LRflip said:
I thought Optima's were lifetime warrantied or some shit?
No. The warranties are interchangeable at the discretion of the dealers, who honor them quite conservatively in consideration of the manufacturer's pain in the ass response. Generally, the warranties suck, despite their bold claims.
Before the Optimas, the vehicle was equipped with an Interstate. It held up for four years before I replaced it as a matter of course. I change batteries as I see fit, given their use.
I've had, at this point, four Yellows, two Reds and a Blue. All of them failed, generally due to cell failure, but two gassed and bubbled the shit out of themselves in the process. None of them performed their advertised tasks. Only two were warrantied failures, despite failure within the allotted time period, and each was exchanged for a similar model which likewise failed. One, while annoying as hell, was kept until the warranty passed into it's extended, prorated capacity. It was denied.
I didn't force the issues, as I was interested in the common response.
They are less durable than a flooded cell design (piss-poor construction), and won't handle routine charging and discharging appropriate for their designs worth a shit.
When I dropped in a Purple Haze, all the trouble went away.
One of those did the job of any two Optima batteries. On top of that, it soaked up a charge as well as a flooded design, and cycled like a champ. I threw in another, just to be sure, and the performance was similar, though some time with an ailing alternator and a long drive with no alternator finally killed it.
I've tortured my Northstar on the "bench" for some time now, and it just won't quit. It wasn't about science, it was about hell. The manufacturer was open, friendly, and enthusiastic. Hours of conversation and a few e-mails were entertained. I don't mess about when I choose a part.
I've let it sit there operating a winch all by itself, and then let it sit at partial charge out on the concrete in the elements. I've discharged it, charged it, (deliberately and
thoroughly improperly, I might add) put it on a tender, operated the vehicles during charging cycles, dropped it, exposed it to vibration, and even attached it to an excavator's arm for a day of swinging about in the hot sun (as well as a few shits and giggles).
I wasn't always prone to beat a battery this badly during testing. My Optima experiences, however, have prompted the extremely abusive battery tests.
Optima couldn't even manage to start a car reliably. None of them made it long enough to endure my special kind of hell, as I was in a more passive state at the time.
All the benefits of various technologies, with none of the drawbacks. I was planning to drop this one into a less critical vehicle after the abuse, but it's still good enough for fitment in the Land Rover. I'll run it in there for a while to see what happens.
It will be some time before I give the brand a full-on stamp of approval, but they are off to the best start I've seen yet. This is only one battery, and as such not a full view of the products. If this one lasts a year with no issues at all after that beating, it's approved for further research. The next one will have to prove itself for three years (my new arbitrary replacement interval, regardless of performance) as used by me, which ain't easy. My other cars will as well be equipped with them for observation in common automotive use.
So far, though, it's looking like they cranked out a product I've been waiting for years to experience. I'm going to put that thing under the tree this Christmas. Hell, they even mounted durable handles, and oriented in the
sensible direction. The only drawback is weight. They are rather heavy in comparison with similar group products, but the performance allows a smaller choice.
I have neither the luxury nor the tolerance of failure. Optima does not pass muster, even for the lightest duty use, such as puttering around town. They manufacture some damned good door stops, though.
You guys might want to look into the Northstars. It's a fairly new manufacturer, and they have some interesting origin stories. I'm not promising it will work just yet, but as casually as some of you choose batteries, you may as well give them a shot.
Cheers,
Kennith
