And the hits keep coming - Redtop battery dead after 1 year

Old habits are hard to break, I still sit batteries on a piece of wood when they are out of the car. Maybe it is becuase it is traditional...

 

Yeah, everyone I know that has Optima batteries has had issues.....

My choice? Ford Motorcraft. Ford charging systems are notorious for running 'hot', and Ford specs their batteries to take that. I've never had one last less than 8 years, the one in my X's Focus went 11.....

 

Buy a battery maintainer for those cars and trucks you do not drive that often. I have them on my boat, two cars,ATV, and riding lawnmower and have never had a problem with starting. My boat batteries are from 2004 and still going strong. Just stay away from Harbor Freight and buy a good one.

 

The key to having a battery last in an old car is to have a toggle switch in line in the "field" wire of the alternator or generator and ALWAYS turn it off when the car isn't running and ALWAYS disconnect the battery if the car is to sit for longer than a day. Been doing this for years and even got 6 years out of a shitty Wal-Mart battery. They used to last 6 months before I started doing this.

 

X2, I buy the best deal I can find at the moment. Pep Boys, Wal Mart, Sears, etc. Always go with a warranty that can be honored anywhere and stores that are open 7 days a week and into the late evenings.

Bob

 

what k13 said is the real deal with these batteries.

 

Optima's used to be great, but now they suck. I had a 8 year old optima in my Coronet that worked fantastic. I bought two new blue tops for my Cummins Dodge and they sucked after only 5 months. I've gone back to Duralast, they are cheap and work great.

 

I have a stack of Optima's at home, all fairly new (or were when they died). I won't buy a single one again. First one I got 15 years lasted 7 years, others ones are good to last 7 days.

 

I called my Interstate hotshot driver, he said he'd credit me the warranty toward any battery I want. I want a sealed battery so I don't have to worry about fumes or maintenance, so if Interstate AGM's are reasonable in price (after my warranty is applied) I may go that route.

 

I have an Optima red top in my 32 that I bought in 1996. It still is good. Same in my 89 daily driver. The reason is a ground strap. Not the one to the battery, but from the block to the frame. And not a dirty area but ground clean. Basic!

 

You have a good one made before the fall.
Trust me these guys with new optima batteries that take a dump aren't doing it because they don't know your secret ground strap trick.

 

Ground from the battery to the frame (00), from the frame to the block (1" braided strap), from the frame to multiple body panels (all 10g and 12g), clean, bare metal...made no difference. The Optima is a boat anchor, I'm moving on...

 

I am on my third red top in less that a year. NAPA keeps changing them out.

 

Not that it's going to toast your optima but...
You really want battery to block ( close to the starter)
Battery to core support headlight holder doohickey
Block to frame and block to chassis with straps usually off of a bell housing bolt/stud,

 

Wouldn't that hurt a lot, Fred??? X2 on Duralast---I have good luck with them too.

 

I've tried optima's twice and learned my lesson. NO MORE. For a maintenance free battery there sure is a lot of maintenance & special charger needed. I buy Walmart batteries now cause I can get them replaced in almost any town when they go bad.

 

My Optima that I purchased about 8 - 9 years ago never gave me a problem. Never disconnected it over long winters and fired right up in the spring.....I was impressed.
Not happy to hear these stories......I guess nothing is forever!

 

I've gone through two red tops in the last year. I thought I was just having bum luck. Glad to see this thread and see that it's a quality issue rather than luck. I'll find a different battery for sure now. Thanks!

Mac

 

I am a land surveyor here in south central Tx , and I have a great need for good batteries to run my equipment . I typically use marine deep cycle batteries . I have a yellow top , interstate deep cycle and a walmart deep cycle . Optima being the most expensive it is the biggest piece of shit goes dead before lunch .. The walmart special probably works the best and last the longest .. The interstate is a good battery too but for the money I buy walmart specials now .. Optimas are so overrated 230.00$ for a POS !!

 

I love the old school Optima's.

Got one in my daily driver and it's given excellent service for over twenty years, (as well as several others that are over fifteen years old in my fleet of beaters)

I also installed hundreds as a tech with very few failures/returns.

Then, someone wanted to maximise profit a few years back , and shit went to hell.

... can't recommend them in any way, shape, or form now.


I'm okay with paying a premium for an AGM battery.

... seen too many corrosion issues when wet batteries leak/outgas.

... but there's so much contridictory information on the new breeds of AGM/alternative construction batteries out there that it's hard to know what's what.


While looking for a suitable replacement I could recommend to my customers I tried the other AGM choices in several different applications.

... with varying levels of success

... cost is NOT indictative of quality, that much is for sure!



I've settled on Dekka as the best choice of value/perfomance.

I've got over fifty of these in service in customer vehicles with very few issues over the last three years or so.

Anybody else use them, (specifically the "intimatador" series?)

My battery wholesaler is giving me a damn good price on these.

... but I only have a history with them that goes back three years or so.

Like to hear from others on their experiences/other brands/options

Thanks!

 

Imagine that....another Optima battery bashing thread on the HAMB.
I wonder how many similar threads on other car forums?
Its well deserved bashing of course.
Burn me once, shame on you...burn me twice shame on me.

Search Optima on the HAMB and read HOURS worth of dissatisfied customer's stories.

 

I guess thing change but I have one that some one said was junk put it on a battery tender for 2 years and this thing wont die now it must be one of the good ones.

 

Took the battery out this weekend and checked voltage...it was at 11.2v. I know that with normal batteries you should fully recharge them before load testing them in order to get an accurate result, but with the Optima, knowing how hard they are to recharge, we decided to just reduce the load and check to see if it could take it. At 11.2v we tested it at 200amps (it's a 1000 CA battery) and it dropped below 8v. It's toast.... time for a new battery.

 

up here Interstate used to manufacture wallys batterys at the johnson control plant in the west burbs of Chicago they basically all were the same except the cases . never had a problem with a wally world battery that was caused by it ( some dumbass left his interior lights on for a week ) , and they move quick so they are always fresh too . I get about 7 years to a Wallmart batt . heard about optimas and there problems and whats weird is there a Johnson control product also .

 

It is sad. The two giant ones in my rockcrawler are over 11-years-old. Still working just fine.

Almost every single one I have installed, since production left the USA, failed.

 

Those fancy "Redtop" batteries are a rrrrip! Been there done that. I stick with the tried and true low maintenance standard type in my old cars. Had a real good run out of a Delco Maintenance-free (magic eye) one - 9 years before it just up and died one day. What's better than that?

 

My Optima is nearly seven years old and still going strong cranking over the big-block.

And it can sometimes go three months without getting used.

 

My Optima is nearly seven years old and still going strong cranking over the big-block.

And it can sometimes go three months without getting used - but I have a kill-switch so the battery is only connected whe the F100 is being used.'.

So when did the (alleged) quality of Optima batteries change for the worse?

 

X3 on that one. Wal Fart's 3 year battery lasts 2 and Ya can get a brand new one 24 hours a day 7 days a week. So pay once and you get a fresh one when needed.