Optima...bummer
 

Can't find receipt and battery is shot. Had it 2 years let it die a couple of times now won't take a charge. Anyone have any luck returning one without receipt? Warranty states"must have original receipt".


Shawn

Optima
 

Quite a few places will give you an exchange using your name and phone number, Advance Auto or Auto Zone for example. Not sure about a refund. Try your supplier, you might be surprised.

Doug.

optima wont charge
 

There is a bit of a different procedure to charge a complely dead AGM type battery. I think you have to hook two batteries up to the charger in series to get the Optima to start charging. (You can look the correct procedure up on line) Might be worth a try before trying to get a new one.

So I just looked up the Method of charging the battery parallel with a good battery. Got nothing to lose.

Shawn

Shawn, yes if you hook the batteries up in series & put it on a fast charge for an overnight charge your battery should come back. TheAMG batteries don't act like a reg. batt. I got my AMG for my truck that way. Someone had traded one in as a bad batt. to a local bett. recycler & I got it for $ 15.00. I was told it would only stay charged for a short time & I bought it that way , I took it home & charged it over night on High. It's been in my truck for the last 2 years now. They don't act like a reg. batt but if you charge it that way most of them will come back because when they go dead they GO DEAD.

I just turned one in to Advance without a receipt in February. They had the sale in their records from last May. All they required was that I let THEM try to charge it and verify that it would not take one.

Tried charging method got up to 10 amps on the Optima but it is getting hot.

Shawn

All batteries get hot while they charge , it's ok for them to get hot it lets you know it's working.

Just make sure they don't get too hot and cause Thermal Runaway.

I have has 2 Optima's and both were bought brand new and did not last very long. Seems if they went dead from the car sitting they would not recover well. I will never buy another one. :eek:

Optima = good
 

I have a Red Top Optima I bought new in July 1999. That's correct. 1999. It's in my '66GP and I always leave the car with the battery disconnected and the battery on a 1600Ma maintence charger.

I have to admit the longevity of it is now starting to worry me - I mean how long CAN they last??? I'm of the mind that the very first sign it's going to fail it will be out the door but that said, I doubt I'll ever again get such a good run from another battery of any make.

Ian:ausflag::ausflag::ausflag:

I am on 11years on the one in my GTO......

of course it will now be dead , now that I jinxed it

I heard there was a run of older ones that really last...............but been reading some negative reviews of newer ones.

Shawn

When it dies, I don't think it will be because of any jinx.
Reminds me of a lady who used to work for us in our restaurant. She was blaming her siblings for hastening her Grandmother's death (some years ago) because they talked her into moving out of her house and in with one of them.
I asked, "Well, how old was she"...Through her tears, "She was 105"...

Took it to NAPA this morning they had the purchase records and are going to get me a new one. I know part of this is my fault and am going to get a battery tender! Or dis-connect when not in use! They tested the battery had 5 cranking amps.

Shawn

Can't use a regular charger to charge a AGM battery, you HAVE to use a charger that has an AGM setting.

If there's any kind of a short, on the Optimas, it cooks a cell. Once a cell cooks, it's done. (That cell). An intelligent battery charger will tell you cell condition, and if it has a cooked cell, replace it.

If an alt goes bad, 9 times out of 10, it cooks a cell. That includes overcharging. Those stupid load tests some auto parts stores do, cook cells.

Always buy the yellow tops, they recover better from deep discharges.

Unless you have a charger that has an AGM setting, and it's an intelligent charger, don't trickle charge AGM batteries.

.

Dec. of 1996 and mine still seems to be running strong. Has spent most of its life on a Battery Tender while not driven.

From what I've read you can use a regular charger to charge an AGM battery. But since they are very sensitive to overcharging you have to be careful. That being said I don't have any experience with AGMs. I came across this while looking up information foe a friend.

There is actually some truth to that, but rather than get into a long debate, I truncated the post! It's just easier to say, get with the program and buy a newer tech type charger. Most have some ancient relic charger from the 80s, and you never know what the output is going to be like.

Here's some older info regarding:

http://www.hotrod.com/techarticles/g...a_agm_battery/

Straight from the horse's mouth:

https://www.optimabatteries.com/en-u...-tip-articles/

•The magic threshold – 10.5 volts. The charging scenario for a deeply discharged AGM battery, one that's dipped below 10.5 volts, may be slightly different.

•AGM and gel technology differ. Remember that the technology of an AGM battery is not the same as a gel battery, which has its own charging requirements. If your charger offers different modes, select the correct one for your battery. If you use the gel setting to charge an AGM battery, it won't fully charge and, over time, it will actually damage your AGM battery.

There are also instruction on how to recover a deeply discharged battery, in parallel with another, though they recommend a 'correct' type charger to do so. They also comment that AGM and gel are different technologies, and it eludes to the fact that it should have a specific setting for each (AGM and gel).

I purchased an Odyssey battery for the 'bird, not cheap, but they are hands down one of the better AGM auto batteries on the market. And they last. They are less prone to damage from accidental shorts too. As I recall, they ship completely discharged, and in that state, the shelf life is almost indefinite. But you need a smart charger to initially charge them.

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