Which Battery? Size/Model Optima?

[ABADZL1]

I will never use an optima. Looked into it for my Duramax. I read some threads on some of the diesel boards where they burnt several trucks including a garage/house to the ground. Greg, my buddy with the grand national had one and it shorted out in 6mo. He will never buy one again either.

[myold88]

Originally Posted by Rohdeo16

I did a lot of searching before I created this thread. It seems a few guys have gone to Braille batteries and a few here or there have gone with a duralast or sears battery. Haven't seen many replacements though. I can tell my battery isn't holding charge well all the time, so that's why I'm looking now.

Thanks. I'll check with my Chevy dealer's parts dept. I know they are always more expensive than aftermarket
parts but they can probably get the European H7 DinSize OEM battery mentioned on a prior post.

[myold88]

Ok, Replaced my '10 SS battery today. After much research I went with an
Interstate Mega-Tron-Plus MTP94RH7. Perfect fit/vented battery. My cost was
$185.99 + tax.
My Camaro is over 5 years old with over 35,000 miles so I consider this a preventive
measure. Driving to FL for the winter in December so I don't want any battery
problems there or on the way.

[jshaf]

Guess today was the day my battery died, was hoping to make it to next year but that didn't happen, started getting all kinds of crazy messages on the DIC and the dreaded Battery Saver mode one. got a jump at lunch today and it actually started when i left four hours later, headed for Auto zone and got the Duralast Gold battery after they confirmed it was indeed the battery. the lights kept dimming on the short ride there, was glad I got there with out having to park it on the side of the road. close call but I am good for a couple more years hopefully

[myold88]

^^^^^ Now I'm really glad I replaced mine yesterday even though it was still going strong.
I doubt few here will get more than 6-7 years out of the factory battery.

[CaliDave]

I want out of town for 9 days and when I tried to start my car it was dead. Dealership gave me a new battery. I bought my car in January. My car doesn't like to be left alone for more than a week. Lol

[el ess A]

Originally Posted by OptimaJim

Contrary to internet rumor, the quality of our batteries has always been excellent and has improved since Johnson Controls acquired the company 14 years ago.

Sorry, dude, I'm not buying your marketing hype any longer. It is not an internet rumor at my house. I found out the hard way, more than once. I will say this from PERSONAL EXPERIENCE using Optima batteries....the first two were great that I bought many moons ago. Then I went through 4 more pieces of crap. Won't make that mistake ever again.

[myold88]

Originally Posted by CaliDave

Attachment 666065I want out of town for 9 days and when I tried to start my car it was dead. Dealership gave me a new battery. I bought my car in January. My car doesn't like to be left alone for more than a week. Lol

Beautiful car and about the best photo I've seen here on Camaro5.

[CaliDave]

Thanks I love talking pictures of my car...

[GONIF]

For many years I used Optima battery's ,then in 2011 I had 3 new ones go bad in my Hummer H2 in a 2 month period . Switched to interstate Megatron ,and no more problems . Sold the H2 and the guy that bought it still has the interstate in it working fine . No more Optima's for me in the future.

[myold88]

Originally Posted by GONIF

For many years I used Optima battery's ,then in 2011 I had 3 new ones go bad in my Hummer H2 in a 2 month period . Switched to interstate Megatron ,and no more problems . Sold the H2 and the guy that bought it still has the interstate in it working fine . No more Optima's for me in the future.

Can't beat the Interstate battery FREE replacement warranty.
Good for 30 months and then pro-rated after that. Can't go wrong imo.

[OptimaJim]

el ess A, I'm sorry to hear you had a negative personal experience. If you want to believe you really bought four defective batteries in a row (or GONIF bought three), I won't talk either of you out of it. I will say if any battery manufacturer had a defect rate of 10%, they wouldn't be able to keep their doors open. Even at a rate that would put them out of business, there's still a 90% chance you would get a good battery. That would increase on your second battery to 99%. By your fourth battery, it would be 99.99%. The actual defect rates are much lower, so the actual odds of getting a good battery are much greater.

The scenario jshaf described is not uncommon- his battery was low voltage, so he jump-starts his car and the alternator starts cooking itself, trying to recharge the battery. It gets just enough juice back in to allow it to start again and he cooks his alternator again as he drives over to an auto parts store. Once the vehicle is started, the only time the battery is called upon to supply energy, is when the vehicle's electrical demand outpaces the alternator's ability to provide it.

Just looking at jshaf's profile photo, it doesn't look like he is a hardcore drag racer, who would swap out pulleys in search of more power (which also compromises the alternator's ability to function properly). So, based on his description of dimming lights while driving, I would guess he has somehow modified the electrical system in his vehicle, most likely as it relates to car audio. If that is the case, I would hope that he has at least performed a “Big 3” upgrade and depending on his usage, either upgraded his alternator and/or keeps his car on a tender when not in use to help maintain proper battery voltage.

The proper procedure for testing a battery is to first attempt to fully-recharge the battery, because any deeply-discharged battery is likely to fail a load test. However, many customers don't want to wait several hours or longer for their battery to recharge. Sometimes the person working behind the counter is new and doesn't know they should first be attempting to recharge the battery before testing it.

Either way, the battery being replaced often ends up only being deeply-discharged and works fine, once properly-recharged. My truck has been starting for years on someone else's “dead” Optima. If they did first attempt to fully-charge jshaf's battery and it still failed a load test and he has modified his stereo system, then the replacement battery should be designed for both deep-cycle and starting use, which would not be the case for the battery he purchased (which, like the Interstate batteries mentioned in this thread, is also manufactured by JCI).

myold88, warranties are largely a function of marketing and not necessarily indicative of product quality. Brands and manufacturers knows this and they will market their warranties as a feature that is appealing to buyers who often base their decision on that factor. If a brand is only offering 30 months of FREE replacement warranty coverage and your battery fails anytime between month 30 and month 36, then a battery with a 36-month FREE replacement warranty was a better option. The way pro-rated warranties work, is that you are paying something as soon as pro-rated coverage kicks in and it's generally a lot more than consumers expect, because pro-ration is based on the original date of purchase.

If a battery cost $120 new and has 60 months of coverage, the first day of pro-rated coverage, a warranty replacement will cost a consumer at least $60 (30 months and a day X $2 per month). That price will go up $2 per month until the end of the pro-rated coverage. Pro-rated coverage is often confusing for retailers to calculate correctly and frustrating for consumers to understand, which is why we got rid of it in our warranties. It does keep consumers loyal to a brand and keeps them coming back to the same retailer, where they are more likely to make additional purchases.

Jim McIlvaine
eCare Manager, OPTIMA Batteries
www.pinterest.com/optimabatteries

[JB12ZL1]

I had the same optima batteries yellow top in my 96 impala S's for 12 years before they wouldn't hold a charge anymore...I've been told by people who no longer carry them that they aren't as good now.

[GONIF]

Deka intimidator