Are Optima Batteries Worth It ??
- Thread starter billt460
- Start date
I need a Group 48, H6 AGM, which they don't carry. One that looks like it would, is listed that it wouldn't fit. When I emailed them if this was a mistake, they redirected me to the Optima.
People shop for the cheapest, but expect the performance of the best!
I buy the best for the purpose and I do shop by "Value" not price and so I shop for batteries in Battery Shops where if they don't have the
unit I need they'll get it for me and IF I have warranty problem the shop will look after it. Often if shopping online once you have problems your $$ time to solve it will be greater than whatever savings there may have been. This is in general, your experience may vary.
Not necessarily. People shop for the best they can FIND, out of whatever is in stock and available, when they need it. Batteries are not loaves of bread, bacon, or one of 31 ice cream flavors. Most of the time you have to take what you can get, that will fit your car. In my case I had to choose between two makes and models.
Both in stock. Both AGM. And both with 3 year warranties....... One a Duralast for $209.99 that had 900 CCA. The other a Optima for $320.00 that had 880 CCA. The choice was a no brainer.
Here's the best battery for the money(IMO). Way better than Optima.
http://www.tristatebattery.com/9agm48-deka-agm-exact-fit-battery-p-1321.html?manufacturers_id=14
https://remybattery.com/intimidator-9a48-battery.html
https://www.ebay.com/itm/154381421145?epid=2101748379&hash=item23f1d98a59:g:qxgAAOSw3JpgCyeQ
Question. When you order a battery from "Super Joe's Top Of The Line Battery Store", (who sells only the best), what do you do with your core? Especially if it's under warranty from premature failure? They're not going to give you a new one without testing your old one. I've never collected on a battery warranty without that happening.
So, it would appear that you would have to somehow get your dead battery back to "Super Joe".... Who could be anywhere, except where you live. Shipping a dead weight, lead filled battery isn't cheap. Not to mention it's also filled with acid. And let's assume that even if the battery failed well out of warranty, the shipping has got to exceed the value of the core charge. And you can't just walk into any auto parts store, with any core and collect on it.
And again, if you get in your car, (your ONLY car, because not everyone is a BITOG member with 16 cars), on Monday morning to go to work, and your battery is dead as a door nail, what is the turn around time going to amount to? Basically, how quickly is "Super Joe" going to get you back on the road again, with all of this back and forth shipping of cores and batteries?
These are all legitimate issues that come up when you start shopping for out of stock batteries for your car, that come from God knows where. Especially when your car is dead in some parking lot at 7:00 PM.
So, it would appear that you would have to somehow get your dead battery back to "Super Joe".... Who could be anywhere, except where you live. Shipping a dead weight, lead filled battery isn't cheap. Not to mention it's also filled with acid. And let's assume that even if the battery failed well out of warranty, the shipping has got to exceed the value of the core charge. And you can't just walk into any auto parts store, with any core and collect on it.
And again, if you get in your car, (your ONLY car, because not everyone is a BITOG member with 16 cars), on Monday morning to go to work, and your battery is dead as a door nail, what is the turn around time going to amount to? Basically, how quickly is "Super Joe" going to get you back on the road again, with all of this back and forth shipping of cores and batteries?
These are all legitimate issues that come up when you start shopping for out of stock batteries for your car, that come from God knows where. Especially when your car is dead in some parking lot at 7:00 PM.
I guess your not getting it.
The point folks have tried to get across to you is, When one buys a quality battery, such as a Odyssey, northstar or even Deka AGM, you dont need a warranty. My first Odyssey when over 10 years, the next lasted 8 in the car, and has been on a trickle charger for the last 3 years.
My cheap Walmart brand AGM is at about 80%, and is only 2 years old. I will take it back soon. There is now a nice new Odyssey in the car.
I bought the Walmart AGM because it was on sale, and has a 5 year replacement warranty. It's a Johnson controls POS, and I will not make that mistake again. I would not care if it had a 10 year warranty. Bottom line is I wasted $140. on the WM POS, and I could have bought a DEKA AGM from rock auto delivered for an other $60. It would last three times as long as the WM battery, with half of the warranty.
A Long warranty Is a way to sell POS batteries to suckers all day long.
I'm afraid you're the one who's not, "getting it". None of what you said changes or answers anything I brought up. I'm not arguing that these "super batteries" lack quality. I get it, they're wonderful.
But the fact is your battery is going to fail.... PERIOD. I don't care if it was made by Canadians, Quakers in Pennsylvania, or Chinese Communists in Beijing. And it doesn't matter what the warranty is or isn't. Or how wonderful and powerful you think it is.
No one is doubting the fact your "super duper battery" may last a bit longer than most. And that's all well and good. But eventually it will fail. It won't last forever.
And when it does, it will more than likely do so unpredictably and unexpectedly. Then what? After you find there isn't a store within 100 miles that carries that brand you want it replaced with, because it was such a fantastic battery. But now that doesn't mean crap, because it's dead.
Your car, and you, aren't going anywhere until you replace it. And that should be a fast and effortless process. It's not if you have to order the thing and wait days for it.
All I'm asking, is to show me a way I can get it replaced as quickly and effortlessly, as I can with ANY of the other batteries from the major auto parts suppliers, and I'll buy one in a heartbeat. You don't seem to want to understand convenience is the key here..... Not having the most powerful battery in a 20 sq. mile radius.
I would rather have to replace a battery a bit more often, than I would having to screw around taking the bus, while waiting days to have one delivered. Not to mention then having to do the installation myself, along with hauling the old core back. Which by the way, I don't mind doing at all. But there are many people, women included, who can't, or don't want to mess with that.
The point is when you need a battery, you need one immediately. Not in 2 days. And not next week. This is the part you're not getting. Or else don't want to. Rapid replacement is key to automotive battery failure. Because most people don't have the time to screw around ordering batteries, and waiting days for them to be delivered.
Because their car is sitting dead, and they sit unable to go to work, the grocery store, or anywhere else. Again, this is that part that has to be addressed. Not how wonderful they are.
Batteries aren't tires and brakes, that you can gauge wear on, and replace at your convenience, when you have the time to deal with it.... You want the old one out, and a new one in as quickly and effortlessly as possible. So you can be on your way. This eclipses having some "super battery", that most people don't even require.
A guy I knew used to buy chiese tools to sell in his store. Very cheap to him and cheap to the customer. That's when I learned how warranty works...
He priced them such that he could afford to replace each sold tool at his expense and still come out ahead... so the trick with long warranties is not to make better stuff, but to make it cheap enough that you can afford the warranty replacements. And this seems to be univerally true these days.
If you have not bouhjt a battery yet, Amazon has these.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08MWVCL9F?ref=em_1p_0_im&ref_=pe_2313360_623539740
I appreciate the suggestions. For me, buying local for a battery is a deal breaker. If it wasn't, I would probably buy an Odyessy off Quadratec. I'm just eagerly taking information in at the moment, I've never had to buy a brand new battery prior. My warranty is over in March and the factory JL Wrangler batteries have been notorious for failing right after 3 years, so I'd like to preempt this before I start taking a lot of road trips in the summer.
From what I could gather, while Odyessy, X2, Northstar, etc, seem to be the cream of the crop with batteries, I'm not sure if the extra cost of premium batteries/annoyance with buying online in case of failure in warranty is worth the hassle.
I'd not buy a car sized AGM or Gel battery online because of warranty return issues, I'd not buy it because those who would package it will not bother protecting the corners or potentially protruding terminals properly, for when the pissed off delivery drivers drop their considerable weight on their corners.
I have bought 18 and 22AH AGM batteries online, but they weigh 11 and 14 lbs respectively, and arrived undamaged, but they were also 6+ months old when they were shipped. Luckily AGM's lower self discharge did not allow them to sulfate much in the time between manufacture and delivery, and both have been worked hard but recharged promptly and fully and still perform admirably on the tasks I ask of them, but I promptly return them to full charge after any use, and when not used, i top them off once every two weeks or so.
But, you buy online, you could get a well aged battery, one already partially sulfated and even if the warranty starts ticking from the date of purchase, there has been some unknown degree of degradation. I want to start from the highest level of health possible and keep it as high as possible, no matter how hard I use it. I deep cycle them and that is far far harder on a battery than simple engine starting duty.
Buying a larger car/ truck sized battery from a distibutor with a high turnover is always best.
I will only ever require a warranty if the battery is defective, and that would reveal itself quickly in my usage and how I can monitor their performance. How much voltage they hold powering loads, how much amperage they accept at absorption voltage during recharge, how much Amp hours returned is required to reach full charge compared to amp hour removed. Usually 105 to 110% is required, and when it starts requiring 115%, 120% and replacement, is not far off.
Battery degradation can be observed.
Perhaps not as easily as removing a wheel and checking pad thickness, but watching a 3 wire 2 decimal digital voltmeter with sense and ground attached to battery terminals, one can watch that voltmeter dip more and more every cold engine start, as the battery ages/ gets aged.
I could have spent ~25$ more for a Batteries plus X2 power 5 year free replacement warranty, rather than a 4 from Northstar Via a licensed distributor.
Mine lasted 6 years and about 1200 deep cycles, and the sheer amount of KWH it delivered during its life was downright impressive, but expended effort into making sure it got returned to true full charge, often, promptly.
I'm hoping my group 31 Northstar i replaced it with , with proves as well made and endures as long, and hopefully longer.
I'll never buy an Optima, even if they had a 6 year warranty. Too much wasted space. Capacity is important to me, Marketing and popularity and fanboy numbers....mean nothing.
I'd buy Northstars/Odyssey if they had a 6 month warranty. Any defects will show up by then, in my usage.
If they fail in 6 months, it would have to be intentional murder, or an astonishing degree of ignorance combined with abuse, and the 'customer is always right' attitude, when by and large the average consumer these days, is just a vile, narcissistic, entitled bag of rancid douche fluid, yet also, somehow proud of it.
I have bought 18 and 22AH AGM batteries online, but they weigh 11 and 14 lbs respectively, and arrived undamaged, but they were also 6+ months old when they were shipped. Luckily AGM's lower self discharge did not allow them to sulfate much in the time between manufacture and delivery, and both have been worked hard but recharged promptly and fully and still perform admirably on the tasks I ask of them, but I promptly return them to full charge after any use, and when not used, i top them off once every two weeks or so.
But, you buy online, you could get a well aged battery, one already partially sulfated and even if the warranty starts ticking from the date of purchase, there has been some unknown degree of degradation. I want to start from the highest level of health possible and keep it as high as possible, no matter how hard I use it. I deep cycle them and that is far far harder on a battery than simple engine starting duty.
Buying a larger car/ truck sized battery from a distibutor with a high turnover is always best.
I will only ever require a warranty if the battery is defective, and that would reveal itself quickly in my usage and how I can monitor their performance. How much voltage they hold powering loads, how much amperage they accept at absorption voltage during recharge, how much Amp hours returned is required to reach full charge compared to amp hour removed. Usually 105 to 110% is required, and when it starts requiring 115%, 120% and replacement, is not far off.
Battery degradation can be observed.
Perhaps not as easily as removing a wheel and checking pad thickness, but watching a 3 wire 2 decimal digital voltmeter with sense and ground attached to battery terminals, one can watch that voltmeter dip more and more every cold engine start, as the battery ages/ gets aged.
I could have spent ~25$ more for a Batteries plus X2 power 5 year free replacement warranty, rather than a 4 from Northstar Via a licensed distributor.
Mine lasted 6 years and about 1200 deep cycles, and the sheer amount of KWH it delivered during its life was downright impressive, but expended effort into making sure it got returned to true full charge, often, promptly.
I'm hoping my group 31 Northstar i replaced it with , with proves as well made and endures as long, and hopefully longer.
I'll never buy an Optima, even if they had a 6 year warranty. Too much wasted space. Capacity is important to me, Marketing and popularity and fanboy numbers....mean nothing.
I'd buy Northstars/Odyssey if they had a 6 month warranty. Any defects will show up by then, in my usage.
If they fail in 6 months, it would have to be intentional murder, or an astonishing degree of ignorance combined with abuse, and the 'customer is always right' attitude, when by and large the average consumer these days, is just a vile, narcissistic, entitled bag of rancid douche fluid, yet also, somehow proud of it.
This is 100% my position as well. Put these super powerful, ultra premium batteries in stock at any of my local auto parts stores, and I will buy them in a heartbeat. I'm in your position with the original battery that now sits under the hood of my 2018 Toyota.
It still cranks and runs fine, but I have serious doubts it will make it through another hot desert Summer. So I'm now in the process of locating the best battery that's in stock and available here in town. So if and when it does finally give up the ghost, I can make the switch, and get rid of the core in an hour or two tops.
Then I can forget about it for another 2 or 3 years.
True Billt460 finding a high end battery in stock can be very hard at times in certain areas.
I'm lucky that I can regularly find a Northstar TPPL AGM batteries in stock near me.
That's not happening where I grew up just across the York river.
I'm lucky that I can regularly find a Northstar TPPL AGM batteries in stock near me.
That's not happening where I grew up just across the York river.
Another thing is my 2018 Toyota Camry utilizes a flooded battery. I'm not sure how my Toyota's charging system would adapt to a AGM battery, were I to install one. Or if there would be any problems or issues that might arise because of that. And most all of these high end, super premium batteries like Odyssey are AGM.
Good point. I grew up in Oakland, cal. I could find batteries everywhere. I retired to MON Nevada and the nearest parts store is 2.5 hour from me.
So my Odyssey purchase was my first on line battery.
Had help from my 4'-10" wife
I don't know if Odyessy's were online only as it appears they have reviews from a while ago, but my local Autozone now carries some Odyessy batteries. That made the decision easy for me, especially since it was built in March of 2022. I replaced my factory battery, which was still going strong, with an Odyessy Group 48, H6.
