I went into the garage and the power was out. So, that meant that my trickle charger was not on. To top it all off, the drivers door was not shut all the way. It was open just enough to catch. I know nobody was in the garage to mess with the car so I know that I left the door open. The battery was dead. No juice to unlock the doors or have the interior lights come on. I got the power back on and the trickle was working. It was making the battery tick when I would hit the lock button. Now, my question is, will the battery be toast? It is the original battery that is 7 years old. Do you think that it will hold a charge and come back from the dead or should I just go and pick up a new battery? If I get a new battery, what should it be? Should I get an Optima Red Top? If so, where can I get one from?

 

Seven years . . .you probably got your monies worth out of that battery

No idea if it will take a charge (if its the oem, its possible but unlikely).

Regarding getting a new battery, I would.

Regarding which to put in, you are going to get a lot of answers/opinions on that

The C5 has a large (read that expensive) computer module directly under the battery tray as well as a fair amount of the wiring harness. Some of the older (pre 2001 I think) oem batteries were side mount terminals that when overtourqued (improperly installed) caused battery acid to leak from the case and many cars had extensive repairs due to the havoc the acid did to the equipment and wiring under the battery. The batteries were redesigned and (just an opinion) I don't think you can buy a battery thats gonna leak like that today.

However, may people put an AGM (acid glass mat) battery in because the construction is supposed to better prevent any acid from leaving the case. The Optima Red Top is an AGM.

Personally, I don't recall what was in mine when I got it, but when it went I replaced it with an Optima Red Top. Which also died some months later (maybe a year). You will get flak both ways on the issue but the Optimas do not like to be run down, they don't recharge well. If its a daily driver or kept on a tender many people like them because they are lighter and if properly maintained work well.

There is a ton of information here about battery selection (just search on which battery...replacement battery) you will have more reading than you can handle

When the red top went (yes I had it on a tender, and I use the car at least three or four times a week, but I didn't start putting it on a tender until it went dead once some time after I got it), from all that Ive read here I settled on a Sears Die Hard Platinum. Extremely durable case, AGM, excellent warranty and supposed to deal with discharge better than the red top.

Some people say that the Optima Yellow Top works well for them. It is more tolerant if discharged. Other often mentioned batteries are Braille (spelling?), Exide Orbital, and AC Delco Professional Series. IMO they are all good.

Others will say that they just grab any 75 month battery from Walmart.

You're going to get a lot of opinions.

I would recommend the Die Hard Platinum.

Good luck

 

Your car should have battery run down protection to where the door wouldn't have killed the battery by itself. But, after seven years, I'd say it's time to get the new battery. I have run the Optima Red Top in my last two C5s and never had any issues with it. Mine is not a daily driver and I keep it hooked to a battery tender when not being driven. If your's is a daily driver, that should suffice for keeping the battery charged.

Like mentioned above, there are a lot of opinions on the Optimas (or any battery for that matter) and there are a lot of good ones out there.

 

I've used Optima red tops for over 10 years. 7 years in my street rod and 4 years in my C5. They have been great with zero problems. I'll replace my C5's current red top with another one in a heartbeat. GO for it.

 

I have a duralast gold paid $65 for it at Autozone and has been doing fine for me ever since. Think it has a 7 year warranty. Optimas are overrated IMO.

 

First off, if a car battery is drained to a point where it will not start the car, do not use a trickle (maintenance) charger. Use a standard automatic charger that puts out at least 3 amps. (10 amps will do just fine).

Secondly, while your battery could last another two years, it is not as likely to, now that it has been fully drained. I recommend that you buy another.

Lastly, don't believe all the hype about having to buy an AGM-type battery. Yes, they are less likely to leak, but a modern lead-acid battery case is extremely durable and is very, very unlikely to leak. I have an AC Delco Professional 7-year battery but you can save a few bucks by buying a Costco Kirkland battery for about $60-$70. It'll last you more than 5 years and is 1/3rd the cost of some of the AGM batteries that are out there.

 

7 year old battery= get a new one. Red top, Sears Platnum. Wallmarts sells the Red Tops. Remember to close your door!. Good luck.

 

Great bang for the buck

I noticed that the Costco batteries now carry an Interstate label on them. They look exactly the same as before, except for the label.
Costco lowered the free replacement warranty which was 36 months, and now is only 30 months. Pro rated is for 84 months I believe.