What is the life span of this batter? My voltage guage reads 10volts when car is moving, then when it stops it seems to charge back up to 11.5. Car spudders!

 

buddy of mine had a redtop that acted the same way after just 8 months or something. He got it replaced under optima's warranty

 

where'd he get it replaced? My red top cannot hold a charge anymore after a year or so. After 2 days, it just doesn't start anymore. I went to autozone to perform a battery test and it said it was fine. I did an alternator test by starting the car and then removing the battery and the car ran fine. Any help?

 

I would go to a different autozone, or same with different worker and get the electrical system load tested.

 

I'm pretty sure he had to go direct through optima:

http://www.optimabatteries.com/customer_service/

I think you can also remove the alternator and have it bench tested but that's probably a PITA. If you keep smoking batteries though, maybe there is a charging system issue.

 

this isnt the first time ive heard the unreliability issue associated with optimas.
im bout to get a new battery in the next few weeks and optima red top was one of my choices.....i think im just gonna get a diehard and save myself 100 bux.

 

I have had my yellow top for 5 years now...

 

seems like hit or miss with optimas, but a lot more hits. i've heard a few ppl complain about them not holding charges very early.

 

yea i was on a couple of websites in the past few days reading about the red tops. the feedback was only about 70% positive over about 80 reviews.

the diehard, on the other hand, was almost 95% positive. very few complaints.

not to mention they are a hundred dollars less....

 

the thing with that is people who buy the optima that just need a battery feel they're not getting their moneys worth. people with large current draws and need the optimas tend to be more happy. audio installs have been using optimas since i can remember.

 

Took my yellow top to advance where they tested it and the battery is good. Time to change the alternator!

 

Yeah I agree with ROCKART. I'm just going to get a top end diehard or everlast or whatever the other brand is and call it a day. I've had 4 cars, and including my parents and siblings cars, we have never had problems with batteries purchased from Wal-Mart or other such retail automotive centers.

 

281 for brand new alternator with core, from Nissan.

 

I had my redtop for 6 yrs b4 it crapped out so I bought another redtop from autozone. Oh by the way I have 4 alpine amps in my car too.

 

When I bought the max off my friend he had a yellowtop that was sitting for a year unused. It was dead beyond revival. Question is, I am running 2 800w pioneer subs and an amp for the components. I have a regular 65.00 Diehard. Should I be concerned?

 

if what your using is working than there is no need for concern.

 

Didn't I tell you it was the damn alternator the other day on the phone? When have I ever been wrong? You gone learn, you gone learn!!! I've had the same Yellow Top for like 7 years now and it still tests over 800CCA.

 

The difference is all in the make-up of the battery. The Optima Red, Blue, and Yellow top batteries are all gel cells and your standard off the shelf die-hard is a sealed lead acid. The Red top is great for a demanding system or in climates where it is colder for help in starting. The yellow top is a deep cycle and will not be damaged if deep cycled. You would want that for higher demand audio systems and hydraulic setups. That way you can play with the car off longer and it wont hurt the battery.
I personally used yellow tops with good success with over 2000 watts. After 1 year I found that at rest it would sit at +12v. So I thought it was going bad and replaced it with a cheap spiral cell. I gave it to a coworker who uses it to this day. My alternator is starting to go.

 

i have had the worst luck with the red top. own'ed three of them and none of them could hold a charge.