Optima Batteries - safe to buy yet?

I bought a Red Top for my Cadillac 3 years ago, and it shorted itself out within a year. The replacement battery lost its charge when the car was storage for winter and wouldn't recharge. The 3rd one has been working fine and held up over the winter well enough to start the car but it was obviously low. Based on that I would say they are doing better but I'm no longer a fan of the company and will probably buy my next battery something else.

One other thing to keep in mind is that after the problems started some of the retailers switched from 36-mo exchange warranty to a 12-mo exchange and 36-mo prorated warranty. So you should ask about that.

What's funny is that I replaced the original battery in my beater with the cheapest Duralast battery that Autozone had on the shelf as a short-term unit and it's held up way better than the expensive Red Top.
 
lol there is a company around here that referbs the optima. i got a referb redtop for 70 bucks lol
 
xcm said:
yeah, mine is about 3-4 years old, and the 3 others i mentioned earlier were all bought between then and now. so, yeah, i can absolutely say that, x4.

before i bought mine, i read about the 'problems' and bought one anyways. i think they moved production to mexico about 5 years or so ago?

i really think people hate on optima's the same way people hate on ipod's. they want to be differant than the perceived 'herd', whatever. ipod's are great.

its only a battery, buy whichever one you like the best.

im not saying the optima is the best battery ever, and will give you 10hp. all im saying is, what winkosmosis said about it being a ticking time bomb, is straight up bullshit. any battery can, and every battery WILL eventually fail... your saying optima's fail prematurely, or randomly?? or what?, ive yet to hear a why, how, or even a who, of anyone who's had a failure. get over it. haters be hatin.
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Yep, its only a battery, not a very vital part of the Jeep. :doh:

Did you really say that?




I know the first part of this thread is rather old, but towards the end, there is some good tech, and an person who works for Optima did step in and explain some things. Also gave some ideas how how to charge a dead Optima.
http://pirate4x4.com/forum/showthread.php?t=7045&highlight=optima+battery
 
HaleYes said:
Interesting.......I'd like to see what he had to say. I've been running a Red Top for several years with no problems. I even totally drained it (my fault) and it bounced right back after a "low and slow" charge.

I'll look those threads up sometime.
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x2, I ran a Red Top for about 5 years....completely drained it by accident....trickle charged and it never gave me a problem after that...as far as I know, the Jeep is still running somewhere in KY with the same Red Top in it :D
 
Hello, I noticed your conversation regarding our batteries and wanted to offer some assistance. First and foremost, there has not been a decline in the quality of Optima batteries and no one from this company indicated otherwise. I don’t know who the PR guy Darky is referring to and the person winkosmosis is referring to is not an employee of Optima Batteries, nor has he ever been employed by Optima Batteries. Many of the “bad” batteries returned to us today are just deeply-discharged and work fine, when properly recharged. Most battery chargers will not recognize or charge any battery that has been discharged below 10.5 volts and most flooded batteries discharged to that extent cannot be recovered. Optima batteries are more resilient to deep-discharges, than standard flooded batteries and can be recovered from a deep-discharge, using the technique described in this video- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dIoaL3DWWEg

Under normal conditions, Optimas can be treated like a regular lead-acid battery, but it is important to remember that Optima batteries are AGM batteries, not gel batteries. Charger settings for “gel” or “gel/AGM” should not be used on Optima batteries. This video explains some basics on battery charging- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7dNwNFZnLbc

All new RedTops and YellowTops come with three-year factory replacement warranties. You can read all of our warranty information here- http://www.optimabatteries.com/optima_products/warranty/ All authorized Optima retailers are supposed to ship all returned batteries back to us for tear-down and analysis, but not all of our batteries are returned or exchanged at authorized Optima retailers. We routinely come across people selling used Optima batteries, as mentioned by BenDiesel. We do not approve of these sales and do not warranty these batteries, but once they are in the hands of consumers and non-authorized sellers, there is little we can do about it, other than to make sure they are not mis-represented as having any factory warranty coverage.

This is a pretty good deal for the retailer who took in the returned Optima, as he may get to sell someone a brand-new battery at full price and may even charge the customer for taking the Optima off their hands, only to turn around and re-sell it to someone else.

The key to long battery life is to make sure your battery voltage does not drop below 12.4 volts. If you know your vehicle is going to sit for an extended period of time, a battery tender or maintainer is a great investment, which will help extend the life of your battery, regardless of brand. If that’s not possible, it’s a good idea to at least fully-charge and dis-connect the battery prior to storing it, checking it periodically to make sure the voltage is maintained.

I know a lot of you use winches, so I should also mention that we strongly recommend YellowTops for vehicles with winches and other deep-cycle applications. If you have any other questions, I’ll do my best to answer them.

Jim McIlvaine
eCare Manager, OPTIMA Batteries, Inc.
www.facebook.com/optimabatteries
 
OptimaJim said:
Hello, I noticed your conversation regarding our batteries and wanted to offer some assistance. First and foremost, there has not been a decline in the quality of Optima batteries and no one from this company indicated otherwise. I don’t know who the PR guy Darky is referring to and the person winkosmosis is referring to is not an employee of Optima Batteries, nor has he ever been employed by Optima Batteries. Many of the “bad” batteries returned to us today are just deeply-discharged and work fine, when properly recharged. Most battery chargers will not recognize or charge any battery that has been discharged below 10.5 volts and most flooded batteries discharged to that extent cannot be recovered. Optima batteries are more resilient to deep-discharges, than standard flooded batteries and can be recovered from a deep-discharge, using the technique described in this video- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dIoaL3DWWEg

Under normal conditions, Optimas can be treated like a regular lead-acid battery, but it is important to remember that Optima batteries are AGM batteries, not gel batteries. Charger settings for “gel” or “gel/AGM” should not be used on Optima batteries. This video explains some basics on battery charging- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7dNwNFZnLbc

All new RedTops and YellowTops come with three-year factory replacement warranties. You can read all of our warranty information here- http://www.optimabatteries.com/optima_products/warranty/ All authorized Optima retailers are supposed to ship all returned batteries back to us for tear-down and analysis, but not all of our batteries are returned or exchanged at authorized Optima retailers. We routinely come across people selling used Optima batteries, as mentioned by BenDiesel. We do not approve of these sales and do not warranty these batteries, but once they are in the hands of consumers and non-authorized sellers, there is little we can do about it, other than to make sure they are not mis-represented as having any factory warranty coverage.

This is a pretty good deal for the retailer who took in the returned Optima, as he may get to sell someone a brand-new battery at full price and may even charge the customer for taking the Optima off their hands, only to turn around and re-sell it to someone else.

The key to long battery life is to make sure your battery voltage does not drop below 12.4 volts. If you know your vehicle is going to sit for an extended period of time, a battery tender or maintainer is a great investment, which will help extend the life of your battery, regardless of brand. If that’s not possible, it’s a good idea to at least fully-charge and dis-connect the battery prior to storing it, checking it periodically to make sure the voltage is maintained.

I know a lot of you use winches, so I should also mention that we strongly recommend YellowTops for vehicles with winches and other deep-cycle applications. If you have any other questions, I’ll do my best to answer them.

Jim McIlvaine
eCare Manager, OPTIMA Batteries, Inc.
www.facebook.com/optimabatteries
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Actually, you were the one to whom I was referring. Apparently I misquoted/misrepresented you. My apologies. I was mainly trying to point out that there has been an Optima rep coming on every once in a while to explain what might be happening. :)
 
I first bought an optima back in 06. I got a yellow top battery. It became useless at 2 years and 1 month, a month after its warranty expired, although it had been having issues before that. It would not hold a charge at all. It could be fully charged to capacity, and as soon as the charger is removed, it would lose about .01v/second until it was completely discharged. In fact, it kept dropping a charge so quickly, it kept tripping the thermal overload on the charger. I bought a red top with a 3 year warranty to replace it, and am having much better luck with it, but I dont think I will be going back to Optimas anymore. I just dont trust them anymore, and will not use them for sure on vehicles that may be out for longer periods, at least not an automatic.

I did not realize that they moved production to Mexico. Last I had heard, there was either a factory or a large warehouse near me in Denver. I remember hearing about a big fire a few years ago and that was the last I heard about Optima locally.
 
Are any batteries still made in the US?

Screw NAFTA.

All jobs for the American working class, private or public, are under attack because "we no longer live in a country, we live in an economy"-from Patrick Bucanon's Death of the West. A family wage is not good for business.
 
Boatwrench said:
Are any batteries still made in the US?

Screw NAFTA.

All jobs for the American working class, private or public, are under attack because "we no longer live in a country, we live in an economy"-from Patrick Bucanon's Death of the West. A family wage is not good for business.
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From Odyssey's website:


ODYSSEY batteries are manufactured to strict quality standards in two facilities globally: Warrensburg, Missouri USA and Newport, Wales United Kingdom.
 
Thanks. I contacted Odyssey via e-mail with the basic inquiry of what is the 'yellow top' equvialent? A response came back within 15 minutes recommending the Odyssey PC 1500.

PC1500 for just over $300 including tax & shipping. So about $100 more.

Is $100 worth it to me to keep Jobs in the US? Next time you see me with my trail jeep (and you remeber) ask me to pop the hood for a look.
 
Boatwrench said:
Thanks. I contacted Odyssey via e-mail with the basic inquiry of what is the 'yellow top' equvialent? A response came back within 15 minutes recommending the Odyssey PC 1500.

PC1500 for just over $300 including tax & shipping. So about $100 more.

Is $100 worth it to me to keep Jobs in the US? Next time you see me with my trail jeep (and you remeber) ask me to pop the hood for a look.
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http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_12605_02850134000P

Ask them for the Diehard Platinum equivelant.. since they are also an Odyssey. I dont know what Odyssey's exchange policy is if you did have an issue..
 
ehall, thanks for pointing out that Autozone site, we’ve contacted them and the correct information will be listed shortly. Until then, if you have any questions or concerns about our warranty, feel free to ask me or you can review the warranty information on our site- http://www.optimabatteries.com/optima_products/warranty/

Don’t worry about the misunderstanding Darky, I understand these things happen on the Internet all the time and that’s part of the reason I’m out here. When people mis-interpret or mis-quote me, I feel like I didn’t do a good enough job explaining information about Optima batteries. I hope to avoid that as much as possible, but I understand it can happen.

With that in mind, I want to make sure everyone understands that when a battery is returned, no matter how perfect the condition may be, it cannot be re-sold as new. Authorized Optima retailers are not permitted to turn around and sell a returned battery, unless they clearly mark the battery as used, in which case the warranty is voided.

When I mentioned people reselling used Optimas, I was referring to the listings that you often see by individuals on eBay, Craigslist, and some message boards, not our authorized retailers. As NickDanger mentioned, lots of people don’t know how to properly charge a deeply-discharged AGM battery, so individuals that do know how often buy, recharge and then resell the “dead” battery.

I often read comments (including some in this thread) from folks who suspected their batteries might not be working properly. If you think this is the case, I would encourage you to take your Optima to an authorized Optima retailer or battery professional. They are professionals, who deal with our batteries every day and can provide charge and check procedures on your battery. Many will even offer this service for free. If there is a defect in an Optima battery, it is likely to manifest itself well within our three-year warranty period and these trained professionals can assist you in making sure your battery is performing as it should. If you have any other questions, please don’t hesitate to ask.

Jim McIlvaine
eCare Manager, OPTIMA Batteries, Inc.
www.facebook.com/optimabatteries
 
I bought my optima yellow top in 03 It worked great until 08 (my dad put a charger on it and the top popped off. I don't know the details I wasn't around.). During its operational time it sat for up to a year at a time while I was overseas and cranked when I got home. I have one on my 99 PSD which I've owned for a year and it has no problems. I don't know the batteries age though.
 
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NickDanger_XJ said:
I work with Interstate Batteries, and we are a big Optima dealer since Johnson Controls owns Optima.

I have a redtop manufactured in December '08 in my Chevelle that has worked perfect. I bought it brand new.

My Xj has an '08 red top as well, but I didn't buy it new. I picked it up somewhere as a supposed core, charged it, took it for myself and it's worked perfectly.


As far as dating a battery, find the date code on it. Theres a few variations. Should either be stamped into the top and can be faint and sometimes kind of hard to find. Usually in the corner area though. If it says some like 8LAF, then it was manufactured December of '08. You just need to pay attention to the first two, a number and letter. The number indicates year, and the letter coresponds with the month. L is the 12th letter of alphabet, therefore L indicates December

The other kind that Optima used to use is a Julian date code, and it's stamped into the side. If you looks on the side of the battery and it says 7145, that means it was manufactures on the 145th day of 2007.

I don't know when the plant changes occured and all that, but it seems like a lot of the Optima's I warranty are from around '07 - '08ish. However, you also have to remember a lot of customers who buy them don't know how to charge them. AGM batteries require a different method of charging then a regular lead acid. But, if a customer doesn't know that and it doesn't work out for them, they bring it back claiming 3 yr free replacement. Store obviously obliges to customer which is where we come in because we gotta take care of our customer.

Last couple of side notes: Date codes like 7145 or L7 Could also indicate a year of 1997, so use judgement, if the battery looks ancient, then it's probably older then 2007. Also, the letter/number date code works for all your batteries, it's a universal type thing.


Hopefully that wall o' text was helpful to somebody :-)
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Another Interstate employee here, you work for an IOT?

I have seen a huge drop in the number of warranties over the last year or so. And like was said above most people don't charge them properly. In fact, it seems not many people charge any batteries properly. An honest 90% of our warranties we have to turn around and sell as used because they were not charged and tested properly at the point of warranty(mechanic shop, parts store, etc). This does make for some good deals on Optimas sometimes though.

I have had a red top in my jeep XJ now for three years with no trouble. My Barracuda will be running soon and it will get a yellow top.
 
ok, so what is the proper way to charge an optima? (dont have one so i dont have a clue).
 
BlueCuda said:
Another Interstate employee here, you work for an IOT?

I have seen a huge drop in the number of warranties over the last year or so. And like was said above most people don't charge them properly. In fact, it seems not many people charge any batteries properly. An honest 90% of our warranties we have to turn around and sell as used because they were not charged and tested properly at the point of warranty(mechanic shop, parts store, etc). This does make for some good deals on Optimas sometimes though.

I have had a red top in my jeep XJ now for three years with no trouble. My Barracuda will be running soon and it will get a yellow top.
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Nope, I'm a route driver for an independent.
 
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