Sort of O/T - Optima Batteries NOT made in USA!!!

My optima is over 4 yrs old. I bought it at an Interstate store. Its been"sitting" in my vert which I drove very seldomly in NY. It never has given me a stitch of trouble . Now it resides in Az so far so good, hope i didn't jinks it with this reply LOL

 

Because it will be a "new idea".

 

To further propogate that point. One buys a T.V. at Wal-Mart because its the cheapest. The cheap tv made in CHina. Two years later the tv craps. Hell i just bought that tv, I'm not spending alot on another - Back to Wal-Mart, buy another tv. Only two years later - you guessed it. Meanwhile, some research and good fortune, you might actually find a good tv, that will last 20 years. I've heard all too often, oh I'll just buy a cheap one, and when it breaks I'll just buy a new one, at least I'm not spending alot now.

 

Exide makes batterys in Salina Kansas, Bristol Tennesee, and Manchester Illinois. I make tablets in a small factory in Nutly NJ for them on a machine like this

 

Merc-0-madness i bet that pill machine was made here...? right?

 

Another problem that we, as Americans, suffer is the poverty level. Hell, my wife and I are NOW considered lower middle class, but we are just as step or 2 above poverty, and we continue to live paycheck to paycheck.

Do I want to purchase American made products only? You're damned right I do! However, is it feasable for me to afford to - for example - purchase a $50 USA ball joint over a $15 imported one? Even if I have to replace it in a year or two, right now - $15 goes a long way. Especially if it is lifetime warrantied.

My point is that the level of income of many people who want to buy only MADE IN USA products is offset by the need to survive monetarily. I watch for products that I purchase, and TRY to buy MADE IN USA products as often as I can. However, I often cannot afford to spend $30 on a single drill bit to drill 4 holes when the $10 one will do the trick. Oh, and by the way, both the $30 and the $10 bits were BOTH made in China, and purchased at Sutherlands. Why did I purchase them there? Because Sutherlands is 2.5 miles from my house, and my Dodge truck costs me $0.28 per mile to drive. So, I spent $1.40 to go and purchase the $10 bit, versus $3.36 to go to another location like Lowe's or Home Depot.

 

In most cases, a battery failure is a symptom, not the real problem. If you disconnect a fully charged Optima, it can retain it's charge for a year. However, when connected to an electrical system, all batteries will drain over time. On a computer controlled car or a car with a digital radio, clock, etc the battery will drain within 1-2 weeks because of the draw on the battery. Once the battery has been below 10.5V, it will not come back to full performance. Batteries are meant to "rest" in a fully charged state so...for cars that are not driven, buy a Battery Tender Plus and plug it in as soon as you park the car after driving it. I have a 98 Cobra with all kinds of alarm, audio, computer, etc that I have only driven approx 400 miles in the last year. The Optima is probably 4 years old and works great because I keep an AGM specific maintainer on it. Everyone should keep a maintainer on batteries in cars that sit. Period.

 

Have used the optimas both new and old in my boat for deep cycle aplications.They do require maintainence to last.Have them on a on board charging unit that gets plugged in when not in use and bring them inside when temps get cold here in minnesota.As far as the rant about manufacturing u.s. vs anywhere else i gave up.Nobody whanted to be around me when we started discussing this.Our trade,moldmaking,has changed dramaticly over the last years due to offshore competition.If we didnt change how we were doing things we were on the way out.We are actualy do very well now do to the wake up call.Dont kid yourself nobady cares to help you out and there are plenty other low cost countries waiting in line for the work.Also its nice to see some returns on stocks and investments due to comapanys making some profit.Its a circle we are all acountable for in some shape or form.Just my .02.Burl.

 

"There is only ONE reason for that, folks. Our indigenous industries went to them for the cheap labor so that they could maximize their profits, and we (as consumers) are co-conspirators, because we wanted cheap goods. End of story."

Not trying to get political here, but oner factor you are leaving out is our representative government which has made it easy, and in fact given incentives, for companies to go overseas/outsource jobs, manufacturing, etc.

We are at fault, not only for buying the cheap goods, but for putting poeple in office that don't have OUR best interests in mind, but that of larger coporations...

That said, I've used Optima batterries in all my rides and never had a problem...of course I haven't bought one in a few years. Haven't had to.

On the tarrif issue. I stand corrected there are SOME tarrifs being levied on incoming goods. The amounts applied are really not equitable when you are factoring in labor at $1.00 a day in a factory in China. Also, tarrifs are only applied on certain goods. Not ALL goods.

And MAC 762 was correct. NAFTA enables those countries to have a 0% tarrif rate. Here's a chart from the US International Trade Commision site. Scroll to the bottom and look at the Mexico and Canada NAFTA rate...

http://dataweb.usitc.gov/scripts/tariff_current.asp

 

I sell ACDelco Professional Series batteries here at work and have very few issues with warranties... Interstate is also very good. ACDelco also offers an economy line made in Korea... we refuse to stock, sell or offer them. I'd suggest you do the same. Give 'em hell. (Also... lead pricing has gone through the roof since 2006 and battery prices are great deal higher than they used to be.) ditto on the battery tender/maintainer for cars that sit more than they are driven... they greatly improve the life of any battery.

MADE IN U.S.A.

enjoy...



Looks like the "Globalized American Racing Wheel" thread is gone.

 

The same way people crave DoDo birds.

Long gone,too late.

 

Tastes like Chicken...

 

yup its by F.J. Stokes Machine company. made in USA some of the machines are as old as our cars from the early 50s and still running good

 

our country went from farming and cottage industry all the way to the greatest industrial powerhouse in the world in the span of 100 years.
now we devote hundreds of hours of skilled labor,and purchase thousands of dollars worth of tools and supplies, to build and maintain cars built during that era.
we are destined to be the caretakers of a particular slice of American History,along with Civil War re-enactors,steam train enthusiasts,square dancers,dixieland jazz bands and other people keeping history alive,instead of stuck in a museum and forgotten.
now we know how the buggy-whip makers felt.
i weep for my country

 

I bought an Optima at the Pomona swap meet from a dealer as a "second" in 1996. It had a small flaw on the top so couldn't be sold in a store. Just had to replace it last summer. Hope the new one lasts as long. I got it at an Autozone store, and it had only USA on it.

 

I like the labelling/packaging that here in NZ would land you up in court for false advertising.....
I like things with made in the Americas on em that one always cracks me up

 

There are 2 optima plants. One in Aurora, CO and the other in Monterrey, mexico that opened last year. So you have maybe a 50/50 chance of getting a mexican battery. The deep cycle batteries are still made here for now.

 

I Have Purchased A Odyssey Battery After It Was Highly Recomended. Just As Good As Any Optima.the 1500 Has Side Terminals. Made In The Usa