Still have the original optima

[journeyjim]

Had all the fluids and filters changed, for winter. Asked them to check the battery they came back and told me it was fine. It's the original optima red battery, am I asking for trouble running it this long it's going on 4-5 years depending when it was made, it hasn't cranked slow yet. I guess I'll find out the first cold morning, or should I just change it and be done?
I know that the newer optima's are not what they use to be, what is everybody running now or recommend?.

 

[yellocoyote]

My OEM battery went for over 7 years before it died... I would be inclined to think that the Optima would do better than that.:shrug:

 

[retmil46]

With Optimas, it seems there's little middle ground - you either get a good one that lasts nearly forever if treated properly - or you get one that's a dog right out of the gate. I know guys with electric vehicles that have propulsion packs made up of ten to twenty Yellowtops, that have had them last upwards of ten years with the proper charging regime.

OTOH, the initial Redtop in my CRD had a bad cell that made itself known six months after buying the vehicle, and had to be replaced.

That's one of my pet peeves with the vehicle - no installed voltmeter to allow you to keep an eye on the health of the battery and charging system. I resorted to using a small digital voltmeter plugged into the dash outlet.

 

[CRD Joe]

My optima crashed out on me. I bought a Sears version of the Odyssey. A WAY better battery I think. Its so powerful.

http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_...o=2&blockType=L2&prdNo=2&i_cntr=1286855337100

 

[mikey1273]

Mine still had the optima when I bought it in August 2009 and I thought it would last but it didn't. after a few months I had a few slow cranking events so I took it in to Advanced to have it tested. The battery tested ok but they said was low so they charged it up and tested it again. Flash forward to mid November on the first real cold morning and it failed to crank the engine over. So I had my neighbor jump start it and went back to Advanced Auto parts on the way to work and got a new battery, I wasn't messing around with it anymore if it failed to start the engine. I got a standard type AutoCraft Gold now and Its working out well.

 

[journeyjim]

I guess that I'll wait until the first cold morning and if it acts like it's going to be a slow crank, then will replace it. It hasn't let me down yet but I don't want to be somewhere and have it let me down.

 

[JLRockies]

Mine was shot in two years. Replaced it with another Optima and still going two years later.

 

[journeyjim]

Mine was shot in two years. Replaced it with another Optima and still going two years later.

I guess that I must have gotten a good one to start with.

 

[twack]

Im on my third or fourth battery in the liberty, but i have a decent system that i ran for years with no capacitor. i thought i would kill a alternator but it has always been batterys that have died on me