I used them for years with good luck. In the last 3 or 4 years they have become junk. They don't last, cost twice as much and have half the warranty as a normal battery. If you like them fine. Good luck.
Optima DOES NOT STAND BEHIND THEIR CRAPPY BATTERIES!! Purchased a red top in May 2009.I used it in my 31 Ford which has no power options it has a keyed battery disconnect and the battery is kept on a float charger.The car never seen extreme conditions.The battery lasted about 2 1/2 years maybe less because it did not start in january when I had to get it ready for WoW.Testing proved it needed to be replaced.Advanced auto replaced it free of charge.New battery installed went to start it completely dead.Optima will not stand behind it.This "new" battery saw about 10 miles of use and is only 6 months old.They would not cover it because it is past the 3 year warranty period by 1 month even though the replacement battery is 6 months old.This is great customer service.I will never buy an optima again and I'm going to discourage everybody I know not to buy one.
Hello, I apologize for my slow response. Even though I'm subscribed to this thread, I never received e-mails when you guys posted. Anyway, adamsrotors, I'm not allowed to recommend specific brands of chargers besides our own, but we generally encourage folks to find units that are microprocessor-controlled and have specific settings for AGM batteries. Gel or even gel/agm settings should be avoided, because they may not fully-charge non-gel batteries and could damage them over time. I know a lot of the electrathon folks prefer our RedTops for their power to weight, but we do not recommend using starting batteries in deep-cycle applications. c-10 simplex, the white, non-spillable label on the side of the battery has a ten-digit code. The first four digits indicate the exact day the battery was produced. For example, batteries manufactured today will start with 2211, indicating the year 2012 and the 211th day. H.R.charlie, our warranty is from the original date of purchase and does not reset with each warranty exchange. If you still have your battery, send me a PM with your contact information. Jim McIlvaine eCare Manager, OPTIMA Batteries, Inc. www.twitter.com/optimabatteries
Hey Jim, good to have you get involved with us on these threads. My pair of red top 6V Optima batteries crapped out this morning. I bout them Aug of 2009, inside the cab and everything is in good working order. Tried charging them with the appropriate charger to no avail. Pulled them and took them to a branch of the store I bought them from and after testing said one was probably fine but the other was shorted internally. The manufacturer date on both was 05/09 and the nice counterman at Batteries+ said they were under warranty from the date of purchase for three years! Well, they died within 3 days of 3 years since purchase. I'm bummed and stoked, bummed because I was late for work and lost time on my customers jobs. Stoked because they got replaced for free! Congrats to the engineering team for their work on planned obsolescence. Really close to the wire
I am with you a 100%. I have been to a few classes on battery charging. I said from the begining that Electric cars are not what you think they are. That battery is the Engine, and when you go replace it, it is very, very pricey. My money is on American made products. I got Seven years out of one from K-Mart in my '39 Chevy. It had a Nascar Logo on it, and I am a Nascar Fan. I have owned my '39 Chevy. for 34 years, and have always start up about once a month during winter. I owned a few Service Stations, when we gave Service. Now that the government has got rid of all of independand Service Stations, you have what you got now. I have installed acid in dry batterys during the Seventies, and those batter was the way to go. You know you haven't bought one that sat on shelf for a year or so. A maitenance Free Battery could have sat for over a year before buying. Then when you buy it, they put day when you bought it at that time. So it last 2 or 3 years, they make Warranty good, and it has gone up in price. So you have to spend the price of a new one.
Hey! That's an electrical joke! Hahahahahaha! In all seriousness, I've had the same red top in my OT DD for 7 1/2 years with no issues - still starts on the third crank, except when the still air temp gets down below zero. Then it takes five cranks to fire off the engine. On the other extreme, still air temps get up to just kissing 120, and I've had no problems. As always, your mileage may vary.
Hey! That's an electrical joke! Hahahahahaha! In all seriousness, I've had the same red top in my OT DD for 7 1/2 years with no issues - still starts on the third crank, except when the still air temp gets down below zero. Then it takes five cranks to fire off the engine. On the other extreme, still air temps get up to just kissing 120, and I've had no problems. As always, your mileage may vary.
Bought my first one last Summer. Abused it since then. Fine so far. Everything made has good and bad stories. I still have the original battery in my 2005 Dakota, figure that. I have done nothing to help it along.
My moms Packard had two 6V wired in parallel when we got it from her dad in 2006. one failed and the other is now in my stock model T and only really runs the lights as my started doesn't work. to my knowledge they were never replaced and had been in the car for a while prior to us getting it, but I will double check when I get home.
I have had mine since 2003 in my OT Ford. I keep it on a battery tender when the car is stored. I've never had a problem. Now I read these threads and it seems all over the board how long they last. I have friends with newer ones that have died. So I guess my question is where are the new ones actually made???? If China, I won't buy another one. If Mexico...maybe.... if quality is assured.
I guess I have been one of the lucky ones. My Red Top has been mounted on it's side for over 12 years and has never let me down. I have never had to charge it. I do have a battery disconnect on the car but not a battery tender. Sometimes it will sit for weeks at a time and always cranks over. I'll keep my fingers crossed. I thought about getting another on to replace it, but now I want to see how far I can go with it.
I have a red top Optima in my OT Jeep that has been in there for 12 years now. Still starts like a champ. I have had one in my avatar for over two years and it is fine. I have also never used a battery tender or any type of battery charger on either. I bought these Optima's at the local Costco but I noticed the other day they had none on the shelf. I don't know if they have discontinued them or what but they had a very good price on them.
Well! I have 12 cars up @ Solo Speed Shop! 6200 ft Snow But not cold like back east somewhere around 20 - 30 degrees! No tenders I have all optima red tops & yes older ones lasted longer! My best work horse is my tractor! I'm right now 5 years & still going strong! I just had one go bad & checked it 2002 on 34 PU so not bad there! Bought a new one for 69 camaro didnt use it for a year as finishing car took a while it went bad in 2 years! All in all I'm happy & have 12 of them! Tks Bill
Another year and this thread has surfaced again. A cold Cincinnati winter has passed and the red top Optima performed all winter without a battery tender or trickle charger, just a master disconnect switch. I did have the Powergen rebuilt last summer (2012). To be fair, I have an 8 year old 6V flooded battery that is kept disconnected on a battery tender. It too functioned all winter, but it requires constant maintenance (cleaning and electrolyte levels, charging, etc.) while the Optima is zero maintenance.
Ive had a small no name 12 volt lead acid batery in my rider lawn mower for almost 15 years, it sits in a shed all winter long, never charge it dont take care of it, neglect the shit out of it every chance I get, it was the cheap OEM battery Husky put in the POS mower when I bought it..still going to this day, I would almost guess it will out last the lawn mower top that! did i forget to say it was a CHEAP battery? 'cause you all know those fancy non traditional batteries you all are talking about aint cheap. and sure aint worth it, not to mention they look like shit in a hot rod or custom
agm batteries require special charging systems. they don't take kindly to your 100+ amp alternator when your doin 80 mph down the highway for hours on end. probably better designed for rock crawling and drag boats. a good ol die hard is hard to beat these days. imho
6 Months since my last post An off the shelf reman alternator charges my red top just fine. Fact of fiction I will say when I had a problem on the side of the road Oct 19th I never doubted I had the reserve cranking power while I swapped parts and recranked that 302 over and over and over. Drove it home.
I had one (used) for three years then sold the car. The battery was in my race car for two years prior.
I've used Optima batteries in three different cars over the past 14 years with no problems whatsoever. I replaced the first one (in a race car) after 7 years, not because it wasn't cranking well, but because the car was going overseas and I didn't want to risk any problems. I still use that battery in the shop! Optima makes excellent batteries IMHO.
Ive had the same yellow top for 5 years with no issues. I killed it a couple of times and used another battery to bring it back. i also have 4 other red tops that are currently in 3 other vehicles. I swear by them
I've got a yellow top in my street rod. The battery is nearly 10 years old, and is still going strong. It has never been completely discharged, if that accounts for anything.
If an alternator if functioning properly, it won't deliver more current than the vehicle and/or battery needs. I can't speak for other AGM brands or manufacturers, but our batteries do not require special charging systems and I'm not aware of any that do. In fact, the start/stop technology that is commonplace in Europe is making it's way stateside. When it arrives, AGM batteries will be OE on just about all of those vehicles and they already are here in many cars with high electrical demands. Jim McIlvaine eCare Manager, OPTIMA Batteries, Inc. www.pinterest.com/optimabatteries
all agm batteries require special charging procedures. I know first hand what happens when an agm battery is charged on a high current. it will ruin it. just a characteristic of the battery. those new cars your speaking of have computer controlled charging systems that are designed for the agm battery besides there is nothing "traditional" about an optima battery anyways
If someone charges any battery, AGM or flooded, at too high of a current and/or for too long a period of time, the battery can be ruined. Are you suggesting that an older vehicle with a 100-amp alternator delivers a constant 100 amps into a battery whenever the engine is running? Jim McIlvaine eCare Manager, OPTIMA Batteries, Inc. www.pinterest.com/optimabatteries
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