Optima Batteries. Never again.

6059 Views 45 Replies 34 Participants Last post by HoosierBuddy, Jul 15, 2021

HoosierBuddy

Discussion Starter · Jul 8, 2021

Years ago...maybe like 20 years ago...I relocated the battery on my '65 to the trunk and bought an Optima Red Top and a nice billet mounting kit to latch it down.

Well...I was really happy. That first battery likely lasted 6 or 7 years. Then the next one lasted about the same. Since I've bought 3 more and each of them has lasted just long enough to get out of the 3 year replacement warranty.

If it wasn't for the billet hold down kit, I would have made the switch long ago. Yesterday I bought a store brand "Super Start" series 78 battery from O'Reilly Autoparts. I modified the hold down and made it work....though it doesn't look right....so more work is still required.

Good riddance Optima. And GFYS Johnson Controls. You ruined a great battery.

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Reactions: 4

41 - 46 of 46 Posts

junkor68

· #41 · Jul 9, 2021

jsbenami said:
Any good lithium Ion batteries for engine bays yet? I have this tiny...almost pocket size jump started. Once jump started a friends classic Mustang 3 times in one day with it and it only went down to 75%. When it's charged to 100% it will hold that charges for months in the hot trunk without topping off.

I love those little jumpers - they're a life saver

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69bossnine

· #42 · Jul 9, 2021

HoosierBuddy said:
I've used various chargers and trickle chargers over the years. The one that was on it when it failed was this one:

Amazon.com: CTEK - 40-206 MXS 5.0 Fully Automatic 4.3 amp Battery Charger and Maintainer 12V : Automotive

Buy CTEK - 40-206 MXS 5.0 Fully Automatic 4.3 amp Battery Charger and Maintainer 12V: Battery Chargers - Amazon.com ✓ FREE DELIVERY possible on eligible purchases

www.amazon.com

I had it set to AGM mode and it showed fully charged....but it wouldn't start the car. My battery tester showed voltage was good but as soon as I hit the LOAD button it dropped to the "Weak" zone.

So...it's gone and I'm done with Optima. So nice to be driving my mustang today not worrying if it will start without a jump! And I saved $50 vs the cost of a new Optima.

The thing that I think is the worst is they've obviously reengineered the battery to just clear the 3 year full replacement period so they can maximize income and all they've really managed to do is drive off what used to be a loyal customer base. In the mean time, in an age when we are trying to be a bit greener...they have created a need to produce more product than necessary by redesigning a good product to make it less than mediocre.

Rant off.

Yep, CTEK is about as state-o-the-art as you can get for a maintainer, so I wouldn't blame the charger, I'd blame the battery. I was just curious, and worried as to whether you were using a trickle-charger that might be slowly murdering your batteries unbeknownst to you.

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lalojamesliz

· #43 · Jul 12, 2021

Odyssey batteries are great (also expensive)
I have them in my cars with a battery minder charger plugged in for a couple days once week or every other week as maintenance.

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74Rallye

· #44 · Jul 12, 2021

It sounds like their marketing team decided that the "no sulphuric acid to dissolve car" market was enough, instead of trying to be the greatest battery ever.

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SmokyMtnMustang

· #45 · Jul 14, 2021

I bought my dream car last fall. The battery in it has August 2008 marked off on the dates. I thought that was impressive!

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HoosierBuddy

Discussion Starter · #46 · Jul 15, 2021

SmokyMtnMustang said:
I bought my dream car last fall. The battery in it has August 2008 marked off on the dates. I thought that was impressive!

It is/was impressive. And you can buy a battery that looks identical today....but in my experience it will only last 3 1/2 years. Sad.

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