OptimaJim

Tipler, I hear what you're saying and while it is possible the battery is defective, battery defects usually manifest themselves well within the first year. Beyond that, how a battery is used and maintained usually has a direct correlation to how long the battery lasts. Knowing what I do about manufacturing defect rates industry-wide, it is unlikely you ended up with two bad batteries in a row.

What happens in many instances is what Chris experienced, where he needed to have multiple jump-starts. Most vehicle charging systems are designed to maintain a battery near a full state of charge, not recover deeply-discharged batteries. Any time a battery becomes so discharged that a vehicle needs a jump-start, the battery should be fully-charged (at least 12.6V) as soon as possible. Relying on the vehicle's charging system to do the work of a battery charger can lead to a cycle of dead batteries and jump-starts, until either the battery or alternator fails.

If there is an underlying issue with the way a battery is being used or maintained, a new battery can mask this issue for a period of time, but it will eventually manifest itself again. Good luck with your new battery!

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

cssnms

Good info! Most of my problems were encountered during the cold months.

BTW, I almost purchased an Optima, I was torn between two market leading performance batteries and for no particular reason decided one vs the other.

RCsGX

Based on reviews of Optima batteries after they made the move to Mexico, you probably made the right decision going with the Odyssey battery.

cssnms

I don't disagree.

OptimaJim

I respectfully disagree. The quality of our products has always been excellent and never been better. Many of the "bad" batteries returned to us under warranty now are just discharged and work fine, when properly-recharged. This is not unique to Optima, in fact, other AGM brands have dealt with this by simply voiding the warranty on their batteries, if they are discharged below a minimum voltage level. We didn't do that with our warranty, but we did start sponsoring the ChumpCar World Series and have outfitted entire fields with someone else's "dead" batteries.

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

470reasons

Timely reply Jim.
Maybe you can give some advice on an Odyssey???

I've got a small Odyssey 12V lead/acid battery (PC680) that will not take a charge. Even after being on a 'smart charger' for 24 hrs the Odyssey still reads about 6v. The battery was in a backup system. There was an AC power failure. The Odyssey discharged. AC power came back on and the fuse in the charger circuit blew, so the battery never recharged. Don't know how long the battery sat in the discharged state as there is no 'trouble' monitoring on the device. Just found the dead battery yesterday. Any idea how to revive this battery? Take it down to 0v maybe?

Did the Optima Division get sold as part of that JC deal last week?

RCsGX

Since you have a vested interest in the company I don't doubt it.

And since you work for Optima why not become a support vendor of this website.

OptimaJim

470reasons, I cannot offer advice on other specific brands, but I can offer general battery assistance. Not all chargers are as “smart” as they claim to be. Some chargers will not recognize or charge any battery that has been discharged below a minimum voltage level (usually around 10.5V), assuming the battery has dropped a cell. In the case of AGM batteries, the low internal resistance allows them to continue delivering current well beyond their specified ratings, which can result in voltage levels significantly below 10.5 volts. In those instances, wiring a second battery with good voltage in parallel with the deeply-discharged battery can allow the charger to see good voltage and deliver current to the deeply-discharged battery. We explain that procedure in this video- It would be a good idea to measure voltage before and after attempting to charge, to make sure the charger is delivering current to the battery. Optima is still owned by JCI and has been since 2000.

RcsGX, I work in customer service for Optima, not online marketing. I do know we advertise on quite a few sites owned by Internet Brands. I don't know how those sites are selected or whether they are suggested by Internet Brands or the folks who handle our online marketing.

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

cssnms

OP here's a cool video from Modern Marvels that better explains the differences between a high quality battery like an Odessey and a typical car battery used by most manufacturers.

Tipler

Jim I wanted to say thanks , Toyota has ordered the optima battery to be installed next week .

87harley

Just now having to replace the original Lexus 84 month battery in my 2000 Lexus ES300!!! 165K miles and it never let me down in 15years! Best damn battery I have ever seen!

Teleken

No wonder my 2005 still has the factory battery in it. Since I bought it in March it started easily on several mornings with temps around 0.

BradTank

I just know Consumer Reports did a battery study and they ranked Costco and Walmart either #1 or #2 place for their battery and warranty.

I've been happy with both, and most car batteries come from the same 2-3 companies, they just have different labels. Johnson Control makes the car batteries for WalMart and also much of the Die Hard line at Sears, Interstate, Motorcraft, Kirkland, etc

I've had bad luck with Lexus batteries from the dealership, I certainly don't think they warrant a premium of double the price.

Regarding the other high end options, I'm just not convinced its worthwhile for most users and think you're better off putting that money to just getting a fresh, new car battery every 2-3 years instead.