How many years of use are folks getting from their Optima redtop 910 AMP batteries? The last one I got in 2005 only had a 3 year warranty and the one I got yesterday is the same.
Mike
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I got 18 months out the last one. I heard they are now made offshore and quality has deteriorated to the extent that if you have a warranty replacement they only warrant the replacement for the remainder of the 3 yr term not another 3 yrs.
I took mine back to Summit last October and to my surprise the guy said it ws the third one that day, so who knows how many they are seeing back. Fortunately Summit gave me a cash refund and I purchased a new battery.
Julian
I took mine back to Summit last October and to my surprise the guy said it ws the third one that day, so who knows how many they are seeing back. Fortunately Summit gave me a cash refund and I purchased a new battery.
Julian
quote:they only warrant the replacement for the remainder of the 3 yr term not another 3 yrs.
Sears also did that to me on the International battery. The salesman said they would be idiots to provide a new warranty for the replacement, "you would have a never ending warranty". I agreed and said "yeah, imagine that, a battery never lasting through the warranty period." I told them to forget it, just refund my money. They did. I told them I could now buy a new battery with a new warranty, but i didn't & I drove to a different battery store & did not buy Sears. By God, that brought them to their knees!
My first Optima battery was a Vortex Champion installed 8/14/2000. It came with a three year full replacement and then deprecated value after that to six years. Had to replace it with an Optima on 4/28/2005 but received some credit for the failed one. That one lasted to yesterday and like my new one has only a three year warranty.
Mike
Mike
quote:Originally posted by Joules5:
I got 18 months out the last one. I heard they are now made offshore and quality has deteriorated to the extent that if you have a warranty replacement they only warrant the replacement for the remainder of the 3 yr term not another 3 yrs.
I took mine back to Summit last October and to my surprise the guy said it ws the third one that day, so who knows how many they are seeing back. Fortunately Summit gave me a cash refund and I purchased a new battery.
Julian
The first Optima battery I had in the Pantera lasted 14 years. I just replaced it last year with another Optima red top one just like the first one. I will see how long this one lasts and if I have problems with it, I will try another brand and type of battery because I have heard that the new ones are not as good as the old ones.
Optima paid to have the 14 year old battery shipped back to them when I told them how long that battery lasted.
I have a 12+ year old Interstate AGM battery in #4134. It still shows no sign of needing a replacement. It has had a battery disconnect knob on it since day 1. It is always left disconnected prior to a drive. I know that the Pantera has no residual drain from any electronics, but maybe the disconnect helps.
Maybe our resident Pantera electrics guru Jon Haas has an opinion?
Jeff
Maybe our resident Pantera electrics guru Jon Haas has an opinion?
Jeff
In the various family daily driver vehicles 3 years seems to be the max battery life. It does not seem to matter the brand or if it is a 60 mos. or 84 mos.
The rip is the pro rata scale the stores use.
Jeff
The rip is the pro rata scale the stores use.
Jeff
The Sears recount reminds me of one local Pantera owner who had an old battery that was under the Sears 'Lifetime' warranty, they kept honoring it last I heard.
I also now have my cars connected to CTEK intelligent chargers. It's that one full drain that seems to kill the gel batteries.
Julian
I also now have my cars connected to CTEK intelligent chargers. It's that one full drain that seems to kill the gel batteries.
Julian
I had a yellowtop last 9 years.
Out of 3 redtops I've had, none have performed or lasted as well as the yellows.
Red tops don't react well to deep discharges, they also do not respond well to recharge if they have been discharged too far.
Johnson Control bought Optima in 2000 and immediately began cutting corners along with moving production into Mexico. Quality went down, but the prices went through the roof.
I think they(Optima) are now trying to respond to their quality issues, they brought back the 3 year warranty from the 1 year they had put in place.
Here is a thread from a Bronco board I'm on where a member was fighting a discharge issue with his red top.
An Optima rep. actually joined the board in order to post help with warranty issues as well as provide some good information on proper recharge procedure for the redtops drained below 10.5 volts.(it actually applies to all Optimas)
Full thread:
Redtop Optima thread
Two posts from "Optima Jim""
First Post
Second Post
I swear by Optima yellow tops, I'm running a set of two in my diesel as well as one for the winch on my trailer.
I'm not sure if there are other stores across the country who do this, but Sterling Battery in Boise sells "reconditioned" Optimas at a huge discount over new.
They supply the military contract for Optima in this area. If an Optima is pulled off of the shelf and is found dead by the military or they have a discharged Optima on equipment in service it is pulled from service and returned to Sterling.
Sterling then does a parallel charge and voltage check and if found good they sell it as reconditioned.
I can get a yellow top for $50 when they have them in stock. All three of the yellow tops I'm running now are "reconditioned" and have been going strong for 3 years.
Sorry for the long post, thought some of the information might be helpfull?
Out of 3 redtops I've had, none have performed or lasted as well as the yellows.
Red tops don't react well to deep discharges, they also do not respond well to recharge if they have been discharged too far.
Johnson Control bought Optima in 2000 and immediately began cutting corners along with moving production into Mexico. Quality went down, but the prices went through the roof.
I think they(Optima) are now trying to respond to their quality issues, they brought back the 3 year warranty from the 1 year they had put in place.
Here is a thread from a Bronco board I'm on where a member was fighting a discharge issue with his red top.
An Optima rep. actually joined the board in order to post help with warranty issues as well as provide some good information on proper recharge procedure for the redtops drained below 10.5 volts.(it actually applies to all Optimas)
Full thread:
Redtop Optima thread
Two posts from "Optima Jim""
First Post
Second Post
I swear by Optima yellow tops, I'm running a set of two in my diesel as well as one for the winch on my trailer.
I'm not sure if there are other stores across the country who do this, but Sterling Battery in Boise sells "reconditioned" Optimas at a huge discount over new.
They supply the military contract for Optima in this area. If an Optima is pulled off of the shelf and is found dead by the military or they have a discharged Optima on equipment in service it is pulled from service and returned to Sterling.
Sterling then does a parallel charge and voltage check and if found good they sell it as reconditioned.
I can get a yellow top for $50 when they have them in stock. All three of the yellow tops I'm running now are "reconditioned" and have been going strong for 3 years.
Sorry for the long post, thought some of the information might be helpfull?
quote:Originally posted by Pantera 4134:
In the various family daily driver vehicles 3 years seems to be the max battery life. It does not seem to matter the brand or if it is a 60 mos. or 84 mos.
The rip is the pro rata scale the stores use.
Jeff
Jeff, I considered going back to a wet battery but decided I’d go with another gel type (even though they are expensive and short lived) to avoid the possibly of acid leaking.
Mike
FWIW my Ultima is fitted with an Odyssey, its tiny and weighs nothing. The car often sits for long periods, I never charge it and it cranks a 600HP Chebbie over with ease.
Julian
Julian
Well, it pays to check your battery warranty paper work. Turns out that Optima changed their warranty on February 2009. Batteries after that date used for general purpose have a 3 year full replacement warranty. Batteries before that date have a 3 year full replacement and then 3 more years of prorated credit. The girl at Advance Auto got mixed up because her computer showed only the new post 2009 warranty. After inputting all the info from my 2005 receipt I ended up getting $55.17 credit against the new 169.00 Optima.
Mike
Mike
I have the Odyseey in my black car, yes small as hell but kicks butt. Great for lowered battery box area, only about 6 inches or so. Like da wife says, size doesn't matter. It is also very light, easy to get in and out of the front trunk. They tell me they use this battery in race applications something to do with its construction, I feel maybe due to weight too. In the other Panteras I run the Optima from Costco, and if it fails early I just take it in and they replace with another. The think with these I am told is that you have to keep them charged well otherwise the life gets much less. Especially true with the Odyssey as there are special charging instruction if that thing gets weak.quote:Originally posted by Joules5:
FWIW my Ultima is fitted with an Odyssey, its tiny and weighs nothing. The car often sits for long periods, I never charge it and it cranks a 600HP Chebbie over with ease.
Julian
http://www.poca.com/index.php/...g2_imageViewsIndex=1
I just use the regular Costco battery, it's a lot cheaper and their warranty coverage has been great as I've had to replace a few batteries over the years (not just the Pantera but DDs as well).
As for acid leakage, I have one of the $20 plastic battery boxes for it to sit in (notches are cut in the sides for the hold-down bar), and that box saved the front of the car when the battery that came with the car boiled over. Now, in a roll over, that's another story, the acid could get everywhere, but I think that would be pretty low on my list of concerns if the car rolled.
Oh, and I bought a wireless shutoff system, just push a button and it disconnects the battery - saves wear and tear on the hood release.
As for acid leakage, I have one of the $20 plastic battery boxes for it to sit in (notches are cut in the sides for the hold-down bar), and that box saved the front of the car when the battery that came with the car boiled over. Now, in a roll over, that's another story, the acid could get everywhere, but I think that would be pretty low on my list of concerns if the car rolled.
Oh, and I bought a wireless shutoff system, just push a button and it disconnects the battery - saves wear and tear on the hood release.
Have more info on that wireless release system, or weblink for it? That would be great on my cars that are under and over on my lift to be able to disconnect from the inside of the car if thats how it works since I can't raise the hood.quote:Originally posted by #5754:
Oh, and I bought a wireless shutoff system, just push a button and it disconnects the battery - saves wear and tear on the hood release.
The unit I have came from Canadian Tire, but I've also spotted it available without the 'Motomaster' branding from a company in the UK, so it may also be available in the U.S., but I don't know who would be distributing it there.
Here's a link to it, NOTE: the first one I bought died when I had an electrical glitch (ammeter burnout and battery boiling over), so I replaced it and it worked fine last year, however the reviews on the website are mixed, so try to find one locally so that you have the ability to return/exchange it if you get a dud.
Canadian Tire "Eliminator Battery Guard"
U.K. seller 'Motrax'
Manufacturer's Website in China - maybe a quick note to them can get you a list of local resellers? This site also has the install instructions so you can get an idea of what's involved (pretty simple)
Here's a link to it, NOTE: the first one I bought died when I had an electrical glitch (ammeter burnout and battery boiling over), so I replaced it and it worked fine last year, however the reviews on the website are mixed, so try to find one locally so that you have the ability to return/exchange it if you get a dud.
Canadian Tire "Eliminator Battery Guard"
U.K. seller 'Motrax'
Manufacturer's Website in China - maybe a quick note to them can get you a list of local resellers? This site also has the install instructions so you can get an idea of what's involved (pretty simple)
quote:Originally posted by #5754:
The unit I have came from Canadian Tire, but I've also spotted it available without the 'Motomaster' branding from a company in the UK, so it may also be available in the U.S., but I don't know who would be distributing it there.
Here's a link to it, NOTE: the first one I bought died when I had an electrical glitch (ammeter burnout and battery boiling over), so I replaced it and it worked fine last year, however the reviews on the website are mixed, so try to find one locally so that you have the ability to return/exchange it if you get a dud.
Canadian Tire "Eliminator Battery Guard"
U.K. seller 'Motrax'
Manufacturer's Website in China - maybe a quick note to them can get you a list of local resellers? This site also has the install instructions so you can get an idea of what's involved (pretty simple)
That looks a lot like the Battery Brain you can get in the states. It's a new improved version of the battery Buddy that didn't have the remote.
I see them in most of the major parts stores.
Cool, the Battery Brain sounds like it might be the right device, but there are different versions, doing a little searching, there are a number of different models of the Battery Brain, some allow the remote shut-off, others don't.
You'll want at least the 'Gold' level if remote shutoff and reconnect is what you're after.
The unit I have is equivalent to the 'Platinum' model (has the vibration sensor to prevent the unit from disconnecting a low battery while you're driving - sounds like a no-brainer eh?) - Canadian tire only charges $69 for the unit, and when I bought mine, it was on sale for $19.99, so a far cry from the $104 from the MSRP on the BB website!
http://www.batterybrain.com/batterybrain.pl
Methinks we may be guilty of thread piracy here. Sorry Mike!
Update... here's an RV website with it on sale for $73: http://www.adventurerv.net/bat...ft-saver-p-5236.html
You'll want at least the 'Gold' level if remote shutoff and reconnect is what you're after.
The unit I have is equivalent to the 'Platinum' model (has the vibration sensor to prevent the unit from disconnecting a low battery while you're driving - sounds like a no-brainer eh?) - Canadian tire only charges $69 for the unit, and when I bought mine, it was on sale for $19.99, so a far cry from the $104 from the MSRP on the BB website!
http://www.batterybrain.com/batterybrain.pl
Methinks we may be guilty of thread piracy here. Sorry Mike!
Update... here's an RV website with it on sale for $73: http://www.adventurerv.net/bat...ft-saver-p-5236.html