Am I on borrowed time? How long do you think it will go? Smart half says replace it, cheap half says let it go.

 

keep it until you got cranking problem

 

If you think it's time.
Then just grab one and run the optima till it starts getting cold and install before winter.
If it gets cold were you are it sucks running into a dead battery in mid winter. You lose transportation,heat,and shelter (if you have to get somewhere) Not to meching snow or rain,and dangerous walks on the side of the road.
Better be safe than sorry.

 

I've had one Red Top last 9 years. I think it would have lasted longer if I did not have such a power hungry amp on it.

I'd say run it as long as its working. Load testing will tell you how good of shape it is in.


What color is yours? Yellow or Red?

 

They sure don't make them like they use too.........3 in 2 years sucks for a few I know.

 

This belongs in car talk

 

no it doesnt...

stop posting bullshit jacob !

 

Optimas are suppose to go like 10 years.

 

Test the amperage with a multimeter. We can't tell you how long its going to last.

 

Keep.

 

I have Acura battery that has 100 month limited warranty, I had it installed 6 years ago, still running strong... I have jumper cables in my trunk, want to see how much longer it will go.

 

my original acura battery lasted 8 years before the CCA dropped down to 400. I replaced it with another battery before it croaked

 

Mine is 7 years old and still takes a charge like a champ, from what i've heard and read, the optima quality has gone way down, I say keep it. I'm keepin mine for sure

 

Hi Dan, I’m glad to hear your Optima is doing so well for you. If you are concerned about your battery or its ability to perform, you can take it to a local battery professional, who can perform a “charge and check” on it for you, which can also include a load test, as CH46ESeaKnight suggested. Some battery professionals will charge a small fee for this service, but many will do it for free (especially if you bought your battery there).

The key to long battery life, regardless of brand, is maintaining at least 12.4 volts whenever possible. When batteries are discharged below that level and allowed to sit, sulfation will begin to diminish both capacity and performance. That makes a quality battery tender or maintainer a great investment for any vehicle that is not driven daily. If anyone has any questions about our batteries, I’ll do my best to answer them.

Jim McIlvaine
eCare Manager, OPTIMA Batteries, Inc.
www.facebook.com/optimabatteries

 

Why don't you test it and find out for yourself.

 

Up in Sequoia Nat'l Park last week with night temps in the high 40s to low 50s, and it took a little longer to start than normal. Probably going to pass on the Optima as I hear MUCH more bad about them than seven years ago. They also no longer have the 3yr/3yr warranty they did. Hard to justify the same warranty for twice the price!

 

I have not seen Optima batteries double in price. ???? The first one I got in 96 I think was $99.00 and I was at the parts store the other day and saw the red tops were only $119. Hardly double. Optima has stood by thier products when I had a problem. I will continue to use them until otherwise. I've had Optima batts in about 8 cars that I have owned over the years and only 1 batt let me down and Optima took care of it very quickly. Just my thoughts on the brand.


Dan where are you hearing much more bad about them. Is it just talk or are you reading it somewhere? I'd like to see what problems people are having?

I just saw what you are talking about with their warranty, thats not cool!

 

Jim, do you have any recommendations on a reasonably priced battery tender for deep cycle yellow tops?

 

Blackack, here is a link. http://www.batterystuff.com/solar-chargers/

All of our US Customs vehicles have stuff like these. A small solar panel keeps them all going. Everything from our Intercepters to SUV's to F250 Diesel's, they all have one. And they work great. Some of vehicles wont be started for months at a time.

I see some can be had for 30 to 40 bucks. Ours all all hard wired in also, no cigarette lighters.

 

I have to warn you about testing a battery and feeling good about passing the test. An old battery can easily pass all the tests (including load test), but then it can fail two days latter. When the battery is old, it can disintegrate very quickly in a matter of days. If your time is valuable to you, I would replace it just to avoid the inconvenience of being stuck somewhere