Optima , Odyssey, Deka, Battery information

bgs · Post by **bgs** » Fri Oct 19, 2007 2:49 pm

Well how interesting..I was just mentioning that my old
Optima deep cell was about kaput, and sure enough it
died on me after just running my fans for a while. That's
a first. So I looked around for the Deka and low and behold
they are made local to me here in SoCal.
[well. if not made local, East Penn has a place in Ontario Ca]

I have one ordered and will pickup Monday. We shall see
how long this lasts. If it goes the same distance as my old
Optima {Circa 1999} I'll be a happy camper..

MARBLEYARD · Post by **MARBLEYARD** » Tue Oct 30, 2007 1:05 pm

My red top has died for the third time in 13 months. I will never buy one again, that's for sure! I am in Atlanta, about 500 miles from home, and ready to blow my, red, top! I don't have the time to take it to be charged overnight, so my friends went to get jumper cables, which didn't work last time. I called cust service and the guy that answered the phone sounded like like he just shot up heroin

and could care less about my problem. AHHHH horrible cust. service really makes the redneck in me come out.

After the amount of money I spent, I expect better. Piss poor all around

Thank god I'm not in the middle of nowhere!

04crewvt · Post by **04crewvt** » Mon Jun 29, 2009 7:54 am

Finally got my Red Top replaced under warranty. After 2 other attempts to get it covered (they would charge it and say it was good) today their tester would not even turn on when attached to the battery. I had run it in my Tahoe for a month and trickle charged it when not running but as soon as I stopped running it every day the charge would start to drop. This time I let it drop for two weeks unhooked and just sitting loose and that finally convinced the parts guys it was bad.

Post by **HenryJ** » Mon Jun 29, 2009 9:16 am

The local supplier has the Deka Intimidators back in stock. $106

Mine has been doing good. I think , should I need one that would be my choice for a AGM battery right now.

04crewvt · Post by **04crewvt** » Mon Jun 29, 2009 1:08 pm

Wish the had a dealer around here but none that I could find. I just bought two plain old batteries for the Tahoe dual battery setup at WalMart, cheapest for the highest amps would have liked to AGM but that would have more than doubled the price.

Post by **HenryJ** » Tue Feb 02, 2010 9:58 pm

Looks like I will be testing a new Optima yellow top soon.
I met with the regional manager for that line and explained the failures we are seeing.
The story that I get is that the original Optima batteries were manufactured in a plant near Denver , CO. After a change in ownership they were made in a plant on the border of France and Spain. Those are reported to be the problem batteries, although He said this is the first He has heard of problems. Fortunately I have three examples that I showed him. My one and a half year old battery is going back to be dissected.
According to him the Optimas are now built in Mexico. These are supposed to be better and made in a state of the art plant.
They are really going to have to prove them selves to me to get me back in that club. I have been burned too many times now by failures.

My Diehard Platinum is great. The Deka Intimidator doing fine. I am going to make darn sure one of them is close while I run the yellow top through the wringer.

Post by **HenryJ** » Wed Feb 17, 2010 9:31 pm

Information:
Diehard Platinum 34/78 $190 : Warranties & Coverage:
Months in Use Free Replacement: 48
Months in Use Pro Rated Replacement: 100

Yellow Top Optima 34/78 $212 : A FREE REPLACEMENT is made when the defective battery is brought in for claim:
A. within 36 months of purchase date for OPTIMA RED TOP and Yellow Top
ANY BATTERY REPLACED DURING THE FREE REPLACEMENT PERIOD SHOULD HAVE THE ORIGINAL PURCHASE
DATE PUNCHED OUT, NOT THE REPLACEMENT DATE. This warranty continues from the date of the original purchase.
Receipt of the free replacement battery does not exceed the original warranty period.

Deka Intimidator 34/78 $120 : Warranty: 36 months warranty and 12 months free replacement.

Looks like the Diehard Platinum blows the others out of the water for warranty. Deka is still a less expensive alternative. Three years and you're done for Optima. There was no listing for prorating now.

killian96ss · Post by **killian96ss** » Thu Feb 18, 2010 12:45 pm

I still have 3 Optimal red tops going strong with no failures to report. All 3 are model # 9004-003 which are the big red tops. The one in my SS is over 13 years old and still works as good as new. The other two are 4 and 2 years old and working just fine.

Steve

Post by **HenryJ** » Wed Apr 07, 2010 4:14 pm

Old stock. That seems to be the story on the battery that was sent back to Optima. It appears that 10 year old batteries were being sold as "new".
Any batteries with "Gilling Group" on the label were made prior to 2000. The burn code and serial number can say 8 , but even though it was purchased in 2008, it was made in 1998!

It appears that what may have happened here is that old stock was being sold. How and why I do not know. The labels do not tel the tale as they are numbered from 0-9. The burn code is useless since only the last digit of the year is used as well. Your only indicator will be the "Gilling group" listed in the fine print on the label.

The story goes that Johnson Control bought the Colorado plant in 2000. That plant made the same batteries until 2006 when operations moved to Mexico. I had a little trouble getting a new Mexican manufactured battery here, so I would imagine some of the Colorado batteries may still be out there.

Could the former owner been trying to save the company and selling old stock just prior to the company being bought? Could local retailers have picked up truck loads of these old batteries and been selling them as "new" not knowing?

I don't know. There may have been a mix up as the battery they received had damage. A cut in the cell that did not look recent. I don't know what happened there as the one I returned was as new and purchased in the last few years.

Still some mystery surrounding this.

The Yellowtop , to date is still starting the truck. Voltage is dropping though. I no longer see a full 12.9 volts when I go to start it. I have been 11.5 volts with the key on recently. That is the same path the old Redtop took on its way out. I am going to fully charge it again tonight. It is almost like they do not readily accept a charge?
My charging system is good and drains minimal.
The Diehard Platinum never did exhibit this.

Testing continues.

Post by **HenryJ** » Sat Nov 13, 2010 7:45 am

Looks like the Diehard Platinum took a price hike: DieHard Automotive Battery, Platinum P-3 - Group Size 75/86DT (with exchange) $209.99
Ouch!

ApproachMedium · Post by **ApproachMedium** » Sun Nov 21, 2010 2:29 am

The battery for my CC died today, along with the battery to my GTI getting ready to walk out the door too... With no other posts since 2007 I am curious after 3 years how the Deka is holding up for anyone thats bought them. Im thinking Monday maybe I should take a ride out there and pick up a pair of these batteries for the two cars if I can still get them cheaper than Optimas. The yellow top now is at about $200!

Post by **HenryJ** » Sun Nov 21, 2010 7:53 am

My conclusion on the Optima Yellowtop is that they can not be properly charged in a vehicle. Their resistance to discharge is mimicked in their ability to accept a charge. They need a long slow charge to fully charge. Vehicles are set up to charge hard and fast. The Optima Yellowtop loses voltage over time being charged this way. It still seems to hold enough to start a vehicle , but never reaches 100% charge. I let mine go with my old truck. That concludes my Optima testing.

I have had one Deka failure. They do not hold a charge as well. The recycled lead is a good thing for the environment, but virgin lead performs better. I don't think they are a bad choice, but they may not be the best choice.
Right now the best flooded cell battery is the Everstart Maxx sold by Walmart. The best AGM battery is the Diehard Platinum sold by Sears.
On a budget, I would probably choose the flooded cell battery. If AGM was what I wanted, I save up for the Diehard.

ApproachMedium · Post by **ApproachMedium** » Sun Nov 21, 2010 11:46 am

Wow very interesting... That does make sense with the Deka and recycled lead. Recycled metals are usually never as good as the virgin metals.

I used to have a Yellow Top in my old suburban and I liked that I could leave my sound system going for long periods of time without the truck running. I am interested in something that can provide me the same feature because my CC is used for rail fanning and I have a Kenwood mobile that I want to keep on while we are trackside, and not have to worry about hearing it over the engine running.

So the AGM diehard platium would probably be my best bet then? I have alot of demand on my batteries between leaving accessories on for long periods of time and working for the railroad I need the car to be able to start any time of the day in any temp without giving me any trouble.

green02crew · Post by **green02crew** » Sun Nov 21, 2010 12:23 pm

Its funny you should mention the diehard and everstart. I have the diehard in my CC and everstart in my civic.

The diehard has been going strong since early 2006. And it has been abused. Left for weeks without starting the truck, run dead with accessories left on. Even when left it holds a charge with no issues, I've never been left stranded. Only problem was leaving accessories going for a long period of time.

The everstart has been going flawlessly for over a year now. Its also my 3rd one. I had two in previous vehicles and the first one did fail. Walmart stands by the warranty but my understanding is that if you try to return one now, you need to show proof of purchase so they can make sure it is within the warranty period. It used to be a no questions asked return even when out of warranty period.

I would purchase both again however I never had a failure on my diehard and the the everstart did fail once. But the warranty at walmart is good and prices much lower.

Post by **HenryJ** » Sun Nov 21, 2010 12:42 pm

ApproachMedium wrote:So the AGM diehard platium would probably be my best bet then? I have alot of demand on my batteries between leaving accessories on for long periods of time and working for the railroad I need the car to be able to start any time of the day in any temp without giving me any trouble.

The Diehard Platinum is my choice for a high demand application where an acid free environment is preferred. I will be buying one for the BLT Offroad trailer this spring unless things change.

I would highly recommend adding a battery brain for a vehicle that sits for long periods of time. That guarantees thew battery gets disconnected to save power for starting when you need it.

ApproachMedium · Post by **ApproachMedium** » Sun Nov 21, 2010 12:54 pm

Sounds like a plan. Being that I have the two cars, I switch now and then so one or the other spends time sitting around. The GTI usually gets used more in the summer and the truck in the winter. I think the diehard will be the way to go for the truck, in fact I think I will head to sears today or tomorrow and pick one up!

Post by **HenryJ** » Sun Jan 02, 2011 7:35 pm

Just a heads up. The group 34/78 dual post Diehard Platinum is no longer available online.
I found them on the shelf priced at $199 today at Sears. That is a better price than online.

I don't know if these are going to remain part of their inventory. The fact that they disappeared online worries me. Also that they offer a group 34 top post and group 78 side post separately. Maybe the 34/78 DT days are numbered?

I still like to hear , "If you have any problems with this battery in the next four years, we will replace it for free."

I now have one for the BLT Offroad trailer. Ready for spring!

ApproachMedium · Post by **ApproachMedium** » Mon Jan 03, 2011 3:30 am

I ended up getting one of the Optimas, intended for my truck, but the GTI battery died first. So now its in there. I got it for less than $150 shipped on Amazon.com Took a week to get here with free shipping but since I have the two vehicles no big deal.

ckholloway · Post by **ckholloway** » Sat Jan 15, 2011 9:18 pm

You mention you diehard battery and you and I had a short conversation about battery manufactures the other day so just because I am sitting here being bored I did a quick search. I find that your diehard battery is being built by johnson control and my AC/DELCO (note the use of caps LOL) is being built by Delphi again. Maybe my search returned false info, but maybe you better check into it. I know how much you like johnson control.

Post by **HenryJ** » Sat Jan 15, 2011 9:30 pm

Well we have only three manufacturers to choose from. I just hope that they don't do for the Odyssey and Diehard what they have done to the Optima. At least I still have the best warranty out there.

ckholloway · Post by **ckholloway** » Sat Jan 15, 2011 9:35 pm

Ok nobody can really argue that.

Post by **HenryJ** » Sun Jan 16, 2011 11:20 am

Galt wrote:January 16, 2010
Car Battery Reviews and Buying Guide:
The majority of car batteries are created by 3 manufacturers - JCI, East Penn, Exide and Johnson Controls Industries (they bought out Delphi). Delphi makes some EverStart models sold in Walmart and ACDelco. Johnson Control Industries makes Duralast seen in Autozone stores, Diehard - sold in Sears, Kirkland - the Costco brand, Motorcraft - which Ford sells, some of the EverStarts, and Interstate. Exide makes Exide batteries, Champion, Napa and even a % of the EverStart batteries.

This is a year old and they seem to be bought and sold pretty rapidly.
I have heard this same story and no one seems to have the same answer as to who builds what.
Things never stay the same. The one that is best this year may not be the next.
My current top choice is the Diehard Platinum. I have not been able to confirm where this line is made or by whom. The above quote does show their lower line Diehards are made by Johnson Control. Those are flooded cell batteries. Reports I see show that Enersys builds the Odyssey and Platinum series Diehard batteries.
Diehard.com - Diehard Torture labs
DieHard Battery vs. The Bullet

ApproachMedium · Post by **ApproachMedium** » Sun Jan 16, 2011 11:33 am

I was just in my local Napa the other day and he said his Napa batteries are provided by East Penn (Deka). Looking at his top model deep cycle battery it very closely looks like their Intimidator battery, just says Napa on it.

Post by **HenryJ** » Sun Jan 16, 2011 11:43 am

Our local NAPA salesman came in last week boasting that their batteries are made by Johnson Control.
Who really knows?
I'm like you in that I look at the case and find similarities with a differently labeled battery. That clue can lead to the truth.
I think we are going to have to research each purchase and not take for granted that the brand we trust will be the one we can count on tomorrow.

roadrunner · Post by **roadrunner** » Sun Jan 16, 2011 2:33 pm

I would not be too concerned who is building the battery for whom. The main thing is how each name performs for you and how well it lasts. There have been a very limited number of manufacturers for not only batteries but also for shocks and numerous other automotive parts. The main thing is that the particular brand of battery is made to factory specs. That is to say the particular brand specs. Much like Whirlpool making most or all of Sears appliances. Hence the moniker FSP (factory specification part). A Sears appliance under this program is similar but not identical to a Whirlpool appliance. What you really have to worry about is a particular brand "going cheap" on what they are having made for them by the manufacturer.

ApproachMedium · Post by **ApproachMedium** » Sun Jan 16, 2011 3:46 pm

This is true... Theres only I think 4 LCD panel manufactures in the world right now. Previously there was only one company at the end making picture tubes for every TV sold. There was one factory in the US and one in china or something. All tubes were made to the manufactures specs and then shipped out to be installed in the individual sets.

Post by **HenryJ** » Wed Jan 26, 2011 9:29 pm

The 12volt Side of Life (Part 1)

rlrnr53 · Post by **rlrnr53** » Fri Jan 28, 2011 8:10 pm

Good article on batteries. Well worth reading

F9K9 · Post by **F9K9** » Fri Jul 22, 2011 2:49 pm

HenryJ wrote:Looks like the Diehard Platinum took a price hike: DieHard Automotive Battery, Platinum P-3 - Group Size 75/86DT (with exchange) $209.99
Ouch!

Hit that link again and it's $234.99, Ouch 2Xs! I just killed a 13 month old red top during a winch fest back in June. Warranty was worthless with all the papers and a connection at Advance Auto. Picked up a P-2 Diehard Platinum for $215 Tuesday. It's gonna have to last and I will hold them to the

4-Year Free Replacement; 100-Month Prorated Limited Warranty

Post by **HenryJ** » Fri Jul 22, 2011 3:36 pm

Yikes. It looks like the coupon knocked off 10%, that helps.

I think you'll be happy. I still have people trying to convince me that the Optima are good. I'm not a believer anymore.
The Old Optimas in the HenryJ and Vega are still working fine. Both over a decade in service now.

ApproachMedium · Post by **ApproachMedium** » Fri Jul 22, 2011 3:48 pm

My two optimas I bought a few months back when I had my batteries die in both cars at the same time are still kickin. The GTI never started this good before and my power windows in the CC never went up and down so fast!

I think I paid $140 shipped for each from amazon.com. Not bad considering the price of the Die Hards recommended, if the battery lasts 3-4 years ill be happy!

04crewvt · Post by **04crewvt** » Fri Jul 22, 2011 4:08 pm

Yup the price jumped in the spring cost of lead is way up.

F9K9 · Post by **F9K9** » Fri Jul 22, 2011 5:00 pm

HenryJ wrote:.....I still have people trying to convince me that the Optima are good. I'm not a believer anymore.

I'm not either. I believe all the stories of their past performance but, something happened to them 5-6 yrs ago. The CC is on it's third one. A red top died in under a year, a yellow top died in under two and now it's on a red top. I found the Diehard platinum online 3 weeks ago for $199, during a free shipping special. I couldn't get the "free shipping" aspect to apply online and spent almost an hour on the phone with them to find out why. Long story short, they didn't know why they couldn't ship and apologized. No Sears close by me so, I sucked it up. I then remembered that I drive by one every 3 weeks taking the boss to the doctor. I went back online to buy it with "in store pick up" and saw the $35 increase.

Hopefully, I will give a long term report on the platinum down the road. On a side note, I had to almost shake the service writer to make him comprehend that I did not want him to plug in the year, make, model of my heep into his computer. I wanted a P-2 battery. He advised me that he was old school and there were no "P" numbers on them. I asked if, he could look at a group 65 battery and not see the P-2 on it. He took me back into the stock room and there was the P-2 in all of it's glory. That's why forums are so beneficial. I already knew that it would fit in my heep and that it gained me 150 CCAs over what they recommend.

Post by **HenryJ** » Fri Jul 22, 2011 5:21 pm

F9K9 wrote:...That's why forums are so beneficial. I already knew that it would fit in my heep and that it gained me 150 CCAs over what they recommend.

Amen

edit-changed my "new" to "knew".......jeez Reed

ApproachMedium · Post by **ApproachMedium** » Sun Nov 20, 2011 11:03 am

Well strike one may be hit on the new optima, while changing out my door speakers in the CC yesterday I was listening to the radio, the sound slowly faded out till there was no sound but the radio worked. The dash was dimly lit and then I had 9v on the battery. Jump started it off the GTI and had it running fine, no alt light etc. Ran it for 15 min, came home later that night went to start it again and it was dead. Probably not enough time to charge from earlier in the day.

After I jumped it again last night when I got home I found the heated seat was on, maybe this was the problem. Could having the ignition on and me accidentally bumping the heated seat on without the motor running drain the battery that quickly? (about 20 min). After jumping it the second time let it run for about 10 min, drove it around for another 10 and parked it, Was back to 9v again this morning. I am gonna jump her again later when I get home and drive down to mom and dads let it sit on the battery charger for a couple hours and see what that does. Hopefully this was just all because of the seat but I will share what I find. Battery and Alt were replaced new back in March.

F9K9 · Post by **F9K9** » Sun Nov 20, 2011 1:07 pm

Couple of things here, to think about. Your heated seat will not "heat" (and therefore not place a drain on your system) until your seat is in it (in mine, anyway). Just guessing that a person's wgt closes a circuit and it heats.

A discharged battery will not charge properly and your alternator takes a beating trying to charge a dead battery. Your Dad's charger is a good avenue to use but, 2 hours may not be enough if, it is a budget charger.

ApproachMedium · Post by **ApproachMedium** » Sun Nov 20, 2011 9:02 pm

I know its not good to run a dead battery on the altnerator, I jumped the thing again before I left this evening and left it running with the GTI plugged in for about 10-15 minutes before leaving it alone. I immediately hit the highway went straight to the parents and threw it on the charger. Drive is only about 25-30 mins.

This was a Shumaker digital smart charger, It got the battery charged up from what it said was 3% to 100% in just about two hours. Batt is working good and truck is starting just fine now. Maybe me having my tools on the seat (magnetic?) told the sensor that someones seat was in the seat? heh. I dont know, unless when I had the seat fixed last fall that feature was bypassed I do not know. I will have to do some investigation here as to where this problem may have come from. Maybe I have a ground somewhere that I do not know about. Time to bust out the meter again.

F9K9 · Post by **F9K9** » Mon Nov 21, 2011 7:37 pm

This is a tough call. Do you hit on one parts store over others or head for the closest or best deal? Most "parts jockeys" or "counter jockeys" are temporary, at best? I lucked out and listened to Brule and established a rapport with my local advance auto store. A local club member is the asst manager but, he sold his heep when, his girl was born, five years ago.

The bottom line is that you need to be able to trust your contact at the store that you deal with. Get that rapport and have them yank your battery and charge it inside. If, it tests good then have them or you go and reinstall it yourself.

Now have them test it once again. I have had Optimas say "requires charging" at this point in the process.

I do not care about all of the wonderful Optima stories that I see from trusted internet friends. I have to many negative stories to clutter this thread up with. I will not waste my money or time on another Optima. Either go with a Sears Diehard Platinum or buy the best that you can from Wallyworld or the local parts store. The warranties offered may well out weigh that moment when you really need to hear that starter spin and your engine cough into life.

ApproachMedium · Post by **ApproachMedium** » Tue Nov 22, 2011 6:15 am

I do have a good relationship with my parts place, a local NAPA that I have been visiting for the past 5 years by my parents. Unfortunately though by the time I get home from work they are closed. I cant wait a week to get down to the parts store just to have them charge a battery, when I can do this myself at home. After the holiday I will be looking to get my own digital charger to keep at my place just in case.

This site is the first place I heard any bad stories about optimas. Yes I was cautious about buying one after reading, but when both cars happened to need a battery at the same time I went with what was the cheapest at the time the optima was it, and it fit in to my GTI. No place around here would sell me a battery for a VW without it having a pricetag of well over $200 just because its supposedly a "special" battery for the VW. I put the same exact size optima from the CC in the GTI and it fit perfectly.

As for the the Optima issue with the CC the other day it has been holding a full charge no problem and truck is starting without any issue since its recharge the other day. I must have left something on or done something wrong with the ignition on while I was working on saturday. If anything should fail again I will defiantly post about it, and be looking at other options outside of the Optima.

roadrunner · Post by **roadrunner** » Tue Nov 22, 2011 4:00 pm

Keep an eye to the voltmeter as well to make sure voltage doesn't slowly decline over time. This could indicate either a failing battery or an alternator problem in the making.

killian96ss · Post by **killian96ss** » Tue Nov 22, 2011 5:53 pm

killian96ss wrote:I still have 3 Optimal red tops going strong with no failures to report. All 3 are model # 9004-003 which are the big red tops. The one in my SS is over 13 years old and still works as good as new. The other two are 4 and 2 years old and working just fine.

Steve

The 4 year old red top died the other day in my ZR2 and could not be revived. I managed to get a new Red Top from Summit Racing even though the free replacement warranty had expired! I'll be keeping an eye on that new one and the 2 year old now. Funny that the 13 year old Red Top is still working great?

Steve

Post by **HenryJ** » Tue Nov 22, 2011 9:51 pm

I still have two well past a dozen years old working as good as always. I was by the parts store the other day and saw three fairly new one sitting in the core pile.
Expedition Portal has quite a few failure stories to tell too.

UPDATE: Sears Diehard Platinums have been working flawlessly. I tried to kill one by draining it to the point it would not start the truck. I did abuse it by jumping it to go. Easy to do with a second battery. It charged right back up and you would never know it ever happened. Still a fan of the Diehard Platinum.

Post by **HenryJ** » Sat Jan 14, 2012 1:58 pm

Optima leaves me stranded
Optima battery problems
Optima batteries bogus
Problems with Optima battery
Optima battery flat dead
Optima batteries
Optima battery issues
Optima batteries

HenryJ wrote:I too ran the gammut of the new Optimas. I was a diehard Optima believer and I still have three well over a decade old. Something happened. The new Optimas just don't have "it". I was told the Denver facility was not up to the standard and the new facility would solve those problems.
When Johnson Control bought them, I ran into a whole batch of re-labeled old stock. Batteries over five years old being sold as new. I only found this out when I had a dated receipt for a battery less than two years old. The battery was sent to Optima for examination. It had a swelled cell. I was told the battery was over ten years old and past its service life. No further examination was done.
I was given a new YellowTop for testing. This one manufactured in the 2006 newly built mexico plant. I put it in my "worst case truck". It too ran into the same old game. It would no longer fully charge. 12.6 volts was about the best it would do. Eventually I had to deal with a periodic no start and need for a charger to replenish it.
I let it go with that truck and never looked back.

This has been happening for quite a while, and I know that I'm not alone. My experiences were with mostly Redtops. I did have problems with one BlueTop and the above mentioned YellowTop.
Optima Leaves Me Stranded
The local dealers are no longer stocking Optima. One dealer said that there have been just too many returns. He too was a believer, but no longer.
The warranty on the Optima has changed too. Their warranty used to be unmatched. That is no longer the case. They have a 36 month warranty.

I have gone to the Diehard Platinum batteries for my AGM battery needs. They now have the best warranty. Free Replacement 48 months and Pro Rated Replacement to 100 months.

I am still happy that I have three very old Optima batteries still serving my needs. When they go, I'll likely replace them with Diehard Platinum, unless things change there too.

HenryJ wrote:
OptimaJim wrote:...In reference to HenryJ's comment about testing a YellowTop manufactured in our Monterrey facility in 2006, he wanted me to point out that ground may not have even been broken on that facility in 2006 and it certainly wasn't producing batteries at that point. ...
Very good to know that the Optima Rep. here was lying to me and gave another "bogus" battery. Funny that he was very careful to point out the label and differences when he presented me with the new battery? It does explain quite a bit in that there was no difference in performance and had similar faults matching the others.
I will be sure to print this information and give it to him next time around.
For the record, when did the Mexico plant begin producing batteries?

EDIT- Did a little searching for more information:
Answers.com wrote:...Of all of the company's diversified operations, its battery unit was the least profitable, partly because prices for batteries had not increased in a decade, and partly because the unit's unionized plants had to compete with nonunion plants of other companies. In mid-1991 Johnson Controls attempted to sell the battery division but could not find a buyer. The unit was further battered when it lost its contract to supply DieHard batteries to Sears in late 1994. Since that time contracts were signed or renewed with such retailers as AutoZone and Wal-Mart, and the company also supplied the largest battery distributor in the nation, Interstate Battery System of America. In October 1997 a contract was signed to supply Sears with DieHard Gold batteries, the top of that product line. The battery unit also began to target overseas markets more aggressively, opening a plant in Mexico in 1994, forming a joint venture in China in 1996 to make batteries for Volkswagen, and creating another joint venture in 1997 with Varta Battery AG of Germany to make batteries in South America.
...in late 2000 Johnson acquired Gylling Optima Batteries AB, a Swedish maker of high-performance, leak-resistant lead-acid batteries marketed under the Optima brand name...

Read more: http://www.answers.com/topic/johnson-co ... z1jIdRel3h
R McGraw, Dec. 2008 wrote:Its official now. I have worked at Optima Batteries for 11 years. In 2000, Johnson controls bought Optima and immediatly began construction of a plant in Mexico. We were told that our U.S. plant could not produce enough product so the plant in mexico would be to supply Europe. Slowly but surely, our product lines began being transferred to mexico. Then the week before Thanksgiving, we were told that the U.S. plant will be closed Jan.24 2009.
While it may not have been producing batteries for the US market at that time, it seems reasonable that I could have received a battery from the Mexico plant in 2006? Maybe the JC/Optima rep. was not feeding me BS?

Saving/sharing this for posterity

F9K9 · Post by **F9K9** » Sun Jan 15, 2012 5:24 am

................and yet there are still "diehard" Optima believers. I bought 2 red tops in 2010 because I wanted to believe the QC issues were fixed and the fact that I got them at a very good price. Less than 12 months later the first one became unreliable. Tested good at the auto parts store and my buddy couldn't replace it. I had had enough of screwing around with batteries and yanked it out and tossed it on a shelf for an emergency back up or possible trading stock. I tried to purchase a Diehard platinum online when they were on sale but, they no longer shipped them. I drove 70 miles to my closest Sears (have home stores closer but, they didn't carry batteries) and picked up a platinum. I'll pick up another sometime soon and replace the remaining active duty red top. Meanwhile whatever top of the line Wallyworld battery that is in my wife's Grand refuses to even give a hint of letting go and it's 5 years old.

roadrunner · Post by **roadrunner** » Sun Jan 15, 2012 8:40 am

I used to run diehard but they let me down too many times. Have had very little trouble with wallyworld batteries but it should be noted I always buy the biggest that will fit with the longest warranty they have. Never ran optimas and from what I see here I didn't miss much. Years ago Motorcraft had a really good battery but over time they cheaped em up and were no longer dependable. Ditto NAPA and Delco in my experience.

Post by **HenryJ** » Sun Jan 15, 2012 8:58 am

roadrunner wrote:I used to run diehard but they let me down too many times. Have had very little trouble with wallyworld batteries but it should be noted I always buy the biggest that will fit with the longest warranty they have. Never ran optimas and from what I see here I didn't miss much. Years ago Motorcraft had a really good battery but over time they cheaped em up and were no longer dependable. Ditto NAPA and Delco in my experience.

JCI makes the Diehard flooded cell batteries. The Diehard Platinum line may be new to you. I know it was to me. The Diehard Platinum batteries, to the best of my research, are made by Enersys. Keep an open mind about those , unless those are what let you down too many times?
JCI makes the batteries for Walmart. I too will agree that the Everstart Maxx is a good battery. Some of that comes from the warranty and availability of replacements. Wallyworld is everywhere. Their lower line are not as good quality and I have seen some problems with lifespan and leakage. The two may indeed be related?
I have had good luck with the 7yr Delco batteries. They seem to go problem free about four years and die with good warranty left. That is good for the fleet. Not so good for the supplier as I always have fresh batteries at their expense. The 6yr are different and have not worked out at all. There is a noticeable difference in the case design and the performance has been terrible. I suspect the internals are weak as I have had suddeb deaths on numerous occasions.

I guess you can not lump all the brands together. Each line of batteries may differ enough to warrant a second look or at least unbiased inspection.

One thing is inevitable...change. Not for the good most times when it comes to batteries

roadrunner · Post by **roadrunner** » Sun Jan 15, 2012 9:16 am

It's been my experience with batteries as well as shocks and certain other automotive components they all tend to be built to the specs of the company that intends to sell them. Sometimes that's good others not so much. The diehards I spoke of were of the older vintages. I have not used the new platinum line. I will say I learned quite a lot about batteries while working for an industrial battery company in their sales/service department. Good solid knowledge and information there. I have not used the Interstate batteries for a long time but if their performance is as it used to be I don't want anything to do with them. When I was still an auto tech we called em the "rent a battery" program. The all tended to fail just far enough into the warranty that the customer had to fork over a fair amount of cash for the "warranty" replacement. Perhaps they have changed since but I prefer not to find out. I stick with the wallyworld Maxx line because they've been good dependable and long lived for me. What few I've had fail (which is a very small number) were still in the 100% free replacement period so I've not had to shell out cash for a pro-rated failure in a long time. Hence my confidence in them.
As you can see I am not really lumping all batteries together but neither am I interested in changing from what works to what may or may not. If it works don't fix it is the operable system here.

Post by **HenryJ** » Sun Jan 15, 2012 9:58 am

I totally agree. I have heard the Interstate battery tale first hand here and the story is the same. We joke about them being the only battery that leaks worse than a Les Schwab battery

The old mechanic here had a brother that sold Interstate. We went through LOTS of batteries! It took a new mechanic to finally start buying decent batteries that last more than one year.

I don't blame you for sticking with the Everstart Maxx. Currently it is the best flooded cell battery out there, IMO. I need AGM batteries and the Sears Diehard Platinum is the best that I have found at this point. Hope things stay that way

ApproachMedium · Post by **ApproachMedium** » Sun Jan 15, 2012 11:47 am

HenryJ wrote:I totally agree. I have heard the Interstate battery tale first hand here and the story is the same. We joke about them being the only battery that leaks worse than a Les Schwab battery The old mechanic here had a brother that sold Interstate. We went through LOTS of batteries! It took a new mechanic to finally start buying decent batteries that last more than one year.

I don't blame you for sticking with the Everstart Maxx. Currently it is the best flooded cell battery out there, IMO. I need AGM batteries and the Sears Diehard Platinum is the best that I have found at this point. Hope things stay that way

Hummm doesnt interstate have something to do with Optima now? Why do I recall this being on the label of one of my two new optimas that I purchased last year?

Post by **HenryJ** » Sun Jan 15, 2012 11:55 am

ApproachMedium wrote:Hummm doesnt interstate have something to do with Optima now? Why do I recall this being on the label of one of my two new optimas that I purchased last year?

Yes. Both are now made by JCI , Johnson control.

ApproachMedium · Post by **ApproachMedium** » Sun Jan 15, 2012 12:06 pm

Well I guess that answers everything. Now I know why the quality control is hit or miss.

Post by **HenryJ** » Sun Jan 15, 2012 12:14 pm

Optima was a Swedish company. In 2000 they were purchased by JCI. Soon after production was moved to a facility in Mexico. there is more about that in the quoted posts that I added above.

green02crew · Post by **green02crew** » Sun Jan 15, 2012 11:28 pm

I just replaced the stock battery. Amazing lifespan. It was abused as well, ran dead, overcharged from a faulty alternator. Messy life but good since 2002. That's not bad. Put in a Maxx from Walmart, I already notice it doesn't turn over quite like the old one when it's cold out. CCA is a little lower but seems to hold it's own, -15 here now.

Post by **HenryJ** » Thu Jul 05, 2012 3:23 pm

Deep Cycle Battery FAQ

bgs · Post by **bgs** » Tue Jan 01, 2013 4:40 pm

Though this is a very late reply, I too tried the Deka and it didn't last but maybe 2.5/3 years.
I went and bought a Duralast Gold with supposedly close to a 1000 cranking amps
though I don't recall the CCA's. It has served very well. I usually have a 8" fan blowing
on me for .5 to 4 hrs with the engine off and it always cranks well. So we'll see how
it lasts. I think I paid around 114.00 or so. Here are the specs.

" 78-DLG
Weight: 37.51 lbs
Warranty: 8 YR
Notes: 800 cold cranking Amps (1000 cranking Amps)
110 reserve minutes. - 3 year free replacement. "

Post by **HenryJ** » Sat Jan 05, 2013 10:24 am

Another good news story for the Diehard Platinum.

Weather here has been frightful, single digits each night warming to the teens in the day. I had some time off and "caved-up" during the cold snap. My truck didn't get any use for four days. Little did I know that after my last use I had left the Laptop and inverter on in the truck. I jumped in to respond to a fire call and the truck started a little slow. I still did not realize why at this time.
The next day the same thing. It started a little slow. It was then I noticed that the laptop was charging and I ha e left the inverter on.
Now, I probably should have grabbed the charger and charged it back up. Did I mention it is cold outside? Did that get done? Nah!
Here I am back on the daily grind. The truck did fine recovering and I had to do nothing.
I like it. The would not have been the outcome for the Optima.

Still a believer in the value of the Diehard Platinum batteries. Now off to see if I can get a pair of them in six volt for the trailer

rlrnr53 · Post by **rlrnr53** » Sat Jan 05, 2013 9:06 pm

A couple of weeks ago, I was at my winter job of monitoring antifreeze solutions for coal trains. We finished loading the train and I was sitting in my truck finishing my paperwork. After finishing, I took the copy to the mine forman. I come back to the truck and nothing but a click. I got a jump and came home. After checking the battery with my battery tester, it showed a bad cell. I went to Auto Zone and the warranty was out by a couple of months. The manager whom I've known for a few years went ahead and warrentird the battery for me based on the amount of business I have done with them since they had bee there. Sometimes it pays to cultivate a good relationship with the people at your local store. I was suprised that the Duralast Gold didn't last longer than it did, but everything worked out for me. I'll be sure to buy at least some of my parts there to ensure continued good relations withthem.

Post by **HenryJ** » Sun Jan 06, 2013 9:01 am

rlrnr53 wrote:... Sometimes it pays to cultivate a good relationship with the people at your local store...

You are wrong!

"It always pays" to build a good relationship with people.

What comes around goes around. Even if you don't directly reap the rewards, someone will.

F9K9 · Post by **F9K9** » Sun Jan 06, 2013 12:59 pm

HenryJ wrote:Another good news story for the Diehard Platinum..............................................

Our off road club , the Kentucky Krawlers had our annual NEW YEARS DAY "HANGOVER RIDE" last Tuesday. We were doing a 2-3 hour ride in a "semi closed" area as a "farewell ride" to what many considered, to be the best wheeling area, east of the Mississippi. The 2-3 hr ride turned into a 9 hour winchfest. Several members, did not have "lockers" or winches. The recent rains had turned the area into a situation, that none of us had expected. To make a long story short, I had to winch myself up an obstacle in the past. It was a very short recovery and I foolishly shut my engine off shortly after I made the self recovery. The 1 year old RED TOP was dead when, I tried a restart. We were in rocks and no one could turn around to jump me. I had to pull the battery out of the closest rig and walk back to restart.

This recent ride required a ton of winching from my rig. Because I thought that I was low on fuel (another story), I shut down as fast as I could, every chance that I had. I was cold and wet but, my fuel situation prevailed over any other worries. The rig fired up strongly after every session and there was one long winch session where I was dragging myself and a dead Jeep for several hundred feet. It was the same set up that killed the RED TOP in one short pull but, reigned royally, this past New Years.

I still have a RED TOP that I keep charged and stored, for the final wave of Zombies but, I don't trust it.

ApproachMedium · Post by **ApproachMedium** » Sun Jan 06, 2013 5:12 pm

Honestly for using stuff like wenches etc I dont think a red top is really suitable. The yellow top for deep cycling is probably better. I dont know anyone so far thats had success with red tops lasting longer than normal batteries but no problems with the yellows.

F9K9 · Post by **F9K9** » Sun Jan 06, 2013 6:20 pm

ApproachMedium wrote:Honestly for using stuff like wenches etc I don't think a red top is really suitable. The yellow top for deep cycling is probably better.............

I ran a Yellow Top for a couple of years. It survived Moab with, Brule. It was a little better but, not by much. My last Red Top laid down on my wife while, she was in Houston for radiation treatments and I was at home in KY. Normally, I am not big on triple A (AAA) but, they jumped her 2Xs and have towed her once this year. I told her to get to the nearest Sears auto center and get a Platinum and for her not to worry about the costs. I am sure that the non sale priced battery gave her a bit of sticker shock but, she never said a word about it. While she was a little hesitant about driving the CC before, the battery replacement, she fully trusts the CC now.

Post by **HenryJ** » Sun Jan 06, 2013 9:31 pm

Ditto here on the YellowTop. I tried it and after not long it too would not get fully charged. Same old issue. It went with my S-10. No tears on letting the battery go with it.

Post by **HenryJ** » Tue Jan 22, 2013 6:18 am

RedTop pulled last night. I had one on the wife's car. Yesterday it failed to start. Same old problem...would not fully charge. Charged it up and it went for a while. Then find it down to 11.7 volts. One cell (center rear) swelled.
I know I have said I am done, but I still have two more still in service.
Another Diehard Platinum in the family now. I matched the Avalanche with a pair of 34/78DT and moved the 75/86DT to her car.

It will be nice not to worry about her car starting.

ApproachMedium · Post by **ApproachMedium** » Tue Jan 22, 2013 5:32 pm

Yesterday I went to leave Syracuse, it was 19 degrees out and the GTI seemed to struggle cranking over with the almost 2 year old yellow top. Now, I also just installed a radio last week that due to me possibly not having the latest CAN bus update, could drain the battery. So far anyone else that's had the battery drain issue sees it over night with a stock battery, being I have the optima not sure what will happen. It hasn't given me any issues starting till it got this cold out. We'll see what happens over the next few days, I hope its just signs because its cold out and not that its failing already. Since the crew has the broken fuel line and the insurance is up on the red truck I have for sale, I could be SOL!