Thoughts on Optima batteries?

Joined
Jan 12, 2018
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Location
Florence CO.
2003 TJ, not a lot of electrical mods, desert SW Colorado. In the market for a new batt. Thoughts on Optima Red Top 720CCA/910CA, or is the 800CCA/1000CA sufficient?
I know a lot of Jeepers recommend the Odyssey, but with a $75 difference, is it really worth it!


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I have owned three Optima batteries and all died prematurely. I'll never own another. My present Sears Diehard Platinum battery was made for Sears by Odyssey and it's now nearly ten years old and still in good condition.

Optima used to have a great reputation and they're now surviving based on that reputation but they're no longer living up to it. Optima was bought by Johnson Controls who moved their entire manufacturing line to Mexico to cut costs. They reduced the purity of lead is one reason, that info coming from an Optima distributor I used to have as a battery supplier for a company I used to work for. They were an Optima warranty collection point and their warehouse was constantly filling up with Optima returns. Costco even stopped carrying Optima batteries several years ago due to all the returns they experienced.

Optima's name tanked so hard & so fast in the various automotive forums due to premature failures that Optima even had employees sign up with names like Optima Dave to try to save the name. They fought a losing battle and stopped visiting the forums. Just too many with bad Optima histories like me that were confronting them.

I'd go for a good quality AGM battery from someone else. Odyssey will be where my next battery comes from but there are other good ones like the Bosch Platinum. Deka gets good reviews too. I don't hear many complaints about most of the AGM batteries, most hold up well.
 
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I have owned three Optima batteries and all died prematurely. I'll never own another. My present Sears Diehard Platinum battery was made for Sears by Odyssey and it's now nearly ten years old and still in good condition.

Optima used to have a great reputation and they're now surviving based on that reputation but they're no longer living up to it. Optima was bought by Johnson Controls who moved their entire manufacturing line to Mexico to cut costs. They reduced the purity of lead is one reason, that info coming from an Optima distributor I used to have as a battery supplier for a company I used to work for. They were an Optima warranty collection point and their warehouse was constantly filling up with Optima returns. Costco even stopped carrying Optima batteries several years ago due to all the returns they experienced.

Optima's name tanked so hard & so fast in the various automotive forums due to premature failures that Optima even had employees sign up with names like Optima Dave to try to save the name. They fought a losing battle and stopped visiting the forums. Just too many with bad Optima histories like me that were confronting them.

I'd go for a good quality AGM battery from someone else. Odyssey will be where my next battery comes from but there are other good ones like the Bosch Platinum. Deka gets good reviews too. I don't hear many complaints about most of the AGM batteries, most hold up well.
My NAPA AGM one is not holding up. I took it back last summer as it wouldn’t hold a charge and got a BS line from them. Need a special charger and they “got it” to take a charge. I didn’t get a good feeling about that statement. We’ve had -41 a couple of days and hanging around -35. My Jk is plugged in all the time, it wouldn’t start after work and needed a boost.
I’ll be taking it back and getting an AC Delco.
Any opinions on those?
 
When I bought my TJ a couple months ago, it had a Red Top in it. Time will tell how it works out. But my experience with Blue tops on the boats is exactly what Jerry described.....only lasting 18 or 20 months, easy returns to Costco for another brand, etc. The lead acid DieHards I have in the boat now are pushing 9 years old. I have a 10 amp on board charger set up for any time it's in the driveway, but it spends 6 or 7 months a year on the water or in a boat slip.

One thing I wondered though.....why spend the extra money on an AGM? I know they're good for mounting in odd places. But my Jeep could just as easily run a lead acid battery for less money and probably last longer.
 
My NAPA AGM one is not holding up. I took it back last summer as it wouldn’t hold a charge and got a BS line from them. Need a special charger and they “got it” to take a charge. I didn’t get a good feeling about that statement. We’ve had -41 a couple of days and hanging around -35. My Jk is plugged in all the time, it wouldn’t start after work and needed a boost.
I’ll be taking it back and getting an AC Delco.
Any opinions on those?
AC Delco is a good brand but I've never seen one of their batteries. What I'd do with the new battery is permanently mount a battery maintainer and position its charging plug inside the grill area so you can plug it in to keep a good charge on it. -41 would be hard on any battery, consider an electric battery warmer too. We ran them in North Dakota and it really helped the batteries survive the winter.

Like these... https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_...=automotive+battery+warmer&tag=wranglerorg-20
 
When I bought my TJ a couple months ago, it had a Red Top in it. Time will tell how it works out. But my experience with Blue tops on the boats is exactly what Jerry described.....only lasting 18 or 20 months, easy returns to Costco for another brand, etc. The lead acid DieHards I have in the boat now are pushing 9 years old. I have a 10 amp on board charger set up for any time it's in the driveway, but it spends 6 or 7 months a year on the water or in a boat slip.

One thing I wondered though.....why spend the extra money on an AGM? I know they're good for mounting in odd places. But my Jeep could just as easily run a lead acid battery for less money and probably last longer.
An AGM is a lead acid battery, the acid is just not in liquid form. They're not gel cell like some think they are.
The key to good boat battery life is to 1) use a deep cycle battery and 2) keep it connected to a battery maintainer when not in use. My early boat batteries never lasted long because I didn't know then to keep them charged. Fortunately I sold my last boat 15 years ago lol. I keep my TJ's Diehard Platinum on a maintainer and it's now nearly ten years old and still in great condition.
 
To @Alaska-HWY JK:

You might ask your local battery supplier which batteries stand up the best in your extreme environment and which have the fewest warranty returns. There is a lot to be said for buying local in a face-to-face transaction and following local recommendations.

@Airjunky makes a good point - not everyone who owns a jeep needs an AGM or gel cell battery. If the type of jeeping you do has minimal risk of rollover a quality conventional lead acid battery may be a possibility for you and expand your options.

Since you live in the Frozen North and regularly plug in your vehicle's block heater I am sure you are already aware of the benefits of a battery maintainer. This is the one I use in my jeep, purchased at Costco - with a fused plug hardwired to the battery:

76087
 
An AGM is a lead acid battery, the acid is just not in liquid form. They're not gel cell like some think they are.
The key to good boat battery life is to 1) use a deep cycle battery and 2) keep it connected to a battery maintainer when not in use. My early boat batteries never lasted long because I didn't know then to keep them charged. Fortunately I sold my last boat 15 years ago lol. I keep my TJ's Diehard Platinum on a maintainer and it's now nearly ten years old and still in great condition.
Maybe I should be calling them conventional lead acid batteries and gel cells then. But unless you're mounting them sideways or upside down, I don't see the point in using the AGMs.
I have a starter and a deep cycle, along with the on board charger. Along with 1100 watts of stereo, AC for a blender that seems to be busy a lot, various phone chargers, etc. Definitely happy how the conventional lead acid batteries are working out.
I'll be considering adding an on board charger to the Jeep. But it is getting driven a couple days a week, even in the winter.
 
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I always replace with interstate batteries once the original dies. Usually get around 7 years with them. My GMC pickup's original battery lasted 10 years it was a Deka. That being said it always seems to me that the original battery will always outlast a replacement, kind of weird.

Every Napa battery I've witnessed was lucky to make it past 5 years. Quit buying them some time ago.
 
One thing you're not missing out on is the $155 still in your wallet. ;)

Seriously, there are valid reasons for choosing an AGM or gel cell battery over a conventional lead acid battery and vice versa. One has to make one's own best decision based upon how and where one uses one's jeep.
 
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I just put a new battery in my Jeep this past fall for $95, $250 seems really high. Is there something I'm missing out on?
Typically a significantly longer life, and being MUCH more resistant to damage from the normal jolts, shocks, & vibrations from offroading. Conventional wet acid batteries suspend their plates in the acid and they can break off with a good jolt shorting that cell out. AGM batteries have a solid construction design so there's nothing hanging that can get damaged. As mentioned above, my TJ's AGM battery made by Odyssey is nearly ten years old now.
 
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I had an Odyssey in my JK for three years with no sign of it dying and now have a rebranded Northstar AGM (X2Power from Batteries Plus) battery in my TJ that's been there for about two years. Can't complain, only time will tell.
 
The Odyssey Extreme (AGM) is well worth the premium. I had the Diehard Platinum version of it, lasted 4 winters in New England and 4 summers in Arizona before started to get "tired" and that's without a maintainer and several very deep accidental discharges

I replaced it only because it gave me occasional issues starting after those 8 years and did not want to get stranded in the desert. I bought my replacement from 4WP.

Jerry - when do you connect up your battery maintainer, when the jeep sits for a week or two?
 
I have owned three Optima batteries and all died prematurely. I'll never own another. My present Sears Diehard Platinum battery was made for Sears by Odyssey and it's now nearly ten years old and still in good condition.

Optima used to have a great reputation and they're now surviving based on that reputation but they're no longer living up to it. Optima was bought by Johnson Controls who moved their entire manufacturing line to Mexico to cut costs. They reduced the purity of lead is one reason, that info coming from an Optima distributor I used to have as a battery supplier for a company I used to work for. They were an Optima warranty collection point and their warehouse was constantly filling up with Optima returns. Costco even stopped carrying Optima batteries several years ago due to all the returns they experienced.

Optima's name tanked so hard & so fast in the various automotive forums due to premature failures that Optima even had employees sign up with names like Optima Dave to try to save the name. They fought a losing battle and stopped visiting the forums. Just too many with bad Optima histories like me that were confronting them.

I'd go for a good quality AGM battery from someone else. Odyssey will be where my next battery comes from but there are other good ones like the Bosch Platinum. Deka gets good reviews too. I don't hear many complaints about most of the AGM batteries, most hold up well.

I've had the same issue with Optimas' I've tried Yellow , Red and blue. All would die just after 2 years which is the warranty period. I've since gone to Odyssey purchased at Batteries plus (best price) and have had no issues since.

Odyssey pulled their battery from Sears because Sears was selling at a lower cost and so undercutting most of their dealers.
 
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Typically a significantly longer life, and being MUCH more resistant to damage from the normal jolts, shocks, & vibrations from offroading. Conventional wet acid batteries suspend their plates in the acid and they can break off with a good jolt shorting that cell out. AGM batteries have a solid construction design so there's nothing hanging that can get damaged. As mentioned above, my TJ's AGM battery made by Odyssey is nearly ten years old now.

Wow, I had no idea there was a battery on the market that could hold up that well. I've actually never even heard of theses brands in my area. Still for $95 I can count on interstate to last me 7 years, for now I think I'll stick with them. Although I am very interested to know how long your AGM battery lasts.
 
I just put a new battery in my Jeep this past fall for $95, $250 seems really high. Is there something I'm missing out on?
#1 reason to run AGM is that they are considered non spillable and do not create the acid corrosion of a regular lead acid battery. I despise corrosion, so I run AGM in everything that requires a SLI or Deep Cycle battery. The other benefits are just icing on the cake.