AGM battery
 

Although my 2011 RDX battery works fine, I'm planning ahead to its replacement (when I drive to the USA from Canada I tend to buy a bunch of parts in advance). Since I *think* the battery is old, I'm looking at replacing with an AGM battery.

Has anyone successfully used the Optima Red/Yellow batteries in an RDX?

I think later RDX's actually came with AGM batteries from the factory, but I don't think they fit (not group 35)

I've always done Interstate non-AGM batteries in my 08 RDX. I live/travel in the southwest with triple digit temps the norm in summer and single digits/teens in winter 6 months later. I usually get 5-6 year minimum and zero issue in-between with Interstate. I switch from a normal battery to AGM in the 11 MDX Adv+Ent because I added a dashcam. The AGM gave me more reserve power and I was able to have the dashcam active in "parking mode" for days instead of a few hours with the OEM battery. It would be a lot of money to spend if you are not planning to keep the RDX for +6 years, live in extreme heat/cold, or have power hungry aftermarket accessories like dashcam, lighting, stereo/amp/speaker upgrades, alarm/remote start, etc...

Speaking as a former Porsche owner, the Optima batteries were considered to be the gold standard for replacement. However, sometime around 2010 they started making their batteries in Monterrey, Mexico and the quality has considered to have gone down. If you do decide to make an Optima purchase, make sure the warranty is valid in Canada.

I hadn't thought about weather, but it turns out AGM batteries perform better in cold weather than regular lead acid (https://www.batteriesplus.com/blog/p...d-temperatures). In my experience good batteries last 3 years on average (in ontario canada)

When I buy parts from the USA I usually have to claim warranty in the USA (so I might drive back to return it). THe parts are SO much cheaper in the USA that's is worth gas to drive. I saved over $120 just on shocks by driving to the USA.

The AGM seem to be 2.2x the price of good lead acid batteries. So fair point about lifespan...if the AGM last 2x the life of regular ones then the battery will outlive the car. I'll have to think about whether it's worth the $

My 2000 Porsche OEM battery lasted about 10 years. It was replaced with an AGM, not Optima, and that battery also seemed to be fine after 10 years. But the car wasn’t used much in winter unless the roads were dry and then only if it was for a relatively long trip. In the winter I did use a battery maintainer and always felt it was a key factor in the battery life. In the summer, I didn't use the maintainer as the car was driven almost daily for about 40 miles round trip.

If you don’t already have a maintainer, perhaps you might want to consider one. What I use is at Battery maintainer. It came with a set of leads that can attach to the battery that provides a quick connect/disconnect.

Costco has best price for AGM battery

I've had the Optima Redtop 35 in my '07 for almost 4 years with zero issues.