Time for a new battery

**Firebirdjones** · 03-07-2011, 02:49 PM

Originally Posted by KMdef9

LOL, it only cost you a $100!?

No it was more like $130,,,but when you are talking $100 what's another $30. I just round up or down.

**My00Z28** · 03-07-2011, 05:40 PM

130 seems low for an optima?

**Firebirdjones** · 03-07-2011, 06:57 PM

Originally Posted by My00Z28

130 seems low for an optima?

It was somewhere around that price, Sams had them onsale a year or so ago,,,so I bought one for my wifes jeep. It now resides in my blazer. Thought it would be better for offroading since they are supposed to substain more abuse.
I've hated it from the start. Doesn't fit right, goofy case design, factory hold down brackets don't work, they give you cheap plastic snap clips for the base to make it square, that doesn't work either. I don't like how close together the terminal posts are, etc...I can go on and on. Dumbest design I've ever seen. I wouldn't care if it dropped dead tomorrow, I'd be glad to replace it.
Give me a good ole' conventional battery that actually fits and I'm a happy camper.

**My00Z28** · 03-07-2011, 07:56 PM

Originally Posted by Firebirdjones

It was somewhere around that price, Sams had them onsale a year or so ago,,,so I bought one for my wifes jeep. It now resides in my blazer. Thought it would be better for offroading since they are supposed to substain more abuse.
I've hated it from the start. Doesn't fit right, goofy case design, factory hold down brackets don't work, they give you cheap plastic snap clips for the base to make it square, that doesn't work either. I don't like how close together the terminal posts are, etc...I can go on and on. Dumbest design I've ever seen. I wouldn't care if it dropped dead tomorrow, I'd be glad to replace it.
Give me a good ole' conventional battery that actually fits and I'm a happy camper.

o well everyone has their own opinions... i favor optima!

**Nighthawk00** · 03-08-2011, 09:40 AM

I bought my Optima red top a year ago and i went to fire up the car on the week-end and it was dead. Oh did i mention in has not been started since it was stores in Nov. Dam Canadian winters.

**Firebirdjones** · 03-08-2011, 09:52 AM

Originally Posted by Nighthawk00

I bought my Optima red top a year ago and i went to fire up the car on the week-end and it was dead. Oh did i mention in has not been started since it was stores in Nov. Dam Canadian winters.

Want another one???

**My00Z28** · 03-08-2011, 09:55 AM

Originally Posted by Nighthawk00

I bought my Optima red top a year ago and i went to fire up the car on the week-end and it was dead. Oh did i mention in has not been started since it was stores in Nov. Dam Canadian winters.

Was it disconnected from the car? and was it trickled? Explains a lot with those 2 things!

**Firebirdjones** · 03-08-2011, 09:59 AM

Although I like the trickle chargers and use them on 3 cars right now that sit.....I never used to use those things before, and the cars would sit over long winters back in Ohio. Never once did I have a battery go dead. Always used and favored ACdelco.
Those batteries lasted me as long as 11 years in those cars without so much as a trickle charger, and they always stayed hooked to the cars. Pretty sad if a battery can't sit for 3-4 months and not hold a charge on it's own.

**KMdef9** · 03-08-2011, 02:07 PM

Originally Posted by Firebirdjones

Although I like the trickle chargers and use them on 3 cars right now that sit.....I never used to use those things before, and the cars would sit over long winters back in Ohio. Never once did I have a battery go dead. Always used and favored ACdelco.
Those batteries lasted me as long as 11 years in those cars without so much as a trickle charger, and they always stayed hooked to the cars. Pretty sad if a battery can't sit for 3-4 months and not hold a charge on it's own.

I did that as well, but I would go out and start it after no more than 2 months. Never used a charger at first.

The next year I would go out and charge with the "new fancy non-run of the mill" charger once a month, maybe.

This is my first year trickle charging any of my batteries.

**Firebirdjones** · 03-08-2011, 02:12 PM

Originally Posted by KMdef9

I did that as well, but I would go out and start it after no more than 2 months. Never used a charger at first.

The next year I would go out and charge with the "new fancy non-run of the mill" charger once a month, maybe.

This is my first year trickle charging any of my batteries.

Yep, I only recently bought trickle chargers to see how the batteries faired in the long haul.
I've had 4 different ACdelco batteries last me 9 years or more (one of them 11 years) and never once used a trickle on them. Those cars would sit 4 month periods through winter.
Since I moved out here in 08, I didn't drive my 02 SS camaro the first 2 years but maybe 3-4 times. It would sit for months at a time, never trickle charged it either. But it would always fire right up when I needed to move it around. Good ole' ACdelco.
After reading alot of horror stories on these optima's, I'd hate to leave it sit. Luckily it's in something I drive daily. I'd trade it back for an ACdelco in a heartbeat though. Be nice to have a battery that actually fits correctly.

**rbob93** · 03-08-2011, 10:23 PM

Walmart battery 5 years now

**Sarge91** · 03-08-2011, 10:40 PM

I work at Advance Auto, and as you can guess, i see alot.. ''ALOT'' of batteries each day.. as of now i have a 75 series ''what fits in fbodys'' Optima Redtop..

I like it so far, had it in for a few months, it hasn't died yet, ''left my lights on one morning for 2 hrs at work, and when i went back to my car at lunch about 2 hrs later it started right up.'' Before i had what we sell an Autocraft gold, it was fine also. ''not advertising lol'' But the most ones i see come for test/charging are freaking walmart batteries.. but i had great luck with my oem 8 year old Ac Delco, that came with the car..

Just make sure w/e u get has a good warranty, high Cold Cranking amp, and like i said, has to be a 75 series battery.

Good luck.

**Sarge91** · 03-08-2011, 10:46 PM

Originally Posted by My00Z28

(fyi i work at advance auto parts))

Sup from store #9108, lol

**bryceslu** · 03-19-2011, 06:39 AM

I just had to replace mine as well...duralast that was 7.5 years old finally died over winter.

According to consumer reports the duralast and walmart evermaxx batteries were very good batteries. Well the non exide Evermaxx batteries anyway.

**My00Z28** · 03-19-2011, 09:27 AM

Originally Posted by Sarge91

Sup from store #9108, lol

haha im alittle late but..... #1026(Ohio) and #6908(Michigan) haha i got 2 stores!!!

**allbaugh_04** · 03-22-2011, 07:16 AM

Where can I get an AC Delco?

**allbaugh_04** · 03-22-2011, 10:58 AM

Looks like I found a local retailer, these AC Delcos are like 100 bucks.

**Firebirdjones** · 03-22-2011, 05:45 PM

Originally Posted by allbaugh_04

Looks like I found a local retailer, these AC Delcos are like 100 bucks.

Yep, I usually get the 7 year/720 cca ACdelcos and they generally run $100-$120. Everyone I've had though I get 10-11 years out of it

**allbaugh_04** · 03-22-2011, 08:36 PM

That's a hell of a battery then. Are those years on a trickle charger in the off season?

**Firebirdjones** · 03-23-2011, 07:41 AM

Originally Posted by allbaugh_04

That's a hell of a battery then. Are those years on a trickle charger in the off season?

Nope, they would sit all winter back in Ohio without chargers. I only started using trickle chargers a couple years ago.

My oldest current ACdelco is in my 79 1 ton truck that also sits alot, and I don't have a trickle charger on that one either. ( I only have 3 and they are being used on other stuff) That battery is now going on 8 years old in the truck. It still spins that 454 over like it's brand new. I'm confident it will go another couple of years.

As an example when living in Ohio, I run an ACdelco in my 454 chevelle, which sat every winter for 4-5 months out of the year. It was one of those old green eye acdelcos (remember those??) They aren't made anymore however. It was a seven year battery. After about the 6th year the green eye was gone. Supposed to be a sign that the battery is on it's last leg.
Funny thing though, that battery lasted another 5 years with no green eye (no trickle charger either). On the 11th summer I noticed that it finally started loosing a charge if it sat more than a couple weeks. If it was running within a couple days it would always crank over. I used it that summer since I was driving it frequently it was okay. Never left me stuck. It never really just up and died on me, just started showing signs of being weak.
I broke down that following winter and bought another 7 year ACdelco

They just seem to last the longest for me. I've had 2 others that went 10 years or more, and the one in my truck currently is approaching that.