Battery suggestions (1 Viewer)

[Cdaniel]

I'll add to the Optima cheerleading.
And also advise to avoid their clones from NAPA.

 

[a.mus.ed]

I have the Sears Platinum "Compensating" size. It hasn't been long enough to give any real statement regarding it's quality, but...it's big and expensive...so it's got that going for it.

 

[LandCruiserPhil]

I have the Sears Platinum "Compensating" size. It hasn't been long enough to give any real statement regarding it's quality, but...it's big and expensive...so it's got that going for it.

I have one of the Platinum in my 80 so far so good but a little early to tell. I do like the lay out of the post better then the Optima.

 

[Cantinero]

I've run a red top in my 62 for almost 4 years now. No problems.

 

[Lc80series]

I'm with Tools on this. I've had Optima batteries before. They are expensive and seem to poop out faster than a regular battery.

 

[azTony]

You got that Chevy flying through 2-3 foot whoops!?!? NICE!!

 

[BwardeAZ]

Sears Diehard Platinum

I'm with the Sears group

The Sears Platinum battery is made by Odyssey and sells for $190ish

PC1500 T - Odyssey batteries

http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_12605_02850034000P?vName=Automotive&cName=Batteries+&+Chargers



Great batteries

I used optima for many years the last two didn't seem quite the same quality as years past..

 

[RHINO]

all my optimas are pre-problem years and have been trouble free, one is goin on 10yrs and starting to finally peeter out,, i hear they got it all sorted now so i will prolly buy optima again.


tools i love interstate and always ran them, still do in the wifes car and both kids car's, but i decided to try optima one day (15yrs ago?) seemed like a great battery and the AGM made sense in an off road rig. the pros i talk to have good things to say about AGM batts so i dunno, i run them in both rigs and the moto, although the moto will be getting the new battery tech pretty soon.

 

[clarkrw3]

Kevin...You have a deal going with Sears for tires...does that help with batteries too? I have been loving my Platinum batteries. Had good luck with older Optimas but all the ones I have gotten lately have been JUNK!! The red top that is my main battery in the 80 is from 3 cars ago...it's on it's last leg, however.

 

[Tools R Us]

Kevin...You have a deal going with Sears for tires...does that help with batteries too? I have been loving my Platinum batteries. Had good luck with older Optimas but all the ones I have gotten lately have been JUNK!! The red top that is my main battery in the 80 is from 3 cars ago...it's on it's last leg, however.

I don't know if the commercial includes batteries.

 

[roneyj]

Just to add my 2cents. I have managed Autozones and am currently running an O'Reilly's. I see there are some die hard AGM (Optima, Sears Platinum) fans. They are great batteries, but I see just as many of them fail as I do wet batteries (lead/acid). Also Johnson Controls makes the majority of batteries out there, Walmart, Autozone, O'Reilly, Checker..... So all I can say is buy a battery that has the best warranty, the best customer service, and the best locations for you. Batteries in AZ last on average about 2-3 years, so get one with a 3yr free replacement, have it checked before 3yrs. If the place you bought it from is customer service oriented they will replaced it once, even if it test good at 3yrs. So a decent battery with a 3yr warranty will cost about $100. After 2yrs and 364 days you get it replaced for free and it last another 3yrs. It will have cost you only about 14 cents per day, not to mention the pro rata warranty will reduce the cost even more. Also many places will give you 10% discount for police, military, senior citizens, or anyone if you ask really really, really, nice.

 

[DSRTRDR]

discounts can also be had for AAA membership, at Napa for example

 

[splitshot]

Is it an Optima? I have been able to resuscitate Optimas before, by dropping them on the floor from ~3 feet high and then hitting them with a 50 amp charge for a short time, them overnight at 2 amps. An Optima retailer told me about this trick, he got it from an Optima rep, something about knocking crystals loose from the matting. I just did this with a completely dead Optima, been working fine for several weeks now..

On concrete? How does the case hold up?

 

[-Spike-]

No issues.

 

[lc69hunter]

The way I have figured out to recharge batteries that have dropped below 10 volts is to hook it up in parallel with a good battery, and then put the charger on the good one.

The batteries tend to equalize charge and voltage over time, and the charge then boosts them both back up.

I brought back a yellow top that way.

 

[Chuy]

A good video from Optima about AGM batteries and how to recharge deeply drained batteries.

YouTube - Tech Tips 3: Recovering a Deeply Discharged Battery

 

[OptimaJim]

Hello, I noticed your conversation regarding our batteries and wanted to offer some assistance. lc69hunter, ChaseTruck, LandCruiserPhil, msahr, Chuy, leftarmtan, Cdaniel, Cantinero, RHINO and Spike, I'm glad to hear you are pleased with your Optimas.

Spike, while I understand you have had success reviving deeply-discharged Optimas, we do not suggest anyone drop their battery from any height, in an attempt to revive it. We also do not recommend charging our batteries at a rate higher than 10 amps. Please PM me with the contact information on the retailer who suggested this to you, as we'd like to follow-up with them as well. lc69hunter's suggestion about parallel charging and the link provided by Chuy is a much safer and more reliable option for reviving deeply-discharged batteries.

Claudia, if your vehicle is not driven regularly, your battery would certainly benefit from regular use of a quality battery tender or at the very least, a quick-disconnect attached to a fully-charged battery. Costco does carry our batteries (inventory varies, based on location and season) and the warranty replacement date is from the original date of purchase and does not reset every time a battery is returned under warranty. roneyj, I'm concerned to hear about the rate of return on your Optimas, compared to your flooded products. Please drop me a PM so I can gather more information on your returns.

The quality of our batteries has always been excellent and the batteries we are manufacturing today are the best we have ever made. Many of the “bad” batteries returned to us now are just deeply-discharged and work fine, when properly-recharged. My wife's truck is currently running on a “dead” Optima YellowTop, which was returned under warranty to us at 7 volts. If anyone has any questions about our batteries, I'll do my best to answer them.


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

 

[Project FJ80]

I bought a pair of Odyessey batteries. Ive had them for about two years now. So far so good. They have a 5 year full replacement warrenty on them.

 

[-Spike-]

Hey Jim, thanks for the input.

The retailer who gave me that advice is no longer in business.

What's the tech reason a normal charger won't charge a low voltage AGM? Does the charger not see the battery and therefor shut off?

 

[re_guderian]

from my experiences living and part-timing in Arizona, I have come to the conclusion that anything beyond 2-3 years on a battery is just a bonus

Yep, including my Optima Red tops in my 80. One went bad in 3-ish years, but I hardly drove the car. In all fairness it was one of the "blems" from that place in S. Phoenix. The second Optima was still good. Now I just go with a Costco one. And they stopped carrying the Kirkland ones in AZ due to frequent free replacement, now carrying Interstate (I think?). Based on frequency of replacement here in AZ, I stopped over-thinking the whole battery deal...