Optima battery failed after 4 months!

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GlassGTB
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Optima battery failed after 4 months!

Post by GlassGTB »

I am extremely disapointed with Optima batteries. After spending $170 at Pep Boys on an Optima Red Top, it failed after 4 months. The problem was hard to diagnose at first. My car started having difficulty starting but the battery would still crank. Hooking it up to a tester gave me mixed results. Eventually I figured out that the battery did not have enough juice to properly start the car. I have exchanged the battery for a Bosch and the car starts right up. It seems the battery had some cranking strengh but not the amount needed to fire the engine right up. As a result, I took the car to Cavallino but barely drove it around as I was afraid to be left stranded. Talk about pain and suffering! By the way, a fellow in the Ferrari community tells me this is common. When cars come by his shop with battery/alternator issues the first question he asks is "Does it have an Optima battery?" In the future, I will stick with interstate.
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tyang
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Post by tyang »

OPTIMA BATTERIES SUCK!!!

Whenever we have a customer car refusing to start, even though it sat for just a day or two, we have a bet whether it's an Optima, and guess what, when the hood is lifted, 90% of the time it's an Optima battery!!

I've become to realize it's all marketing. In today's world, it seems it is more efficient to spend money on marketing a product than to design a good product.

Understandably Gel Cell batteries (if that's the technology used in Optimas) work a little differently than normal lead acid batteries, they should deliver the same performance as what we saw with the old technology. I was not impressed.

There's nothing wrong with using an old Lead Acid battery (although their quality has gone down as well) as long as you check for leaks and keep that battery area painted and protected from acid.

Sorry to hear about your waste of money, but you're not the first person I've heard dissatisfied with Optima. Was there a warrenty? It would be nice to get a cash refund, because what's the use of getting a replacement Optima?

Tom
'63 330 America #5053
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330GT
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Post by 330GT »

Based on my experience and various threads over in FerrariChat (mainly the 308 section), the quality of Optima batteries has suffered since they were bought out.

I had one in my 308 and it died in less than a year (also took out a Battery Tender). It was replaced under warranty and so far the new one has held up. I do have to keep a Battery Tender on it otherwise the alarm will drain it within a few weeks.

I originally went with an Optima on the 308 as the battery location is a PITA (you have to remove the spare time) to access.
Regards, Kerry
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Rudy van Daalen Wetters
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Post by Rudy van Daalen Wetters »

As a youngster, my Dad would take me along and we would go to Pep Boys and buy a cheap Cadet battery for one of our cars. The battery lasted forever. If it ever became totally discharged a simple recharge would make it new again. I just don't see that anymore. What became of 'old technology'?

Rudy van Daalen Wetters
1963 GTE s/n 4001
1966 330 GT s/n 8705
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tyang
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Post by tyang »

Rudy van Daalen Wetters wrote:As a youngster, my Dad would take me along and we would go to Pep Boys and buy a cheap Cadet battery for one of our cars. The battery lasted forever. If it ever became totally discharged a simple recharge would make it new again. I just don't see that anymore. What became of 'old technology'?

Rudy van Daalen Wetters
1963 GTE s/n 4001
1966 330 GT s/n 8705
The accountants and people with business degrees conspired with the engineers and figured out that they could engineer something to last just as long as the warrenty. Building something to exceed the profit margin doesn't make money!

Don't get me started with what's wrong with the world!

Tom
'63 330 America #5053
Rudy van Daalen Wetters
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Post by Rudy van Daalen Wetters »

A shame that these days, short term profits appear to dilute a long term reputation.

Rudy van Daalen Wetters
1963 GTE s/n 4001
1966 330 GT s/n 8705
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tyang
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Post by tyang »

Rudy van Daalen Wetters wrote:A shame that these days, short term profits appear to dilute a long term reputation.

Rudy van Daalen Wetters
1963 GTE s/n 4001
1966 330 GT s/n 8705
Unfortunately, that's what the marketing department is for!

Tom
'63 330 America #5053
GlassGTB
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Post by GlassGTB »

Tom you are the "ferrari guy" I mentioned in my first post that said "Optimas fail constantly." I did not use your name in case Optima was an official sponsor for this site:) By the way, the manager at Pep Boys agreed to let me get a Bosch battery that was about $90 + $10 core and then credit the rest of the funds to my amex card. Unfourtunately, the manger was not there the day I went back to return the battery and I had to deal with a Beavis and Butthead type salesboy. He assured me that he could complete the transaction but failed miserably. The guy ended up giving me a $52 Pep Boys gift card. I explained, I paid $172 for the Optima and the Bosch is $107 including tax. I should have gotten back about $65 and not on a Pep Boys gift card. He could not understand my logic or math. Why the hell would I give you my American Express card? Dont get me started on the youth of America!
mdempsey
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Post by mdempsey »

I had an optima in my 73 Vette. It was my dads car new and now I have it. The battery sits right behind the drivers seat. I drove from MD to the corvette museum in Bowling Green to meet my son for a weekend (he goes to schools at Mississippi State U). Lots of fun on the ride down. I have a 1969 Tri power L71 that has been built up and the crusing was great.

Anyway, about 10 miles from Bowling Green an incredibly noxious odor started hitting me. I had the T tops off an all. I pulled off at the next exit and the battery was cooking like you would not believe. It had issued a nasty tar like discharge from the vent. My first though was that it was being overcharged. I took the car three places and each time the charging system checked out fine. I landed at a battery specialty store and again checked the charging system. Still no problems. Funny thing is the battery checked fine too. Needing to get home at the end of the weekend I purchased a similar technology battery but not an Optima.

Lo and behold problem sovled and no issues since. I am amazed it did not catch fire given the heat it gave off. They asked my if I wanted to take the battery home and I said keep the POS, I don't have much room and the thing smells bad. I just ate the $150.00 or so.

It is my third optima that was problematic. I will never buy another one. I have three cars on trickle chargers and none are on Optima's now. Can't take a chance of one battery burnijg down the whole deal!!

Best battery ever, whatever comes stock (Bosch??) in the older Mercedes Benz. Big beefy and I had one last 270,000 miles and seven years!
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Jim
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Post by Jim »

Company should rename the battery Suboptima.
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Koll
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Post by Koll »

Add me to the list of ex-Optima customers. My Supra had one. Not exactly a hard car to start. Failed in 18 months. For some reason, I know way more about batteries than I should. I have some general rules about batteries and cables.

Bigger is almost always better as they almost always deliver more CCA and RC.
Stay with factory everything (cables, hold downs, etc.) unless you're staring at a woefully underengineered design.
Cleaner the better.

Other rules:
Stay away from aftermarket "high end" audio stuff - Monster Cable, connectors, etc.
Battery reconditioners that use "pulse conditioning" to desulfate are a fraud.
Johnson Controls seems to make the best battery. The best bang for the buck is Costco's "Kirkland" brand. *

* Be wary of fitment charts of retailers. Big OEM BCI groups are more expensive the the supply chain than el-cheap-o Group 35 batteries they steer you to. Trying to find a Group 27 or 27F can be difficult now-days. I couldn't find any Kirkland Group 27s last time I looked.
Rudy van Daalen Wetters
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Post by Rudy van Daalen Wetters »

In Europe the battery to have is VARTA. I believe it is German made and I have to say they are great performers and good quality. I had two cars over in Amsterdam and installed the VARTA batteries there. Now the cars are back here. I am not sure if these batteries are sold in the US but I don't believe so. Hand cranking a Bugatti in the snow with sub zero temperatures is not for the faint of heart.

Rudy van Daalen Wetters
1963 GTE s/n 4001
1966 330 GT s/n 8705
Jimmyr
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Post by Jimmyr »

I agree Optima batteries are not the best quality. The idea is good, but the quality is not. NAPA still sells the 27F size and they are all black so no funny colors under the hood. Jim
whturner
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Post by whturner »

330GT wrote:Based on my experience and various threads over in FerrariChat (mainly the 308 section), the quality of Optima batteries has suffered since they were bought out.
I have an Optima battery that is now on its 6th year - when I go to storage I expect the car to start up, after sitting since October. But this is one of the early ones.

The second fact which might be considered is that - according to the instructions which came with the battery - they can be ruined by over-voltage charging. A regular battery would just bubble a little faster. The factory voltage specs for my generator were a bit higher than the maximum voltage stated, so I had to adjust the regulator to a lower voltage. I don't know if you can do that with later cars with alternators so I don't know how you would get around that.

I would not buy an Optima now, if only for that reason.

Cheers
Warren
330 GT Series II sn 10069
volkster999
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Batteries

Post by volkster999 »

For what it is worth... I have had bad luck with the Kirkland batteries in the winter if they sit for a while. My 328 and jet ski both came with Die Hards when I bought them and they seem to be able to sit all winter without a problem. This winter I have a maintainer on all of them and that seems to have leveled the playing field.
Neil
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