What is the life of a Optima battery 12 volt.Had mine in for almost 7 yrs and with a battery tender it has finally giving up ship.
Yep, if you get more than 3-4 years you did good with any battery, especially in warmer climates. But you never know, battery life if a weird thing. I just replaced the battery in my 27 because I was redoing a lot of stuff on the car, but the battery was still starting it ok. When I looked at the date tag, it was 9 years old, and I don't even use a battery tender ! At work we sell batteries, and most of the ones coming in for trade in are in that 3-4 year range though. Don
I've had real good luck with Interstate Batteries in recent years. Now have them in 6 vehicles, one of which is in an OT '96 T-Bird that is 12 yrs. old! I honestly can't believe it's still good. Others have been good on a 6-8 yr. average.
I been using the cheapest battery walmart had 7 years ago. I keep battery in my warm garage in winter charge it a couple times over the winter.
After 3 optima batteries I gave up and went back to regular batteries. Did a lot of reading before switching back, read thru this tech if interested. https://summitracing.custhelp.com/a...d/4180/~/how-to-resuscitate-an-optima-battery
Wouldn't use anything else except an optima...no leaks, no fumes...only had one go down prematurely and got warranty. Only thing is it was a run@ dealing with the box store people....will only buy from automotive next time. I wish they would do a black case optima just so it looks a bit better under the hood.
I thought I'd get an OPTIMA when I built my '32, but I needed one right away, so I bought a cheap #75-5N EVERSTART from Wal-Mart to get by. It's still going 9 yrs. later. Drive it every day. Oh well...
i have an Optima D34 yellow top in a daily driver going on 4 and 1/2 years no problems, works great. i found this message written by someone else on another forum while searching for when i installed mine: QUOTE: i have worked in a lot of shops and replaced A LOT !!! of batteries !!! I have found that optima batteries work fine in a daily driver that has no electrical problems. in fact ... i have found that they last pretty long here in the desert compared to all other batteries(in that situation). Now ... i have also found that if they get drawn down to being dead (even the yellow top deep cycle), they never fully recover even when trickle charged ! I have found that interstate batteries will recover 100% from being drawn down with a good trickle charge. So ... if you have a hot rod that sits and/or has some electrical problems, id recomend an interstate that can recover with a trickle charge, but if you have a daily driver that is a good runner with no electrical problems an optima is worth the 150. the desert heat eats batteries here in vegas, so i always recomend to check the watter level in your battery regularly ! especially if the battery is still under the hood ! i have even seen mersedes and bently and lambo batterys in the trunk, away from the hot engine, have low watter with in a month ! i would never buy a sealed battery in the desert ! unless it had a good warranty and you are willing to mess with it ! ... just my 2 cents END QUOTE. BTW, my optima wasn't $150, it was $224
I guess if you're building a high tech car, the Optima battery looks the part, and lets you spend all that extra cash that's burning a hole in your pocket. From what I read in the magazines, that's what this hobby is all about. But I continue to buy the cheap batteries at walmart, and replace them every 5 years. Keeping 8 or 10 cars on the road like I do, it makes economic sense. If you replace them before they die, you never have to deal with a dead battery...or with overworking the alternator in a late model car....
Had a red top Optima in the coupe for 8 years, car sits all winter in the shop. Shop is cold in winter, unless I am in there working. Never had a charger on it. I hope my new one lasts as long, it is now 2 years old. Two batterys in 10 years seems ok to me.
cheapo walmart battery in my 64 olds, even i cant believe its going on 15 years!!!! over the last 3-4 yrs the car was only getting driven for about 1 week then put away again. No trickle charger, but it would need a boost from the chrger just to get it fired for the first start. After that first start, it would be fine untill it was stored again. Im sure this will probably jinx me now for next yr! jeff
have used quality batteries from NAPA - now one in for 13 years - but, do use a master kill switch when ride will not be used for a while which some times turns into months.
My opinion on batteries is buy the cheapest one you can find. In the long run you will come out ahead.
Ten years for a conventional battery on a good battery tender is pretty good and I am speaking from experience here. Seven years for an Optima would be a little disappointing given they cost more then a conventional battery.
I don't use trickle chargers or maintainer's on my cars or trucks as a general rule. I do use maintainers on my lawn tractor and motorcycle though. Had a Optima last over ten years in a car that is stored mostly all winter. Also had an original equipment Delco last over ten years in my daily driver O/T Chevy truck. I like the Optima for the old cars for the reasons stated above. I replaced the Delco with another Delco in the truck figured I got ten years outta the first one might as well and try to get ten outta the second one. Yeah I keep my cars and trucks a long time. I E CHEAP! Joe
I actually started buying all my batteries at walmart a few years ago. There's a walmart in most towns if I have an issue and need to swap for prorate. I travel quite a bit. Haven't had an issue. I swapped out the factory delco batteries at 8 years going into winter, just to avoid an issue.
The first couple of Optima batteries I had didn't last, but were warrantied. The last Optima I bought was in 2003, and replaced it last year, 2014. I used a battery tender to keep it fully charged. I have no problems with Optima batterie.
<<<<<<I just replaced the 15 year old Optima in the '40 with an Interstate. The Optima was still working, I just didn't feel like it could last much longer. Maybe I could have pushed my luck just to see how much life it had but, I felt at 15 yrs. it didn't owe me anything. I kept it on a Battery Tender it's whole life.
Tried to crank it yesterday and voltage went to about 8 and didn't last enough to run but had 12.6 before and charger says a green to go after about 10 minutes.Will put in another car and try it but hate to go off and have to jump start anything.Thanks
working on 16 years with my Optima in the ICT 36Ford with blown Flathead, I think I got a good one....
Got a dead cell ordered a yellow top from the Battery Man from Marietta today and will get it tomorrow.Usually get it a the Molultie swap meet but can't wait that long and never no what the weather will be in late Jan or 1st week in Feb
Copied this Optima battery information from the Optima web site. I learned a little about the Optima battery myself reading this. I may start using a maintainer on my batteries now. Hope it helps. Joe www.optimabatteries.com The days are getting shorter. The temperature dips lower with each p***ing week. It's the season that no enthusiast wants to think about. It's time for one last drive before you throw the cover over the paint for winter storage. When storing your vehicle for the season, something that may get overlooked is the battery. As an enthusiast, you already know that you have to maintain the battery while you're enjoying your ride, but proper battery storage during the off-season is just as important. Here are some battery storage tips that will ensure your battery is in good working order when it's time to pull the cover off. Things to Consider Before Storing a Battery All batteries gradually lose their charge when stored over long periods of time. However, AGM batteries, including high-performance OPTIMA® batteries, lose their charge much more slowly. This helps to prevent the battery from becoming deeply discharged during storage, but it won't completely protect it from damage. Even when your vehicle is turned off, there still may be a drain on the battery. This is especially true of newer vehicles equipped with computers, alarm systems and clocks that continue to run even when the vehicle is off. Over time, these will drain a battery to voltages too low to start the vehicle. It could even continue to drain to the point of damaging the battery. You can considerably extend the life of the battery and avoid permanent damage by following these simple storage tips. In-Car Battery Storage You could take the battery out of your vehicle during storage, but sometimes access can be a challenge. So, it may be easier to leave it in. That's OK, but you'll need to disconnect it to prevent drain caused by electronics. First, check the voltage to ensure the battery has a full charge. If it's not fully charged, give it a full charge prior to storage. Then, loosen the negative terminal and disconnect it from the battery. All electrical draws on the battery will cease and your battery will be protected. In spring, the battery will have drained some but should still have enough power to start your vehicle. Don't leave it up to the alternator to fully recharge the battery, though; that's not what it's for. Instead, use a battery charger to top it off. You'll extend the life of the battery by doing this. Battery Maintainer You may want to consider using a battery maintainer to keep the battery at full power during storage. This is the method that OPTIMA batteries recommends. After your vehicle is stored, just hook up the battery maintainer – with the battery either in or out of the vehicle – plug it in and walk away. This will ensure a full charge when you're ready for your first drive in spring. (Always remember to follow manufacturer instructions.) Some battery maintainers, like the OPTIMA® Chargers Digital 1200 12V Performance Battery Charger and Maintainer, also include ring terminal leads. These will give you easier access to maintain the battery both during storage and during the driving season. Hook up the leads to the battery connections and extend them so they're accessible from under a bumper or wheel well. The leads can remain there indefinitely, so you'll never have to open the hood to keep the battery fully charged. You'll extend the life of your battery and ensure your vehicle is ready to roll in spring with these simple battery storage tips. Just remember – check the battery's charge before your first drive no matter what storage method you use.
My buddy owns a shop and he says he'll get me any battery I want at his cost, which is around $55 and a great warranty. I agree with taking the best deal you can get, cheapest battery for the best price has always worked for me.
........................I kept it on an actual Battery Tender Plus brand by Deltran all of those years. I have a Die Hard one that I got @ Sears that I use on another car. They are usually $29.95 but they often put them on sale for $25.95. I got lucky and got this one (the Die Hard) for $19.99 once when they were on sale. I should have bought a couple more at the time 'cause they rarely put them on sale that cheap.
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