waiting too long; I've already booked it in with my mechanic for tomorrow morning. Better safe than sorry! It's actually reassuring to hear someone else had such a similar experience, especially with the overnight symptoms and at around the same mileage too. I'll make sure to mention both the control unit and alternator connections to my mechanic. Definitely don't want to end up stranded somewhere! Really appreciate you taking the time to share all this, especially that tip from your mechanic about differentiating between battery and control unit issues. I'll update the thread once I get it checked out, might help someone else with similar problems down the line! Thanks again for all your help!