my 05 civic batt pack failed at 130000 miles--still under CA warranty, but Honda will only replace cells that failed. Not clear to me if they are able to avoid replacing whole pack (gauges indicate adequate functioning--failure is inability of computer to read operational systems thruout car)--Thanks for help.

 

That seems weird. I'm not sure why any Honda dealer would have a service mechanic remove a battery pack, open it and replace just the bad cells? My battery pack went south at 120,000 miles and Honda replaced it and within a day I was up and running like new. All under warranty!

 

The why is bacause it's certainly cheaper for them to do it this way.
It DOES seem unusual, but maybe it is because of the specific codes they're seeing. I'd want to know what those codes are (actually, I DO want to know!).
I'd want a full report on how they plan to go about doing this at the dealership, and how they plan on matching the new cells exactly with the existing ones. Kind of like mixing new and old batteries, always said to be a no-no (even for a flashlight, let alone an automobile). I'd be very inquisitive, and maybe get another opinion from another dealer, if that's possible.