V

That's where I bought mine. My battery is brand new and I'm keeping it on a CTEK charger (which is also fairly new). The CTEK charger only shows "half full" or "half dead" (depending on how you look at it) on the charger so I'm wondering if it's a bad battery? It's an optima yellow top. I was wondering if anyone else is experiancing the same thing or if Mr.Optima could chime in and tell me if something is wrong? TIA

cwrm4

That's where I got mine also, and that's where I just sent it back to. The guy there said I could have shorted a cell in it the way I charged it at 30A after it was "dead", but I followed what was on the FAQ on the Optima website, in that they stated "no current limit as long as battery temp is below 125F". I didn't see the video until today on this forum.

Even if I did it blow it up, I don't have a problem sending it back under warranty as my last Optima, a yellow-top, lasted precisely 1 month longer than the warranty.

I think it is good that they are reaching out on the web forums, but if the batteries are this sensitive, perhaps they should put the charging info right on top the battery.

I plan to use a CTEK on the new one to keep it charged up.

OptimaJim

Hi Indycam, the 75/25 & 75/35 are the same battery, but may be labeled differently, depending on the retailer.

cwrm4, a high-current charger such as the one you mentioned, should actively monitor battery temperature. Did it indicate at anytime that the temperature exceeded 125F? If the battery was gassing, it’s likely that temperature was exceeded and some damage has been done, although it’s difficult to determine how much.

Viggo, we’re pretty familiar with the charger you mentioned and we haven’t seen them stick at half-full. Something doesn’t sound right with either the charger or the battery. Can you check the voltage of the battery, use a different charger and monitor the battery to see if it gets too hot to rest your hand on it? After the charging is complete, leave the battery disconnected from everything for two days and check the voltage again. If it drops below 12 volts, there is a problem with the battery. Please keep me posted on your findings.

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

TheOtherEric

I really hate the Optima Red Top. They suck. I've been through multiple Red Tops on my two 993's and I'm generally getting maybe 2 years out of each. It's really ridiculous. I always use my smart charger (not set on AGM/gel despite some sources saying to use AGM setting). Occasional deep discharging, but that's just a fact of life due to being human.

That said, I keep buying them because I don't want battery acid in my front trunk.

V

Thanks for the reply Jim. I will look into it. Please PM me your email address if I need to get in touch with you. That would be very nice! BR, V

Indycam

I know that they are same same .
My last one had a factory sticker on it that said 75/35
my new one has a factory sticker on it that says 75/25 .
Why did the factory change the printing on the sticker from 75/35 to 75/25 ?

OptimaJim

Did you purchase the battery from a different retailer? 75/25s usually come from Autozone, while 75/35s or those with 75/35 in the part number are usually from Advance Auto Parts, Pep Boys, CSK or O'Reilly's.

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

Wachuko

Looks like I jinx myself, #$%$%... My Optima battery is below 9 Volts and would not charge... I put it on a older charger at 2amps for full day and nothing and then for the last 12 hours at 10amps and still would not charge...

Off to the Autoparts to get a new one...

OptimaJim

Hi Jaime, I'm sorry to hear about the problems you've been having. I know you mentioned earlier in this thread that you kept your battery on a maintainer. What brand of maintainer is it and what settings were you using? Did your battery discharge below 9 volts while it was on the maintainer?

As I indicated earlier, many chargers will not recognize or charge any battery that has been discharged below a pre-set voltage threshold (usually around 10.5 volts). When this happens, you can connect a charger at any amperage setting for any length of time and it simply will not put any charge to the battery, because the voltage is too low to begin with. This is why we suggest the parallel charging technique as an option for recharging your deeply-discharged battery.

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

FlatSix911

I know the price and still want one ... Lithium-Ion Technology rocks

Wachuko

Jim,

Looks like it was my fault. I forgot to plug it in... - dead battery, cold weather, would not charge. I used the old style charger (Sears unit) in 2amp, 10amp... should have tried your recommendation before buying the new one... I was just frustrated that day, nothing worked and I needed to hear the car turn on to feel good again

The maintainer/charger I have is the Porsche unit (older style).

OptimaJim

Cold weather in Orlando, is that like 45 degrees? Cold weather isn't as hard on batteries as hot weather, but the damage done in hot temperatures usually manifests itself in cold weather. If you still have the battery, it may be worth parallel charging, to see if you can revive it.

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

J81 JKR

FWIW ive been quoted £185.61 for the Red Top 4.2R which Optima Batteries UK state is the correct choice for my '91 964 C2 Tip, which gets weekend/weeknight use during non-winter months (aka 7-8 months of the year) and is garaged in between.

I have no real knowledge other than what I read above but seems excessive £££'s, any other UK-ers recommend a cheaper alternative?

Unkle

Something like this might be a good alternative?

http://www.eurocarparts.com/ecp/c/Po...ad4cfcdaf&BATT

J81 JKR

Unkle - yeah i checked out europarts previously for other brands - have you used the Bosch battery?