OPTIMA BATTERIES SUCK? THE TRUTH (according to Optima)

[Java]

I bought this exact battery in March of 2020 https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

and started having problems with it in March of this year. I bought a desulfating charger and tried it a few times, no luck. Before I got rid of it I put it on my bench and charged it for two days up to 13.4 volts. I checked it every couple of hours for a day and just sitting there it went from 13.4 to 10.28 in about 12 hours and just kept going. Amazon sent me to Optima for warranty service, Optima sent me back to Amazon... in the end amazon refunded me the original purchase price as a "one time courtesy" and didn't want the battery back. So nobody honored the warranty, but whatever, I'm all set. I used it as a core at Batteries + Bulbs for this one https://www.batteriesplus.com/produc...nCode=VI814694 which has been stellar so far. I've also checked my jeep and no parasitic drain so far, I think it's just a bad battery. I don't think I'll buy another Optima anytime soon.

This is a blog from Optima. The lady doth protest too much? https://www.optimabatteries.com/expe...uck-the-truth/

[FINOCJ]

I gave up on Optimas 5-6 years ago. The Duracell AGM is what I've been running in my cj and wifes car for 4-5 years - has been great. If I was spending extra coin for the absolute best battery, then I'd go with Odyssey. You can even get them at Advance Auto or something like that - order online and pick up for free shipping.

[Hypoid]

Best price I found for my AGM (Deka Intimidator) was at Rocky Mountain Battery Service: 7975 W 44th Ave, Wheat Ridge, CO 80033, 303-423-7142.

[Java]

I bought my last Jeep battery there, also a Deka- as it turns out Deka and Duracell are the same excellent battery with different branding. I only replaced it due to age, my DD needed a batttery and that one had been in my Jeep so long I decided to move it to DD and go brand new on the Jeep. I sold the car with that battery still working. Bad move on my part. Also too bad the bakery across the street from Rocky Mountain Battery closed, it was great.

[newracer]

FINOCJ previously posted:

[TDash]

i was gonna change away from optima after my last one went bad i think i got the same refund you did... but i have so much stuff hooked up to my battery that I'm using both the side terminals and the top terminals, it would be a pain for me to change to a battery with only 1. I tried shopping around but not many battery models offer both connections, all the ones i was interested in only offered the side connections with no post or vise versa so I went back to optima. I remember the shop i talked to who had it in stock said something about when Johnson Controls owned them they were making some bad batteries and it depended on when yours was made, now maybe that's total BS? Idunno the blog you posted talks a bit about it but knock on wood my newer optima has been performing like the really old ones when optima had a super good reputation for deep cycle batteries in the car audio community.

[RockyMtRebel]

My last yellow top barely lasted two years….. meh

[The StRanger]

Iv spent my time getting “the best” and I found a 100 dollar batt that last about 5 years or buy a 500 dollar batt that last about 5 years....

[FINOCJ]

TDash previously posted:

[JGRubicon]

I was into car audio in the 2000 decade and that group seemed to notice a pretty serious drop in quality mid decade for the optima's, and that was from people actively sponsored by them.

While I don't track car audio, and haven't for some time, I still have not heard of a turn around in that brand.

[DETN8R]

I agree with FINOCJ. Adding a fuse panel and relay box to my samurai was a great way for me to plan for future additions to the electrical system.
I use a blue sea systems fuse block. It has several fused connections and some basic unfused connections.