I've had an Optima redtop in my '69 Camaro for more than 7 years now. I keep a Battery Tender hooked up to it when not driving it. No problems. Good product IMO.
Major issues here, side actually melted. Long story posted in another thread but bottom line is I won't put another one in any of my cars.
I've had an Optima redtop in my '31 coupe with a Flathead for more than 9 years now. Whenever I get home, first thing I do is plug it in to a Deltran battery tender. Absolutely NO problem!
I had one red top in my A that went bad, but I had no issues in swapping it out and getting anew one for free under its warranty period. This one has been great and I swap it between the Model A and my Silverado.
I have a red top in my roadster that's been in there since 1998. No battery tender and it still works like a champ!
Yep, just what I want to do every time I get home....plug in my battery. I have a feeling that once you guys with the "old" Optima's start to replace them with the "new" ones you might be singing a different tune. Quality sucks big time now.
Really high quality batteries and yes they are made in the USA in Lyon Station PA. Many of the race teams use their batteries and they have sizes of flooded and sealed products for most applications.
Hello, I noticed your conversation regarding our batteries and wanted to offer some assistance, although I'm glad to see so many of you have already referenced both the Hot Rod article and the parallel charging technique. Although Optima seems to get a lot of the attention regarding deeply-discharged batteries, it is certainly not unique to our batteries. In fact, other manufacturers have dealt with this issue by simply voiding the warranties on batteries found to be deeply-discharged below a specific voltage level. We didn't do that with our warranty, but we did create this YouTube video, which also explains the parallel charging technique, for those who prefer to watch instead of read. Model eh, what is the voltage of your battery as it sits right now and can you describe the circumstances surrounding the issues you are having with your battery? 31HotRodLincoln, while I understand individual experiences may vary, we cannot make the claims we do about our batteries lasting up to twice as long as traditional flooded batteries, without being able to provide empirical evidence to back up those claims. I've even come across posts from folks who were involved in some of our field testing. BadLuck, people can often make their own luck when it comes to battery life. When any battery is discharged below 12.4 volts and allowed to sit in that state for an extended period of time, sulfation will begin to diminish both capacity and lifespan. As others have suggested, regular use of a quality battery tender or maintainer on any vehicle that doesn't see regular use will help extend the life of any battery. Heat is one of the biggest enemies of batteries, so mounting them right next to exhaust pipes (as someone indicated they did in another thread on this board) may result in shortened battery life. Likewise, when the battery cables are the only means of securing the battery in a vehicle, broken posts are often the end result. shooter54, MAD MIKE, 71buickfreak, WDobos, KrAqEr, Deuce Daddy Don, NVRRDUNN, TexasHardcore, langy, Muttley, hotrod 32, 48FordFanatic, Danny G, Mr. Sinister, Dave29, flthd31, thepolecat, gimpyshotrods, & cbillelder, I'm glad to hear you've all been pleased with your Optimas. We're always collecting stories, so feel free to share your story with us. They liked two of the stories submitted last year enough to send the battery owners out to Vegas for the SEMA show. Weasel, gemcityrenegade and hotrodnailhead, although we sell our batteries all over the world, including China, but as ArtGeco indicated, they are not manufactured there. You can watch a video on our production facility here. gemcityrenegade, what is the voltage of your three RedTops? Jim McIlvaine eCare Manager, OPTIMA Batteries, Inc. www.facebook.com/optimabatteries
I personally do not like them! With working at an auto parts store that sells them I have saw way more of the Optima's come back than any other battery of the same age. I always try and talk people out of them because they are JUNK!!
it lays down under the seat, is what it does for me. I didn't drive my truck for 3 weeks one time and the battery went dead. I even disconnected it before I left. I charged it and it's been doing fine, weird.
Ive had no problems with my redtop for 2 years now (although I got it for free), However the guys I got it from started to carry another dry cell in place of the Optima Red top, "Stinger" I believe they were called, supposedly they carry a lifetime warranty. Anyone ever hear of these ? PS, However the quality of the product, its good to see someone representing the actual company/product in question(Optima). Its good to know they are hearing what real customers are saying about thier quality etc.. Perhaps more businesses should use the HAMB to get the real low down on what people think !
I believe they're made in Mexico. But what does it matter, quality has seemed to go down even before they left the US. I have a RedTop that has been in my Buick for 6 or 7 years I believe, still fine, and I'm not sure if I'll replace it with one when it goes.
I bought orange top in 1998 and got a bit tired red top as a present from my friend. They both still work well even in cold cold winter on my V8:s of four bangers.
The Red Top I have was sitting for over a year in a back room before I got it. I have abused it for 2 years now starting my sedan with no alternator hooked up and when the battery got weak I stuck a cheap charger on it and back it came. No complaints from me.
I have one that is over 10 yrs old and sits for 6 mos at a time. , and it still performs well I like them.
The Optima Redtop in my Drag car lasted 9 years .It finally got to where it wouldnt hold a charge very long ,but still wasnt completely dead ...
I've had 2 red tops last 6+ years, but they were the old US-made ones. Seems like when they moved production to Mexico, the quality fell off. Nick
That is a lot of Optima Red Tops. What's the story with their failure? Details man, inquiring minds want to know.
Many Thanks to all of you who replied. I did learn. The Battery was charged up at Polar Battery and is reuseable. And Thanks to the Texan who supplied the correct way to charge. Instructions were incomplete when I bought the battery 3 years ago. Hope to see some of you at Bakersfield Reunion in Oct. Look for a Black 30 A Coupe with BC plates and HAMB plaque on the back. Tom
Tom, I'm glad to hear your situation has been resolved. OLIVER BROS GARAGE, I'm sorry to hear about the problems you've experienced with our batteries at your store. We'd like to learn more about your situation, so please send me a PM with your work contact information, so I can have someone get in touch with you. Joe, if you are mounting any lead-acid battery in an enclosed space, including the interior of your vehicle, it should be properly-vented to the outside air. Even though our batteries and many others (both AGM & flooded) are considered sealed batteries, all lead-acid automotive batteries can vent gas in extreme situations. For that reason, we always recommend that any battery installed in an enclosed location be properly-vented to the outside. Our group 27, 31, 51, 34C, and 78 batteries all have ports for connecting a vent hose. Although people do it anyway, we would never recommend installing an unvented battery in any enclosed space, because there's a legitimate, albeit unlikely, safety risk involved. For example, IF there is a voltage regulator failure, and IF the battery is severely overcharged, and IF this goes unnoticed, and IF the battery vents because the internal pressure exceeds the release pressure of the vents, the gasses are both flammable and toxic. This may sound like a lot of ifs, but attorneys and engineers get paid to plan for every worst-case scenario. It is also a good idea to cover the unused terminals on a dual-terminal battery, especially if it is mounted in a location where it may come in contact with loose metal items, like flashlights or wrenches. Lone Star Mopar, zman, mrspeedyt, Rod Ari, djust, Mr. Jean, 48fordnut, The Shocker, & Nick, I'm glad to hear so many success stories involving our batteries and I do apprecite everyone's feedback. LiveWire64, I'm with MAD MIKE, I'd love to hear more about the circumstances surrounding your issues and what the voltages of these batteries are right now. Judging by your custom van avatar, I'm guess you're somewhere in California, but if you happen to be somewhere along the Power Tour route between Florida and Detroit or Detroit & Wisconsin, I'd love to stop by and take a look at your batteries in person next month. Jim McIlvaine eCare Mananger, OPTIMA Batteries, Inc. www.facebook.com/optimabatteries
These have got to be the worst looking "1 year old" batteries I have ever seen! I run Optima red tops now but I did have a yellow top that went out after 18 mos. Costco pro-rated it for me on the purchase of a new red top.
Mr Jim McIlvaine went right over my comment reg optima batteries perhaps this will get his attention. Originally Posted in Oct 2009 Here is the whole sorted story that led me to distrust Optima batteries and the people that work for them.... After explaining to the Optima guy, Jimmy Day, who is something like the regional marketing director or something like that at the GG Columbus event this year (July 2009)that my battery was hot to the touch and melted on the side he asked me to drive my car over to his vendor booth. Once there I popped the hood and he hooked up this hand held device to the battery, took some readings then asked me to start the car. After I shut off the car the hand held machine spit out a foot long piece of paper with a bunch of readings on it. The first results was for the battery voltage : 12.88v measured: 935 CCA rated: 720 CCA temperature: 104*F the next "test" reads for the starter voltage: 12.28V Time: 4.73S Charging system test no load: 12.63V loaded: 12.63V and yes, afer quite a bit of discussion he let me drive away knowing I was driving back to Michigan with that 30 days old battery with the melted side. Once home I drove Big Olds to the auto repair shop up on the corner. Explained everything from start to finish to the owner. He had me pull Big Olds into the bay and hooked up the meter to the Optima battery. Right away he said there was nothing wrong with my alternator, 13 something then 14 something when I reaved the engine. Next thing he said was the battery was junk and if he was me he'd replace it. So, from the repair shop I headed right over to O'Reilys Auto Parts where the lastest Optima came from 40 days ago. I explained the whole thing from start to finish to the store manager including the fact that I just came from the repair shop and my mechanic checked my whole charging system and said it was fine. I told him I wanted a new battery and I didn't want another Optima one. He came out to look at the battery, felt the side and said no problem. I drove Big Olds back to my house, pulled the battery out, drove the battery back up to the auto parts store in my daily, got the new regular battery, brought it home and whipped it back into Big Olds, no problem. I did not change anything else on Big Olds and have since driven him over 10,000 miles (7,000 in just my one crosscountry trip to Washington State) on my new, much loved, regular battery. (Have now driven over 25,000 miles since this happened with the same alternator and reg parts store battery) Here is what my then latest and very last Optima battery looked like sitting in Big Olds like 30 days after purchased. It could have been like this for awhile but I noticed it as I was checking my oil getting ready to leave for the GG COlumbus event....... and from Lux after seeing the Optima battery in Big Olds...."and that, friends and neighbors, is what happens when the plates touch in the case. it is what happens when a battery is dropped." EXACTLY what a couple of local car pals said as well. The thread with lots of comments regarding Optima where is starts off me deciding between a one wire and 3 wire ALT and turns into a problem with the Optima battery just like I originally stated to Jimmy Day . Yep, he could "dance" real well. http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/s...0620&showall=1 I feel bad for Optima cuz they use to have a great product and unfortunantly Jimmy Day "screwed" the wrong person outta a $200 replacement battery and in returned has gotten so much bad press here on the HAMB, the RRT, CR, and OZ Rodder sites, not to mention all my local car pals, that it's going to take a long time to fix their reputation in my part of this hot rod world. What he SHOULD have done was admitted something was faulty with their battery and thrown a new one in Big Olds. I wasn't impressed then (at the GG event) and now I'm even more unhappy how I was treated. Without my HAMB pals I would have pulled my alternator off, dropped it off at the rebuild shop, paid them to rebuild it then had to put it back on Big Olds.....all for nothing. I would have then STILL had to replace my battery. If anyone from Optima wants to discuss this issue with me directly I can be reached at the following Denise Sheldon 29129 Oriole Livonia, MI 48154 734-673-6930 [email protected]
wow i guess i have just been lucky with both my optima's. but my buddy bruse hates them too, he tells me how bad they have been for him! he said that the cosco kurkland brand is better than optima's, and thats all he uses.
If Optima had the same return policy as Discount Tire..... They would have to install armored plating on all of their dealers store fronts. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gS7z3Ud2DZY&NR=1
The Jalopy Journal
