Is the Exide a sealed battery? I don't want any acid horror stories.

 

I have had a Red Top for over three years no problems at all. I have let my car set for a month and it started fine. I don't have a battery tender and have never had to charge it.

 

no issues with the one in my 66 1yr old or the red top in my 98 daily driver. my buddy has 4 yrs on his red top no problems

 

I have had my redtop for two years, and have had the car sit as long as 2 months without a start or charge. I've never had problems starting the car.

 

I've had my Red Top for 2 years with no trouble.

 

The optima's claim to fame is that they are extremely rugged batteries, have a lot of Cold Cranking Amps, and have a lot of stored energy. The question is, do you need that, or are you just looking for a reliable battery that will start you car? Unless you are rough on you car or like to drain the batery down with a stereo or some other load, the AC Delco batteries are great. I have the original battery in my truck for five years. How long did you have your original battery in you car before you replaced it?

Jason

 

I have to try to clarify a few misconceptions here!

1- Most if not All late model cars have microprocessors (computers,ECU's, PCM's, what ever you want to call them) that draw current after the car is shut down. For the most part, it is a very small current draw measured in milliamperes. My 02 ZO6 draws 20 milliamps when the BCM is in the sleep mode. Every car with PCM that manages a security system will cause the battery to run down after a long period of storage. PERIOD!
There are TWO ways that you can deal with this:
a. Fully charge and then Disconnect the battery for the period of time that the car is in storage. It WILL NOT damage the car or hurt the battery! PERIOD!

b. Charge the battery every so often OR leave it on a battery tender DESIGNED to charge the battery when it needs charging! If you leave a $10 battery charger on your battery for 3-4 months, your likely to find a bubbling lump of plastic where your battery use to be!

2- Yes,,,there was a period of time when OPTIMA had a bad run of batteries. I had one. My FIRST OPTIMA lasted 3 weeks and went dead! They have an OUTSTANDING Warranty! If you buy one and have issues with it, just get it replaced! My replacement OPTIMA has worked flawlessly for just about 3 years now! My car is a daily driver.

3- Sears, Walmart, SAMs, NAPA, Kragen, Auto zone, Advance, Pep boys etc...and even GM, Ford and Chrysler, all have their label on a battery! Hell,,,I think there are only a hand full of battery manufactures that make batteries. OPTIMA, Orbital and a few other one of a kind private manufactures make a specialty battery different from all the rest! I think OPTIMA was bought out by Johnson Controls (could be wrong on that one)

Then you need to figure out if you want a Gel battery, AGM battery or a standard lead acid battery Oh, by the way,,,an OPTIMA Battery is also a lead acid battery. It's just contained in a spiral wound mat , ( absorbed glass mat ) in individual cells.

Long story short, get a battery that is the correct size for you C5 and it should last 3-5 years with out a problem!

4 Should your battery discharge after it sits for a week or two??? NO! If your having this problem " If the battery is not charged on a regular basis, like every 3 days
It won't start the car. "
Something is seriously wrong with your car or the battery that is in the car!
I live in the North East and my C5 has sit out in the 10 deg cold for weeks at a clip when the weather is really nasty (snow/ice on the ground) and I have never had a problem starting! The OEM battery in my 98 Coupe lasted 5 years before it started showing it's age. It would still start the car fine but the battery output would drop down to 9 VDC for a fraction of a second upon cold starts and caused numerous DTC history codes. Still started the car fine even after sitting for weeks at a time.
If your having problems with your battery going dead in a short period of storage, conduct a current draw test and figure out what the current draw is when the BCM goes into sleep mode. Batteries can and do short internally! Your car will NOT show an excessive current draw but will still go flat quickly!

If you disconnect the battery from the car and it still discharges, it has an internal short (bad cell/s).

Have the battery FULLY tested by a COMPETENT Facility with the right equipment! It needs to be tested under load and for RESERVE CAPACITY! The employees at the local "everything for cars mart" don't always know exactly what there doing and do a lot of back yard guessing as to what they think is wrong with your car!
Get a professional opinion on the condition of the charging system and battery from a COMPETENT Starter/Alternator repair facility. It will save you a LOT of time and CASH!

5 When you purchase a battery, CHECK THE MANUFACTURE DATE OF THAT BATTERY your about to put in your car! If its been sitting on the shelf for 2-3 years,,,, ,,,your already asking for trouble! Get a fresh battery manufactured within a few months of your purchase date!
The date code on the batteries are usually on dot stickers on the side. If it has a code of say D-2, that means it was made or actually distributed in April of 2002, or it could have been 1992 if it was a very old battery. The letter is the month, and the number is the year.


6 If you have a PRISTINE LOW mileage Garage Kept Car and it still have the OEM Delco Side post battery,,,,Get that sucker OUT OF THERE and replace it with a different battery!!! You will "eventually " have the side post leak and spill acid on the PCM and wiring harness.

Most dealers want $2000-$5000 (NO BS) to completely fix an acid spillage problem!!!!! They will want to replace the battery, the COMPLETE under hood wiring harness, TAC module and PCM. They also clean and repaint the frame in the damaged area.

7 The average run of the mill lead acid battery from one of the local discount stores cost between $50-$70. The last time I purchased my OPTIMA from Auto zone 3 years ago, it was $112. That was a SALE PRICE!

Optima is a pretty battery and it has lasted me 3 years and it is still kicking. Like it was previously stated, the heavy duty Ford Motor Co battery in my 97 F150 truck has never been replaced and I have run it down to ZIP POINT SH1$ two times and it just keeps on kicking!! It sits for weeks at a time and never gets charged!! I treat it like a Red Headed Step Child!!

I think my next battery for the C5 will be a Walmart Special! I'll save the extra cash for something that will make the car faster. Nothing against OPTIMA but the extra cost doesn't really get you anything extra!

Here are some battery construction FACTS to mull over:

Lead acid batteries are manufactured in three technologies: flooded cell, gel cell, and starved electrolyte (Absorbed Glass Mat).

Flooded cells are the old style, and can have varying plate area, plate thickness and many other features which make them suitable for different services.
Gel cells have silica added to the electrolyte to gel it, providing many advantages and some disadvantages.
AGM batteries have fiberglass mat between the plates sufficient to absorb all of the electrolyte like a sponge.

Flooded cells have a high tolerance of mistreatment (because you can add back the water you boiled out) but sulfate easily. They also have a high self discharge rate, about 5-10% per month. If the plates are thick enough and there is enough reservoir below the plates for detritus, they can last a long time. The so-called maintenance free batteries just have a little more electrolyte and the caps sealed on

Gel cells can be shipped, tipped on their side (but not upside down), have a lower self discharge rate (about 1-3% a month) and tolerate longer periods of deep discharge with less sulfation. However they are sensitive to vibration (knocks the gel away from the plates) and are very sensitive to charge voltage. If charged at too high a voltage, the gel dries out and there is no way to replace it. They do not out gas unless abused and will not corrode ever thing around them.

AGM cells can be shipped, tipped on there side, have a low self discharge rate. They tolerate higher charging voltage but can still dry out if abused. The better ones can be charged and discharged very rapidly, for example a 100 AH battery can be charged at 100 Amps, as long as the voltage is controlled. They tolerate vibration (important in vehicle use) and do not out gas or corrode their surroundings.

The Optima is a spiral wound AGM battery, which is why it has the funny six-pack shape. The two lead plates and glass mat between them are rolled up like toilet paper, makes it more tolerant of physical abuse. Its a good battery, but you can still kill it with traditional methods - primarily leaving it discharged or partially charged for any length of time.



My 3 cents! Hope it helps.

Bill C

 

I store my car over the winter and have a red top. In a little over a year, the battery has been replaced three times. The warranty is Great and they never ask any questions, but it still shouldn't happen.

Since the last one, I've bought a CCA CTek battery charger (that is, in my opinion, much better than a battery tender. Which I had that went dead too) and it's a Great little tool.It's much more advanced than a battery tender and is completely automatic. Sorry if I sound like an infomercial, but I'm impressed with it and thought that I'd share.

We'll see how it works!

 

Good info Bill! This will be helpful for a lot of folks!
Also of some use: Using batteries with a high CCA rating will generally buy you more time as far as usefull life. That's why the higher the CCA (Cold Cranking Amps) rating, the higher the price, regardless of brand.
You're absolutely right on the few actual battery manufacturers in the country. These folks private label for many of the "brands" we see out there in the stores. Delco and Exide (formerly Willard/Exide) are two manufacturers that come to mind right away. I think Interstate may still make their own batteries too, not sure on them though.
Also a very good point you made regarding batteries often being blamed when there is residual drain on the electrical system that has not been diagnosed.
Thanks, Robert

 

i've gone thru 2 redtops in about 3 years. my current redtop is sitting on my garage floor.

 

My car just gets driven in the summer. It is a garage queen.

 

I replaced the OEM after 5 years (just because I feel thats long enough) with a Red Top. But believe the "key" to trouble free DC power is the use of a Tender. Summer, Winter, whenever the car is in the garage the tender is on.

 

I've had a Red Top since 2003 and use a tender in the winter when seldom driven without issues

 

Replaced my original 2002 Delco AGM battery with a Red Top from Costco a few months ago. So far, so good. The Delco AGM was always a weakling. Leave the lights on for 20 minutes and the sucker wouldn't turn over the engine. It started showing signs of impending trouble, such as the DIC resetting it's display format, random codes showing up once in while and the radio stations getting reset.

So in went the optima. It's very strong, the DIC voltage doesn't dip as much after a start. Even the famous C5 headlight dimming when you step on the brakes is better.

The tip about looking for the date-code when you buy a battery is a very good one. Was considering the Exide Orbital, but when I stopped by a Kragen, all their stock on the shelf was MORE than a year old!!! No way am I shelling out for a battery that's been sitting around for a year!

The Costco Optima was a month old, there were older ones on the shelf, but I grabbed the freshest. Put it on my charger at home for a top-off before it went in the car.

I wouldn't put a flooded cell battery in a C5. The computer and harness is directly underneath. You're just asking for trouble. Better to get the leakproof battery even if it costs more.

Never let a battery go flat. If it goes flat, don't let it sit uncharged. Always charge a flat battery with a low-current charger, rather than the car if at all possible. If your car doesn't get driven frequently, get a battery minder or charge it occasionly while it is inactive.

Do all that, and your starting battery will probably last a long time.

 

I had 3 Red Tops over a 4.5 year period. Dead cell, dead cell, dead cell. I wouldn't have another one of those overpriced POS if you gave it to me for free. "The best battery out there." You've got to be joking.
Have had a Sears DieHard Gold for almost 2 years now and couldn't be happier. Good luck w/ your choice---Hopefully, you'll make the right choice and NOT buy a Optima Red Top.

 

I am having the same problem. I cannot let my car sit for more then 5 days the battery goes dead. Maybe we have a short curcuit in our electrical systems.
Does the onboard computer continually draw electricitiy?
How do I check for an electrical short?
Any comments from the fourm group would be helpful.

 

I bought a red top for my 63 in 2003. Disassembled the car and stored the battery on the floor in the garage. Finished the restoration in July 2006. Installed the battery and the car started without charging it. Now that's a battery.

 

Odd enough, the Yellow top in my C5 now will go 3 to 4 weeks in the garage with out being driven and will fire right up without any problems!! Like I said...its been hit or miss for me

Shahram

 

i put a red top in my grand prix gtp in 2001, and just pulled it out early this past summer ( april here )...to install it into my 00' coupe, which had evidence of acid leak on the frame. when i sold the coupe last month, the red top was still cranking just like it should. i was wanting to get a new red top to put in my new purchase, 03' Z, but now having second thoughts after reading all this.

 

Red Top two years no issues seldom driven and no tender I start the car every three or four weeks just to give the battery a quick charge even if I don't drive it.

Red Top OK here