Same here. I bought mine in 2019. Haven’t had any issues so far.
Thoughts on Optima batteries?
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Same here. I bought mine in 2019. Haven’t had any issues so far.
I’ve heard of several people with similar good experience. But many more with bad (that said, you hear about the bad, not the good).
My experience was the bad. But the worst part for me about no longer running a yellow-top is my battery no longer matches my rig…
I second this approach, and I've used it to help a lot of friends who have believed their battery was kaput.
Where I work, we use the Red Top Optima in the equipment we build. We go through pallets of these things per month and in the last 3 months have started having high rates of failure. The batteries are randomly loosing a cell and the resting voltage goes down to 10-10.5VDC and the cranking voltage goes to shit. We have to keep swapping batteries till we find a good one. Last month, we sent back 53 out of 200 batteries under warranty, and not all were from the same batch. Yikes.
deserteagle56
Member
When I bought my 2006 Rubi in 2011 it had an Optima Red Top installed in it by the previous owner so I have no idea of the actual install date. But the darn thing lasted till November 2023 when it finally had trouble holding a charge. So it was AT LEAST 12 years old and perhaps a few years older. Perhaps the new ones aren't built to the standards of the older ones?
I've also heard of reviving batteries by hitting them with an arc welder. Using a good battery sounds safer.
Well, after lots of pondering I've ordered an Optima Yellow top... it was so much cheaper than an Odyssey and it seems that just as many folks have had issues with both. They both have 36 month warranties. My old gold DieHard was abused over the years and kept going strong for almost 8 years, but it is now on the struggle bus.
I have zero issues with my Optima. I am firmly of the opinion that the PCM needs reprogrammed for a higher charge voltage. I routinely...weekly...plug my optima yellow top into an AGM charger to top off the deep cycle voltage.
-Mac
-Mac
Having burned through many yellow tops myself, and absolutely swore I'd never run one again (and have not), I think your are right, Macster. I always thought it was the Johnson Controls / Mexico manufacturing thing.
But then I also burned through an Odyssey in about the same time. Now I plug in a charger/maintainer periodically, and this one seems to be holding up better.
But, I do need to get in there and up the voltage at some point...
The Optima "Mexico manufacturing thing" was a xenophobic theory promoted by former forum member @Jerry Bransford. It has no basis in reality.
The old Die Hard Platinum Group 31 AGM batteries had the same issue with undercharging when installed as a "upsized" replacement for a factory flooded lead acid battery and charged with the vehicle alternator. The common "fix" was to periodically use a bench charger to fully charge those batteries.
The observations by @macleanflood and @NashvilleTJ suggest that there may be a similar issue with deep cycle AGM batteries such as Optima Yellow Tops and Odyssey AGM batteries when installed in a Jeep and charged with the vehicle alternator spec'd to charge flooded lead acid batteries.
An occasional full charge with a bench charger may be what is necessary to maximize the life of these AGM batteries. Since my jeep and other toys often sit for weeks between uses, it has been my practice to use a Battery Tender or other trickle charger with an appropriate charging profile to fully charge and maintain them. Those batteries have lasted 50-60% longer than the batteries that preceded them (the Varta AGM starting battery in my Sprinter has lasted 9 years so far), the only difference being my periodic use of an external charger and a battery maintainer when not in use.
YMMV
Optima batteries are indeed made in Mexico. If that’s a good or a bad thing is up for discussion but it’s indisputable that is where they are made.
I have an Optima battery in my tractor that is 13 yrs old. Still starts but it is getting a little weak. Keep wondering if this is the winter it dies on me. But 13 years is the oldest battery I have ever had.
Lots of people have reported issues with later production Optima batteries so it’s actually a thing. How widespread it is….i have no idea. But it’s a thing.
I have an Optima battery in my tractor that is 13 yrs old. Still starts but it is getting a little weak. Keep wondering if this is the winter it dies on me. But 13 years is the oldest battery I have ever had.
Lots of people have reported issues with later production Optima batteries so it’s actually a thing. How widespread it is….i have no idea. But it’s a thing.
Any time a new manufacturing operation starts up you should expect "teething issues," and quality is one of those.
This optima was in my jeep when I bought it 4 years ago. No idea how old it was at the time but it clearly wasn't new.
I can't complain about it's performance, but I'd be inclined to go with a square agm battery next time, as they're a more efficient use of space.
Or, at the rate things are going, lithium might be an affordable option.
Been down the Optima Red more than once and the result is I RAN every time I saw one. I was in Moab, at the end of a trail and needed to turn and go back a long ways. Jeep died on me as I made the U-turn and was most embarrassed I have ever been on the trail I had to be pulled by all the way and trail head and my motel... NOT the first time Optima let me down years away from its life cycle being over.
Then I found Odyssey. I have an Odyssey in my garage that is 15 years old. Its not the battery it once was, but it's still useful for when I need a 12V here and now for testing, etc. I have been doing Odyssey since about 2008. Used them on F 450 trucks, RV my gates on the ranch that were solar powered, and you have a 12v battery....never had one fail.
I had an Odyssey shipped to me and he dropped and had a big hole knocked in the corner of it. I needed it and called Odyssey, no problem, send us a pic and we will ship a new one. I need right then so I put it in my other truck to see if it worked...it did, and it got down thru the week and a friend of mine stopped by and we chatted over some stuff, and he went to start his truck.... and it's dead dead. I had just taken the Odyssey the day before, after I got the new one. I had slapped a bit of duct tape over the big hole, and it was big. Put in his truck and off he went. My friend was still driving that truck and broke down the Odyssey a year later.
Good things do not come cheap and Cheap don't come good!
Odyssey meets Mil Spec, for vibration...
KennethS
TJ Addict
At one time the Optima Reds were "the battery of choice" for Arizona desert wheelers. Then they started having a lot of failures. One of mine failed within a few years, and when I brought it back to COSTCO for warranty replacement they told me they stopped carrying them due to so many returns.
So something definitely happened with their quality.
So something definitely happened with their quality.
That is an interesting observation. I have it on a NOCO GENIUS1 charger now... I will plan on doing that routinely.
@macleanflood ....was just reading about the process to adjust the voltage and according to this thread I shouldn't have any issues because I have an '04, the last year to have temperature compensation:
https://wranglertjforum.com/threads/how-to-adjust-pcm-alternator-charge-voltage.39575/page-3
Optima batteries and most of not all AGM batteries need 14 to 15v to charge properly. If your alternator is putting out that voltage... it's controlled by the PCM...then perfect.
As far as I know most TJs charge around 12.8 to 13.2.
You can change the settings in the PCM using HP Tuners. It's just expensive.
-Mac
As far as I know most TJs charge around 12.8 to 13.2.
You can change the settings in the PCM using HP Tuners. It's just expensive.
-Mac