Optima Red Top Batties.

[2jayzgte]

I just wonder who else uses these I have had what I'd describe as a pretty average run with them 3 in 6 years now.

After about 12 months they start to lose there ability to hold a charge.

I have a battery isolation switch in my car and always leave it in the off position when not in use.

The longest the car sits is for about a week and normally drive it on the weekend.

As above after the above 12 months I run into issues of the car not starting and its a F**KEN hassle.

[sergei]

The yellow top and red top I had developed interesting failure: fail to hold charge. Then I discovered that the area around terminals is covered in cracks and gel was leaking.
The only surviving red top (I had two of each), does not have those cracks and holds charge fine.

[Stealer Of Souls]

I had one years ago which had a similar issue, but I assumed it was because at the time I had a dodgy alternator that would slowly discharge the battery when not running. Took me ages to realise that something was amiss as I hardly used the car. I wonder now if it wasn't in part due to a similar issue...

[2jayzgte]

I had one years ago which had a similar issue, but I assumed it was because at the time I had a dodgy alternator that would slowly discharge the battery when not running. Took me ages to realise that something was amiss as I hardly used the car. I wonder now if it wasn't in part due to a similar issue...

Will check but I've already had a auto sparky have a long hard look over it and he could'nt find any current draw from anywhere.

I've had it recharged on 2 different occasion's and it does recharge fine from like dead flat but again after that 12-18 month period it hold's a charge for about a week and then back to the same old.

It frustrated me to no end because as above its the same thing every time

[Mr Ree]

Hey Coryn, are the optima's a traditional lead acid battery, or a drycell, or AGM?

I knows your car stays outside, but is there any chance you could set up a battery tender/maintainer inside the house and run the cord out the window to your car, so that its voltage is always kept above 12.6V?

I got sick of my alarm eating my batteries, and turning up on a Saturday morning to take it for a drive, only to find it completely dead, rips my knickers, so installed a maintainer in the garage, and the battery is now well cared for.

The tender I bought comes with a long extension wire too

[2jayzgte]

Hey Coryn, are the optima's a traditional lead acid battery, or a drycell, or AGM?

I knows your car stays outside, but is there any chance you could set up a battery tender/maintainer inside the house and run the cord out the window to your car, so that its voltage is always kept above 12.6V?

I got sick of my alarm eating my batteries, and turning up on a Saturday morning to take it for a drive, only to find it completely dead, rips my knickers, so installed a maintainer in the garage, and the battery is now well cared for.

The tender I bought comes with a long extension wire too

AGM???

I think those Optimas are a gel celled battery.

Unfortunately there isn't power source anywhere close so I can't plug it into anything.

I have a battery isolation switch which is always left in the off position when I'm not using it so I don't get how the battery is going flat.

As above I've had a auto sparky go all over it and the car it is'nt drawing power from it anywhere so I'm really at a loss.

Also throw in the fact its the 3rd Red Top I've had in 6 years and its always the samething.

[matt dunn]

Buy a better battery?

[Malcolm]

Also throw in the fact its the 3rd Red Top I've had in 6 years and its always the samething.

Fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice shame on me... not sure where the shame lies for 3 times?

[Mr Ree]

AGM is absorbed glass mat, and is what I bought recently when I installed that god damn monster of a throttle body lol

It only weighs about 4kg, but is less than half the size of a typical Supra battery.

I was wary at first, as its CCA is lower, (even though thats fairly irrelevant in Wellington) but I have to say that it cranks the car over quicker than any of the 3 different big heavy lead acid batteries that have been in my car over the years, and provided I dont let the alarm eat it by forgetting to connect the tender, or isolate the battery, it should last for years.

I think that as you isolate yours and it still eats them, after its been proven there is no power drain on it, then I think you need to look into a different battery.

Obviously you can only get drycell or AGM due to being internally mounted, so my advice would be to drive out to the Petone foreshore an and speak to Matt at the Battery shop. Tell him exactly what you have currently, how the car is stored/driven/ etc etc, and he will give you all the advice you could ever want. I spent an hour chewing his ear off when I was tossing up what to buy, but at the end once I made my choice, he thanked me for makinf his job easier by giving him the full picture, rather than coming back with a failed battery and a turned down warranty due to me not buying what I needed in the first place lol

[2jayzgte]

Also throw in the fact its the 3rd Red Top I've had in 6 years and its always the samething.

Fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice shame on me... not sure where the shame lies for 3 times?

Yeah probably is the option but I did get the 2nd one for free.

My whole reasoning for this thread is to see if 1 anyone else is using this battery and 2 if they had the same issues.

[gepsk8]

Sounds to me like ur doing all correct things.
Say your got bad batch batteries. Optimas don't fly of shelf in NZ to expensive for most ppl.
I would talk to battery man, explain your problem. tell them to replace it.
If these batteries where lead acid I would say 2 year each is ok with use you give them only on weekend but gel batteries normally last a lot longer due construction.
You shouldn't need to charge battery unless you alterator doesn't charge cause you isolate you car when not in use.

[2jayzgte]

Installed solar panel battery tender to try and keep the voltage from draining when the isolation key is out.

Hoping this solves my issues.

[Mr Ree]

How many watts was the panel, Coryn?

Last year, I bought one to try and stop the alarm draining my battery, but it didnt produce enough power to counter the drain.

It was a 2.5w from memory.

[2jayzgte]

How many watts was the panel, Coryn?

Last year, I bought one to try and stop the alarm draining my battery, but it didnt produce enough power to counter the drain.

It was a 2.5w from memory.

1.5 W 100mA panel will have to see how it goes.My auto sparky reckons it should do the job but I guess I'll have to wait and see.

[Mr Ree]

The fact your battery will be isolated, while being charged means it has a head start on what I was trying to achieve.

GL mate

[2jayzgte]

The fact your battery will be isolated, while being charged means it has a head start on what I was trying to achieve.

GL mate

Cheers all I'm looking for is for that panel to maintain what is already there not really do that much charging basically thats what my auto sparky has told me will happen with this panel.

[gepsk8]

How long do normally leave your car for?
Unless over like 3months, shouldn't need help to keep charge after 3months I would charge it just incase sort of thing on lead acid batteries. If batteries isolated power can't go anywhere so shouldn't go flat. If it is isolator or battery is not ok.
I would get second opinion from another auto sparky.

[allencr]

I sure wouldn't go for another of these colorful & pretty but ridiculously overpriced things that have proven themselves to be of very poor quality 3 times already.

[2jayzgte]

I sure wouldn't go for another of these colorful & pretty but ridiculously overpriced things that have proven themselves to be of very poor quality 3 times already.

Funny you should say that I sent the battery back to there rep expecting him to say i twas stuffed and he said basically there was nothing wrong with it after I had told him my woes with there batteries.

He just through it on one of there Optima charges and then through it back in the car lol and thus far its working fine.

For the most part the car only sits for a week at a time 2-3 weeks max.

[Mr Ree]

The way certain batteries are charged has a bearing on their performance, so its possible that the charger you were using, doesnt trickle at the required rate, so the battery doesnt accept a charge.

Alot of batteries can seem dead, and not accept a charge, then are returned to health easily enough with the correct charger.