Optima - Anyone running an optima Battery?

i am sure you will get your answer soon!!! i think a few members run this battery!!! i am interested to know the answer as well, seeing as i will change out to this as well when the time comes!!!

 

i get around 3 years tops!!!!!

 

This is a review I found interesting but I've never heard anything negative about them myself. From a member at LXF:

I have to say that every Optima Red Top that I have ever had has failed (5+ I have lost count). They have been in my Truck, SandRail, Mustang, and Stratus so I'm sure it wasn't just the car killing them. They say they are durable but in every case they just stopped holding a full charge as if one of the cells died dropping it to 10 volts. The even bigger problem I found is that there are very few places that will honor the replacement of the battery unless you purchased it from them. When they were willing to honor the replacement they first had to keep the battery over night for a charge test since it was only showing 10volts to make sure I wasn't lying to them OR they said they would have to send it back to the factory for testing. In both cases I had to get my own replacement battery for these "testing" periods which sometimes lasted a week or longer. And I experianced this replacement policy at multipule authorized dealers (NAPA when they used to carry the Optima line, Batteries Plus, Etc...) I have never experienced this kind of replacement policy with any other battery. Usually a simple test of the battery with a tester would be done and if it fails they replace it (Autozone, PepBoys, NAPA, Etc...). If the battery is completely dead they would try to charge it for a few hours and test again but never for over night or force me to wait while they send it back to the factory. A few of my friends have experienced the same type of failures and replacement headaches.

For this reason NAPA stopped carrying Optimas and are now carrying their own "Orbital" line which is a sealed gel cell as well. And I have to say I have only had one failure in the Orbital line and it was replaced without incident. The failure of the Orbital was that it started to fail under load. It would take a charge and hold a full at voltage but didn't have enough cranking amps to turn over the engine (Old Mustang V8). Seems it was a bad production run and was replaced without the need for a receipt or anything. This is the kind of replacement I expect from a battery that costs so much.

Since I had such a problem with the Optima Red Top line and found it so very difficult to get it exchanged, I will never buy another Optima again. After all they are pretty $$$. And at a price like that they should be able to exchange a failed battery at every Optima Point of Sale without having the keep it over night or send it back to the factory.

OK, I'm sorry about the rant. I will get off my soap box now. It is possable the other lines (Yellow Top and Blue Top) are better but I honestly have never tried them due to my experiances with the reds.
Last edited by Tabasco : 06-09-2006 at 09:31 AM.

 

I am running a yellow top in my car for the stereo addition of the extra amp and four tens. I've used them in most of my cars when I would do a custom stereo especially if I was going into SPL competition. I've nevr had a problem with any of them and they usually last at least two to three years of heavy use. I use them a lot when I would demo the systems for long periods of time. I use them because they can take a draining and recharge fully many times over.

 

optimas are terrible and ther warranty sucks

 

Really? I always thought the Optimas were the absolute nuts. How come and what should I look for that's comparable? I thought my factory battery was close to gone a few months ago so I was looking for a yellow top. From what I could tell Optima doesn't make a battery with specs equal to or better than what we need that will fit in the Magnum. It's either too wide or too tall. What's the recommendation?

 

I guess I should clarify my experience with the optima. If you are useing the optima in a daily driver, then the battery works ok. If you are useing the battery in a vehicle that you drive once a month then that's when the battery runs into problems. Within that month the Optima has dropped 1 volt that you cannot get back while driveing. Let it sit for another month and it has dropped another volt that you cannot get back, and so one until the battery fails. If you try to charge it with a normal charger it will not charge because the plates are to dense. In order for you to charge the optima you need to take another fully charged battery and put it in parellel with the optima. Then take a charger and put it on the donor battery and the optima will then start to take a charge. To much of a pain in the ass to maintain and expensive for what it is.

 

Back in the 90's I had two Red tops in my truck. One for engine cranking and the other to run my stereo 1200 watts of pure headbanging hell. lol

Mind you, this is when Optima first introduced their gel cell technology. Not once did I have any issues. The batteries lasted 4 +years for me. And not once did I have to recharge. One of those years my truck was in storage while I was in S Korea. When I got home, first time cranking...

 

maybe mine were made on Friday or monday. Either way I wont buy another Optima if someone gave it to me.

 

I run Optima red-tops in both the Vette and my girl's Talon. They have never failed me! The Corvette can sit for several weeks and it will fire right up, EVERY TIME! :rock:

 

In any event I don't think they make one that will fit in a Magnum without modifications to the battery holder. I suppose you could do something with the strap and lay it on it's side....

What are the alternatives to Optima? I'd kind of like a sealed, deep cycle, glass packed gel cell.

 

i buy em for my stereos. havent had one fail on me in all 5 cars ive had previously had them in.

if it dies, just return it to costco and get a new one.

 

Yellow top, and it won't hold a charge.

 

So... if they GAVE it to you.... why would you buy it? Lol!