Optima Battery dead
Thread Starter
Burning Brakes
Joined: Apr 1999
Posts: 1,161
Likes: 0
From: Texas
Optima Battery dead
Figured out my electrical prob, was only a bad battery. Never seen one die with these symptoms. Battery would read 13.1v off the car. Wouldn't turn it over though. I thought I had a short somewhere since the battery read good with the meter. With ALL other batteries I've ever had one of the symptoms that they were going bad was that they would not charge up to full voltage.
I tried another battery that measured 12.5v and it would spin the motor. Took the battery and had it tested. It would only put out 2amps. This was a 4 year old Optima red top. I paid a lot of money for this thing and it didn't last any longer, maybe even less so, than a regular battery. I went back in with an O'Reilly's special with a 7 year warranty. I'm done with Optima's.
just thought I'd pass on my experience with Optima's..
Happy vetting
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I tried another battery that measured 12.5v and it would spin the motor. Took the battery and had it tested. It would only put out 2amps. This was a 4 year old Optima red top. I paid a lot of money for this thing and it didn't last any longer, maybe even less so, than a regular battery. I went back in with an O'Reilly's special with a 7 year warranty. I'm done with Optima's.
just thought I'd pass on my experience with Optima's..
Happy vetting
.
.
.
Team Owner
Joined: Mar 2001
Posts: 54,124
Likes: 30
From: Cincinnati, Oh USA
Some swear by them, others swear at them. I don't understand the excitement just because the Optima has a gel electrolyte and coiled lead plates and thus different than a conventional car battery. They also cost almost twice what a top of the line conventional battery does and Consumer Reports tested them 2 years ago and found that they didn't meet their advertised ratings. Also, we have a number of CFers that have had a bad experience with Optimas.
Last edited by jfb; Aug 2, 2004 at 11:20 PM.
Le Mans Master
Joined: May 1999
Posts: 6,517
Likes: 1,304
From: Windermere FL
I guess I am just one of the lucky ones (fo once!). "Normal' batteries usually only lasted me 18 months before they need to be replaced. I have had my red top in for almost three years now. That is an all time record for me!
