Second Optima Battery Went Bad!!!
Thread Starter
Racer
Joined: Jun 2003
Posts: 315
Likes: 0
From: Newtown Square PA
Second Optima Battery Went Bad!!!
This is my second Optima battery to go bad on me. The charge went low during storage (battery disconnecterd).
The first Optima went bad 2 years ago after winter storage. That time I jumped it and drove it 85 miles only to have that wrotten egg smell (bad battery PEP BOYS said). Pep Boys told me that they don't have the right charging equipment either.
Yesterday no battery again. This time I tried slow charging the battery (12 hours trickle). The charger read full charge.
I drove my car back from winter storage 85 miles Wrotten EGGS, SMOKE & White stuff was discharged. I only have 6200 miles on my 2000 FRC.
Is this normal with OPTIMA or JUNKIMA?
The first Optima went bad 2 years ago after winter storage. That time I jumped it and drove it 85 miles only to have that wrotten egg smell (bad battery PEP BOYS said). Pep Boys told me that they don't have the right charging equipment either.
Yesterday no battery again. This time I tried slow charging the battery (12 hours trickle). The charger read full charge.
I drove my car back from winter storage 85 miles Wrotten EGGS, SMOKE & White stuff was discharged. I only have 6200 miles on my 2000 FRC.
Is this normal with OPTIMA or JUNKIMA?
Racer
Joined: Nov 2004
Posts: 395
Likes: 0
From: TX
Originally Posted by bamcoc5
This is my second Optima battery to go bad on me. The charge went low during storage (battery disconnecterd).
The first Optima went bad 2 years ago after winter storage. That time I jumped it and drove it 85 miles only to have that wrotten egg smell (bad battery PEP BOYS said). Pep Boys told me that they don't have the right charging equipment either.
Yesterday no battery again. This time I tried slow charging the battery (12 hours trickle). The charger read full charge.
I drove my car back from winter storage 85 miles Wrotten EGGS, SMOKE & White stuff was discharged. I only have 6200 miles on my 2000 FRC.
Is this normal with OPTIMA or JUNKIMA?
The first Optima went bad 2 years ago after winter storage. That time I jumped it and drove it 85 miles only to have that wrotten egg smell (bad battery PEP BOYS said). Pep Boys told me that they don't have the right charging equipment either.
Yesterday no battery again. This time I tried slow charging the battery (12 hours trickle). The charger read full charge.
I drove my car back from winter storage 85 miles Wrotten EGGS, SMOKE & White stuff was discharged. I only have 6200 miles on my 2000 FRC.
Is this normal with OPTIMA or JUNKIMA?
Racer
Joined: Apr 2002
Posts: 272
Likes: 5
From: Canton Georgia
I had two Optima Red Tops go bad. When I brought them back they said I didn't know that they had to be chareged at 2amps for 48 hours. When I informed them that I was a certifed ASE tech And was well aware of how to charege a Battery they became irate and told me that there was nothing wrong with battery. Bottom line I went back to convetional battery
Advanced
Joined: Jul 2005
Posts: 78
Likes: 0
From: TN
Originally Posted by ICaughtVetteFever
My second in another car just failed today too. I decided after the first to put something else in the vette and I am glad.
Melting Slicks
Joined: Dec 2003
Posts: 2,857
Likes: 2
From: pawleys island sc
Originally Posted by knowledgefreak
no problems here, daily driver in the tx heat...
are you guys in areas of snowy winters?
are you guys in areas of snowy winters?
Race Director
Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 16,795
Likes: 62
From: Lake Havasu City, AZ
There is nothing special about Optima's other than their spiral cell makes them more leak resistant and less subject to damage due to vibration. The premium paid for Optima is for leak protection and vibration resistance. They can leak and they can fail just like other batterries. They are subject ot the same discharge problems other batteries have and if allowed to become sulphated on discharge they will fail just like other batteries. excessive heat, and long deep discharge can kill any battery, Optima included.
Buy your battery somewhere that offers a 3 year warranty. WHEN it fails, all you will have is the inconvenience and not the cost of replacement.
Buy your battery somewhere that offers a 3 year warranty. WHEN it fails, all you will have is the inconvenience and not the cost of replacement.
Corvette Stories
The Best of Corvette for Corvette Enthusiasts
Top 10 Most Expensive Corvettes Ever Sold on Bring A Trailer
Brett Foote
10 Things Every Corvette Owner Needs (2026 Edition)
Michael S. Palmer
8 Most "Only Corvette Owners Understand" Quirks and Problems
Pouria Savadkouei
10 Reasons the C6 Z06 is Still A Performance Benchmark After 20 Years
Joe Kucinski
How Much Horsepower Every Corvette Engine "LOST" in 1972
Joe Kucinski
Top 10 DOs and DON'Ts for Protecting Your Convertible Top!
Michael S. Palmer
Top 10 Most Explosive Corvettes Ever Made: Power-to-Weight Ratio Ranked!
Joe Kucinski
150 hp to 1,250 hp: Every Corvette Generation Compared by the Specs That Matter
Joe Kucinski
8 Coolest Corvette Pace Cars (and Replicas) of All Time
Verdad Gallardo
Safety Car
Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 4,806
Likes: 70
From: Rochester MN
Originally Posted by rws.1
There is nothing special about Optima's other than their spiral cell makes them more leak resistant and less subject to damage due to vibration. The premium paid for Optima is for leak protection and vibration resistance. They can leak and they can fail just like other batterries. They are subject ot the same discharge problems other batteries have and if allowed to become sulphated on discharge they will fail just like other batteries. excessive heat, and long deep discharge can kill any battery, Optima included.
Buy your battery somewhere that offers a 3 year warranty. WHEN it fails, all you will have is the inconvenience and not the cost of replacement.
Buy your battery somewhere that offers a 3 year warranty. WHEN it fails, all you will have is the inconvenience and not the cost of replacement.
I just bought a 7 year warranty battery, 3 year free replacement, Exide Nascar from Sams for $47. Hey after 3 years, I will have my money's worth. I too, wanted to buy an Optima just to get that cool battery cover for $14,. more, but their failure rate made me rethink.
Good luck
Dave
Burning Brakes
Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 925
Likes: 0
From: Johnston, Iowa
Optimas have a three year replacement warranty. 
I killed my optima, took it back to interstate battery a couple of days ago and they gave me a new replacement redtop and told me the three year warranty restarted with the new battery. (It was a year old.)
If you are storing your car with an optima you MUST use a trickle charger.
I killed my optima, took it back to interstate battery a couple of days ago and they gave me a new replacement redtop and told me the three year warranty restarted with the new battery. (It was a year old.)
If you are storing your car with an optima you MUST use a trickle charger.
Tech Contributor
Joined: Dec 1999
Posts: 32,910
Likes: 2,402
From: Anthony TX
CI 6,7,8,9,11 Vet
St. Jude Donor '08
I removed a perfectly good AC Delco battery from my 02 Z06 and installed an OPTIMA.
Six monts later, I went on travel and flew into VA and as soon as I landed and picked up my rental car, the Cell phone rings. It's the wife: 
Z06 is dead and wont start! 
I'm figureing; it cant be the battery!?!? She jumped the car, took it to the dealer (car still under warranty) and they laughed!!! Your OPTIMA is dead lady!!! They charged her $45 for the bad battery diagnostic (cause it wasnt the AC Delco battery that caused the car to fail.
)
She took it back to Autozone and they gave her a new one. Its been good for almost 3 years now. Yea they do fail.
Will I buy another one when that one bites the dust?? Hopefully there will be other better options by that time!
BC
Six monts later, I went on travel and flew into VA and as soon as I landed and picked up my rental car, the Cell phone rings. It's the wife: Z06 is dead and wont start! I'm figureing; it cant be the battery!?!? She jumped the car, took it to the dealer (car still under warranty) and they laughed!!! Your OPTIMA is dead lady!!! They charged her $45 for the bad battery diagnostic (cause it wasnt the AC Delco battery that caused the car to fail.
)She took it back to Autozone and they gave her a new one. Its been good for almost 3 years now.
Yea they do fail.Will I buy another one when that one bites the dust?? Hopefully there will be other better options by that time!
BC
Le Mans Master
Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 6,276
Likes: 227
From: Farmington CT
Cruise-In VII Veteran
the USAF has a government contract w/ Optima, i've seen them by the hundreds over the past decade, used in all AGE eqipment(aerospace ground equipment); seen a few in some POV's as well
Intermediate
Joined: Oct 2005
Posts: 25
Likes: 0
From: Arnold Md
My next door neighbor owns a Battery Warehouse (franchise store ) and cant stand the optimas . He wont carry them , he said they last about 6 months to a year and when they die good luck getting a replacement from them .
Burning Brakes
Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 925
Likes: 0
From: Johnston, Iowa
Originally Posted by racerx175
My next door neighbor owns a Battery Warehouse (franchise store ) and cant stand the optimas . He wont carry them , he said they last about 6 months to a year and when they die good luck getting a replacement from them .
http://forums.corvetteforum.com/show...6&postcount=11
Burning Brakes
Joined: May 2002
Posts: 818
Likes: 0
From: The Nether Region IL
I've been through 3 optimas in 5 years. Purchased at costco....every time I get a dead one, I bring it back and they return it and credit me the purchase price and I buy a brand new one.... my 3 year warranty is renewed everytime this happens, so I'm not really complaining. The upside is that its not spilling crap all over my PCM like the factory delco was...
Racer
Joined: May 2003
Posts: 320
Likes: 0
From: Hanson Ma
1 junk optima.
I just had to bring back a 13 month old optima red top. car had about 6 months of use then spent the winter in a heated garage on a battery tender. Auto zone swapped it out with no questions but i was pretty disappointed considering how highly recommended they are.