My '99 had a brand new Red Top installed in it just before I purchased it last August. So far so good but after reading about all of the problems others have had on this forum if and when it goes I will probably not replace it with another Optima AGM Battery but a regular acid type battery instead.

Hope I don't get flamed here but the best battery I ever came across in the 34 years of being in the Auto Parts Business is the Ford Motorcraft Battery. I have had nothing but good luck with them. I own 3 Ford Vehicles. 2 are work Vans one a 2000 E150 and one a 2003 E350 Van. They both have their original Motorcraft battery installed still to this day. I also own a 2000 Mercury Marquis. Still has the original Motorcraft Battery also in it. It will be 11 years in April from when I first purchased the Mercury brand new. That is 2 vehicles with Motorcraft batteries still in use 11 years and still going and 1 vehicle with a Motorcraft battery in use now 8 years and still going. Had another work Van that I installed a Motorcraft Battery years ago and it lasted 9 years back during the 80's. Every other battery I have ever used never lasted like a Motorcraft. I don't care whether it was a Delco, Sears Diehard, Champion or Energizer car battery or even a Walmart Battery. None of them have lasted very long. Most made it 3-5 years and that was it.

 

Choreo, we tend to be very conservative in everything we do and it is not at all uncommon for our batteries to test above their stated ratings. It is also not uncommon for AGM batteries in general to test at a higher than rated CCA with non-carbon pile-type load testers. Carbon pile-type testers will yield the most-accurate results, but the accuracy of any load test is VERY dependant on the voltage of the battery being tested. A load test on a battery that isn't properly-charged will not be accurate, although it sounds like your previous battery was charged correctly. Generally speaking, if a battery can take and hold a charge properly, but the CCA reading (when tested properly) is low, it often means the battery should be replaced.

It is unusual to hear that the side terminals showed "GOOD," while the top terminals showed "BAD," considering the electrical path to the side terminals comes directly from the top terminals. Unusual guage readings could indicate a problem with the battery or a poor connection at the battery.


Jim McIlvaine
eCare Manager, OPTIMA Batteries, Inc.
www.facebook.com/optimabatteries

 

Replaced my with a motorcraftI work at a dealer so I got a good deal plus 8yr warranty and free roadside if I have any issues.