battery

Thanks for sharing.

Optima Redtop and Battery Tender is my winning combo for making sure car starts every time and all the time.

 

Back in the old days, batteries used to give a bit of a warning that they were starting to fail (most commonly by struggling to turn the engine over when starting up), but these days they don't seem to give any warning at all. One moment they're working fine and then suddenly they're dead! - No idea why this should have changed!

Whilst it could just be that the battery has died due to age, I'd check to make sure the alternator is working correctly, just in case.

 

+1. As a precautionary measure, I just replaced my 9 year old perfectly good working Redtop with a new Redtop. Using a tender significantly extends the life of a battery.

 

Which specific model of Optimas are you guys using?

 

Correct size is a Group 34R (reversed terminal locations), but the cables are long enough that a Group 34 will work. Optima red tops are a decent battery, with a good history of reliability....until about 7 or 8 years ago, people started reporting that even a single discharge of the battery would kill it...and it would not recover. Usually with most batteries, (including red tops) that can shorten the life, but not kill it. I am uncertain if this trait has ever been corrected, but I know some friends that switched to the Optima yellow top, which is a little lower CCA, but is designed for complete discharge, without damage.

Another couple good AGM batteries worth considering are the Duracell from Batteries Plus (manufactured by East Penn) and Sears Platinum (which also now appears to be manufactured by East Penn, as they look identical to the Duracell).

 

Thanks very much for the tips, "Hugh".

I've been hearing similar things about the Red Top. I'll look into the Duracell that you mentioned. And I see that Bosch is now offering an AGM battery, available at Pep Boys.

 

Optima's were nice batteries. They moved production to Mexico about three years ago. I am on my second replacement now.

Diehard or Bosch AGM might be my next move.

 

+1...Optima just ins't what it used to be. All outsourced to Mexico. I'm all about the Diehard Platinum. Have one on my Jeep powering 3 sets of Aux Lights, 10K winch, stereo, etc, etc...an't kill it!

 

I was curious what battery was in my recently acquired 430 Scuderia, so this afternoon I opened up the passenger battery compartment to see.....Optima RedTop Group 34R! Crap.
I guess I will continue to use it for now...but will plan on load testing it periodically, and at the first sign of it heading south, I am ditching it for a Sears Platinum AGM or Duracell AGM.