well tonite i took my red top back to Advance because it was dead again. They tested it and it was no good. they replaced it under warrany again for the 8th time since june 04 under optima’s 3 year replacement plan. But the last time it went dead was in the summer and the manager recognized me and came over and told me that this is the last time that they will replace it under warranty, i was like wtf. He told me that it has already been replaced too many times and that there has to be something wrong with my car. He told me to spend $60 and get a battery tender. I told him he was nuts and that I have a 3 year warranty now get me a new one, obviously he wasn’t working tonite(what a jackoff) so i got a brand new one. Now there is only 12,100 miles on my car and it sits in the garage all year and I took it off of insurance for the winter as always. I know a few other people that had the same problems. Would the yellow top be better for a car that sits for long periods of time?
I have had a ton of bad luck with optima batteries, and prefer SVR or Kinetik personally
The battery is dead in my t/a also. Found out when i tried to start it tonite. Best thing to do is when your not using the car disconnect it.
true, 2 weeks without starting the stang with the red top, and Flat line on the Battery.
mine, never had a problem…best battery i ever had. dont know how it would hold up to powerful car audio tho.
just cant let the volts drop below 10.5 or it wont start the car
Hmmm I guess I should try the one in the Z tomorow??
mine suck too
I’ve had an Optima Red Top in my road race car since I bought it 3.5 years ago. If I use a battery tender and/or start it every two weeks, I’ve not had a problem. I went a month without starting it or putting it on the tender and the car wouldn’t start. I put it on the charger for about 2 hours and the car fired right up.
The previous owner installed this battery in 2002 or 2003 best I can tell. I’ve never had a problem that wasn’t created by me and it always takes a charge after I discharge.
Most of the road race guys that I know run Optima’s and I’ve never heard a gripe from any drivers over three years that I’ve been racing.
I find it hard to believe that you’d get 8 defective batteries in a row. No one has that bad of luck. Are you sure there isn’t something shorting and destroying these batteries?
KeithO
i don’t use a tender because it has a 3 year warranty. i called optima and they told me that the red top is designed for daily drivers or everyday use. my car sits for long periods of time also. also the guy at advance also asked me if the battery is out of a pontiac, i’m like “yeah” he then said is it a firebird i said “yeah” he then told me that he had numerous returns on pontiacs for some unknown reason. I’ll get a tender when it is out of warranty. I have 4 other friends on this board that have firebirds that went through numerous red tops. I guess we have the same short that’s destroying our batteries.
i am not a big fan of optimas seem sot have bad luck with them anyhmore. i have replaced wuite a few myself
I hate this battery. I am on number 5 now since my last one kicked in the summer. I have kept this one disconnected and so far so good.