I thought I was imagining it at first but I am pretty sure my headlights and interior lights are dimming/flickering slightly every so often. I suspect it's happening when the A/C is on. Almost like there is a slight dip in electrical current in the car.

Anyone else experiencing this?

I've never seen it happen in any other car I've had. It's not dramatic or anything but I find it slightly disturbing and I'm thinking it is going to be one of those things the service department will have a hell of a time diagnosing or even reproducing.

Am I having flashbacks from my college days here or is my sh*t really flickering when the A/C kicks on guys...

 

you aren't hallucinating. it's a car. when your AC kicks on, your volts will drop slightly. ever been in a car with a big stereo system? now, in that case the lights will dim LOL

 

Normal operation in the Jazz/Fit

 

you're hallucinating man.

 

you're still on shrooms dude

 

I notice it dim when I reverse off my drive since I give it such little gas it's almost about to stall. So I know if it goes dark at night, I need to give it a bit more gas! (Note, it seems to work cause I've never stalled on my drive.. or I just don't stall anyway..)

 

You're just baked, bro.

 

Must be a Honda thing, my wife's Pilot does the same thing. No other make of car I have ever had ever did this. I have yet to notice it on the Fit though.

 

Thanks for the replies, guys... Sounds like the general consensus is that I am probably not imagining it, but its normal?

I've never had a massive 87 billion watt stereo in any of my cars before. I've never had one where the headlights dimmed when the the A/C kicked in either though, at least I've never noticed that in any of my other cars.

This is my first Honda though.

 

your not imagining it, chances are its the cooling fans kicking on and causing a quick voltage drop.

 

yeah it's normal don't worry.

 

It also does it when you use the power windows, sometimes even the power locks

 

yep, that's when it happens to mine too.

 

X3
Fit has a small alternator and a small battery. It's OK, won't hurt a thing, and it IS normal. Don't worry.

 

Penske Honda Ontario, CA is getting ready to install a new alternator and ELD in my 07 Sport Auto.

For the last couple months i had noticed the headlights, blower controls and dome light massively fluctuating while driving...even my passengers noticed.

It was like woowoowoowoo from bright to dim (full cycle in 1/2 second or so). Stopped when i was below about 1500RPM or if i punched it (the PCM shuts down the alternator to reduce its load on the engine at times). Was even more pronounced with the blower or defroster on. I had noticed the fan speed up and slow down on occasion. I don't use the AC too often due to MPG reduction

Took 2 drives at night by the tech - i told him to take it home.. gas was on me and it did it for him even thought the PGM-FI tester showed ok.

BTW, the car is 2 years old next week on the 17th and it is already at 99,700 miles !

 

I'm experiencing flickering too on a 2007 Fit Sport (auto), and it definitely is not normal. Happens to me just like alarmgui described. Did the alternator and ELD fix the problem? I'm hoping the recall for the headlight wiring harness (Statement by American Honda Motor Co., Inc., Regarding Headlight Switch Recall for the 2007) will fix it.

 

still want what the OP's smoking

 

That has nothing to do with the recall.

The flicker is because of a dip in the power as the A/C cycles on. The only solution would be a beefier battery and alternator, but, it will kill the mpg.

It's a normal thing.

 

You are NOT nuts.. it is NOT the AC, the locks, the fans or any of that that you are really seeing.....

NOW, INDEED the fans, AC, locks, windows and other big loads will cause a MOMENTARY dip as will dropping the RPM by letting the clutch out too quick..BUT this recovers after a second. The problem these guys are noticing is a REPETITIVE FLICKER.. a waawaawaawaa sine wave.. (this is a pretty common, obvious issue on old old cars with mechanical voltage regulators).

My Fit has done this 2 times now.. you can see what was done in my previous post..was fine for about 85K miles.. now its doing it again.. changed the ELD because it was cheap and easy..no fix($30 part)! The regulator in the alternator is going bad.. Keeps spiking and was blowing out my headlights on a monthly basis. My new HID's seem to handle the spikes much better.

Due to economic issues, I haven't had the $$ to change out the alternator yet. AutoZone has a reman unit for about $150 but you have to split the intake manifold in order to access it.. argg!

This also has NOTHING to do with the recall.

 

^ i think you're the only one that was experiencing "repetitive flickering." if it's constantly flickering like an oscillating wave, then yes, there is a problem.

it looks like everyone else is experiencing the normal, momentary dimming of lights that happens once in a while, which is completely normal.

Here's Honda's answer regarding dimming lights:
Is it normal for my head lights to dim slightly and then come back to normal while my car is stopped at a light?

And Honda's FAQ section since these questions really are frequently asked on fitfreak: Frequently Asked Questions - the Official Honda Web Site