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Optima batteries, 4/10/18...battery status update

optima jim, i have a battery that my dad got me as a late Christmas present, bought Jan 08..its 2 1/2 yrs old and i can't get any warranty help on it at o'reilies-auto zone- advance auto or anywhere else that sells optima batteries b/c it don't show in their computers b/c I'm not sure where my dad bought it or the phone # he gave wherever he bought it, my father is not with us anymore, so i can't ask him anything anymore... i remember he said he thought it came from advance auto, but they can't find the purchase in their computer & they say they can't swap it under warranty...what happened to any optima dealer being able to handle warranty swaps?
 
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:whistle: Wal mart Maxx.... You can buy 2 for the price of a Optima. Maxx Always guarentyed anywhere any time.. No questions asked. There is a wally world in every town.
I just dont understand. Why pay 100 or more for a battery that seems to have so many issues and sellers not willing to honor the warenty....
Yeah... so great! an optima will start your engine if you are up side down... Lot of good that will do.
I dont see anyone slamming Wal mart Maxx batteries.
 
Hi blazin_blazer,

I followed up with an e-mail as well, but if your father has any record of his purchase, such as a cancelled check or credit card statement, that could help identify the retailer. As nice as it would be for all of our authorized retailers to honor the warranty on batteries purchased at competing retailers, this is a policy set by retailers and probably the same reason why Wal-Mart won't warranty an ipod purchased at Best Buy.

Jim McIlvaine
eCare Manager, OPTIMA Batteries, Inc.
www.facebook.com/optimabatteries
 
Thunder said:
:whistle: Wal mart Maxx.... You can buy 2 for the price of a Optima. Maxx Always guarentyed anywhere any time.. No questions asked. There is a wally world in every town.
I just dont understand. Why pay 100 or more for a battery that seems to have so many issues and sellers not willing to honor the warenty....
Yeah... so great! an optima will start your engine if you are up side down... Lot of good that will do.
I dont see anyone slamming Wal mart Maxx batteries.
Click to expand...

Understandable point you have.... But at the same time, Optima batteries handle much more abuse (cycling) than many others. In return many people do just that, run them down. Then get all uppity up when it "won't take a charge" We have to remember that these batteries are a different animal and if the proper action isn't taken to "charge them" the results are as we see to often. I've gotten "junk optimas" from people in the past and used this handy little guide to enjoy these for myself! http://www.optimabatteries.com/product_support/resuscitating_agmbattery.php

I'll admit these deeply discharged batts can even test bad most of the time.... but proper charging has made me a believer! just my .02

I've also got 2 new ones for sale if anyone is looking! 34/78yellow top and a 78 red top.
 
optimajim, i really really wish i could talk to my dad again, not sure we would talk about batteries tho, because you see he has past on and there is no way for me to find out that info on the battery in question...I really wish I could get this battery replaced as it actually has some sentimental value to me, as it was 1 of the last things my dad ever bought for me, but i guess I'm just out of luck as far as my optima goes..thanks for the reply
 
What's wrong with the battery, it's dead, right? What killed it in the first place? Have you taken any of the steps to recharge it? They need a slow, low amperage recharge. The battery may not need to be replaced.
 
Optima Jim,

Do you have any advice on bringing older Optima's back to life a little? I own 4 now and the two in my daily driver have trouble crankin the cummins over in the winter time and just dont seem to have the capacity they used to. The one I have in my k5 has been around for 6 years now, and killed SO many times. I think one time it sat in the truck for 2 weeks with the ignition on charging the coil and an interstate dealer brought it back to life with very low amperage charging for several days. It'll still crank the truck over when I need it to.
 
blazin blazer, I’m sorry to hear of your loss. Can you describe the circumstances surrounding your battery issues and your current voltage level? Have you attempted to charge the battery and if so, what was the outcome?

Black Betty, it might be worthwhile for you to charge your batteries at a 10 amp rate for up to two hours, to help break up sulfation. You should monitor the batteries while they are charging, to make sure they do not get hot to the touch or start venting (discontinue charging if either occurs). If they are not at their maximum voltage (12.6-12.8 volts for RedTops and 13.0-13.2 for YellowTops) you can finish charging them at a 2 amp rate until they reach that voltage level. Hopefully, that will improve the performance of your batteries. However, six years worth of multiple deep-discharges has likely diminished the performance of those batteries to some degree.

Jim McIlvaine
eCare Manager, OPTIMA Batteries, Inc.
www.facebook.com/optimabatteries
 
hey optimajim...the vehicle the battery was in had the dome light & the glovebox left open over a 2 week period, while i was away from home & that caused a complete drain, i haven't tried to get a voltage reading yet, my multimeter/fluke 88 has dead battery also :doah: i have tried to charge the battery but the charger acts like its not hooked to anything, the charger never tries to put out a charge.....i took it to autozone to have it charged and checked, it showed nothing of a charge when they hooked it up..the salesman even made the comment about it being "Dead dead"..they said they couldn't get it to take charge either ????

i had an off/diff brand? gel cell(guy i know got a pallet full of these gel-cells looked just like an optima yellow top but they had no stickers. i think they maybe were blems???) that battery got sucked inside out & wouldn't take a charge from my charger...i took it to the battery warehouse & they revived it..i left it there over a week..the guy said he had run @ 60v into the battery for about 2-3 days then he slowly backed it down to 12v over the course of a few days & then let it charge at 13v for 3-4 days and it gave it another couple years of life.. i haven't tried that yet w/ my "real" optima battery...anything wrong w/trying that?
 
I've been very pleased with my optima yellow tops. I have been running them in every vehicle I own for the past 7 years. The very first one I bought is still working great.
 
I bought an optima red top back in 2006. I was going through a battery every year because of the stereo I had in my blazer. Since I bought an optima I have never had a need to buy another one yet. Best battery I have bought so far.
 
blazin_blazer said:
hey optimajim...the vehicle the battery was in had the dome light & the glovebox left open over a 2 week period, while i was away from home & that caused a complete drain, i haven't tried to get a voltage reading yet, my multimeter/fluke 88 has dead battery also :doah: i have tried to charge the battery but the charger acts like its not hooked to anything, the charger never tries to put out a charge.....i took it to autozone to have it charged and checked, it showed nothing of a charge when they hooked it up..the salesman even made the comment about it being "Dead dead"..they said they couldn't get it to take charge either ????

i had an off/diff brand? gel cell(guy i know got a pallet full of these gel-cells looked just like an optima yellow top but they had no stickers. i think they maybe were blems???) that battery got sucked inside out & wouldn't take a charge from my charger...i took it to the battery warehouse & they revived it..i left it there over a week..the guy said he had run @ 60v into the battery for about 2-3 days then he slowly backed it down to 12v over the course of a few days & then let it charge at 13v for 3-4 days and it gave it another couple years of life.. i haven't tried that yet w/ my "real" optima battery...anything wrong w/trying that?
Click to expand...

blazin blazer, I think the first order of business is getting your multimeter working. From what you’ve described, it sounds like your battery has been discharged below 10.5 volts. When batteries are discharged to that extent, many chargers will not recognize or charge them. If that’s the case, you may need to use the parallel charging technique described in this video- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dIoaL3DWWEg

I’m guessing you meant to type “amps” instead of “volts” when describing the charging technique used by the person at the battery warehouse. We don’t recommend exceeding a 10 amp charging rate, but if your battery has been deeply-discharged and allowed to sulfate, charging at 10 amps as I suggested to Black Betty, can help break up the sulfation. Please keep me posted on your findings.

Jim McIlvaine
eCare Manager, OPTIMA Batteries, Inc.
www.facebook.com/optimabatteries
 
Wow I have had good luck

I have had incredibly good luck with optima batteries. I have bought all yellow tops. I have bought three different batteries and had them in four different vehicles. My first one was in an 88 blazer, and I had a huge stereo system in it and a gigantic alternator to supply that stereo. My second yellow top was in an 01 Ford f150 and I had it in there for quite a long time, and put it into my 91 blazer when I bought it, and left the optima in their when i sold it to my sister and it is still going good, and she is running the flexalite fans which pull 28 amps. My third battery is in my 84 blazer and I have a 140 amp alternator in that one. The 91 and 84 blazers are both daily drivers and are both in fresno,California where it gets pretty hot, and so do the batteries. I would recommend running one, but essentially it is up to you. I can't believe that there are that many people that have had bad luck.
 
Maybe I ought to re-read this thread - my Yellow top main is unhappy after this summer...
 
hmmm
I have 3 batteries
*1 yellowtop that came with the blazer, has a 9/06 sticker on it, works good.
*1 Redtop that I put in my DD about 5-6 years ago. DD has a 400watt stereo that is used from time to time. The battery has never been drained however.
*1 AcDelco that replaced my DD's original factory battery under warranty. Had it since '03, used till '04, Redtop replaced it. This battery is my extra I bring when I go camping etc. I've used it to start cars, bike, and boats, or power marker strobe lights all night long. It seems to still be going strong.

The yellowtop and Delco batteries are on battery tenders all the time. I am looking for a 2nd battery for the blazer. Still might do the $180 yellowtop, which is a good deal for this one. Or might go to wallyworld.
 
In my crawler jeep I had a red top and a yellow top in a dual battery isolation setup with a mean green alternator and I never had a lick of trouble. I sold the jeep with the setup running on 4 years :waytogo:
 
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