So i'm thinking my battery is spent only after 14 months of infrequent use...got a jump...started the car up and let it run for about an hour..4 days later when to start it up again and dead...yea it's been cold and all and my car sits in the backyard most of the time, I only start it up 1 or 2 nights a week and drive it once a week...any recommendaions on a better battery or try another one?

 

i'd get a red top. the yellow top is for deep cycle charging.

 

Which would make the yellow top better for infrequent use.

I have replaced my red top every 12 months since I switched to the red top. They arn't good batteries if you don't drive the car often. I'm confident that by summer time I'll be on yet another battery, and once the warranty is up it won't be an Optima.

 

Couldn't agree more - having wasted money on these things on previous cars, I wouldn't use another one in my own car if it were given to me for free. I have had zero issues using an OEM battery on my Z, and since 2003, I've only had to replace it 1 time - plus, they are cheap. Once a week is not really hard on a battery IMHO. I'd put it on a trickle (there are several good ones out there) and be done

 

Yea I was reading their documentation on their website about battery use...it seems to say that letting the engine run idle-which is what I've been doing, (as opposed to actually driving and giving it gas) might not be enough juice to charge the battery.

I dunno if a trickle charger would be a viable solution unless it fits with the hood shut since the car sits in a open air driveway exposed to weather conditions albeit with a car cover on. Can u recommend any?

 

http://batterytender.com/

 

ive had to change my yellow top 3 times in the past 1 and 1/2 years

 

that makes no sense to me - the alternator is putting out almost full voltage as long as the car is running...and when the car is running the car doesn't run off the battery anyway, it runs off the alternator

I think battery tender does some all weather ones which might be worth looking into. Cetek does a nice one as well. I use the battery tender.

 

I had my yellow top fail too in about a year and change.

I put the stock battery back in and use a battery tender with the cord sticking out from under the hood in front of the passenger's window. The trickle charge works like a champ and I haven't had a dead battery since. I don't trust the Optima batteries at all now.

 

An alternator charging at 14v and 50amps will not keep a battery charged as well as an alternator charging at 14v and 120amps. Voltage is only a piece of the puzzle.

Any charging system test I've used always has you turn loads on and rev the engine up off-idle. This is to force the alternator to put out maximum amperage as that is the real key in battery health.

I've actually seen cars come in and you put a meter on the battery and it says 14v, but if you load it up with a VAT the alternator can't even put out half of its rated amperage.

 

Optima 3-4 years ago were the shyt, seems now they're cutting corners to increase profits!

 

Its a cool looking battery. Not worth spit but cool looking. I posted Consumer Reports battery test results. Informative.

 

I had a yellow top on my old eclipse. It didn't last. It was replaced under warranty and then the new 1 went only a few months later. They are the worst batteries I have ever seen. I ended up getting a blue one after 2 yellows went. The blue one was actually pretty awesome. It's a marine battery but it'll work.

 

I have been using Exide Orbitals for years and no issues at all. They are less expensive that the Optima brand as well.

A battery tender is the best solution for a car that sits more than 4 or 5 days at a time. That type of discharge/recharge/discharge/recharge will destroy any battery, deep cycle or not.

 

https://www.shopatron.com/products/p....23205.0.0.0.0

Almost the cost of a battery...lol

Anyone know the impact of this on the electricity bill? lol

Well im gonna get me one of these and see how long i can use it before Im told im no longer welcome to free use of their driveway and electricity

 

The electricity won't be noticable.

I have a unit similar to that, but it was much cheaper, you may want to shop around! Definately get a unit that can be hardwired directly to the battery (through a fuse) and has a quick disconnect so you can plug it in and unplug it as needed.

 

the last time I bought one was 2002 - and all my problems were pre 2002.

 

The Battery Tender I got cost me ~$30 from pepboys...and works perfectly

Even if you do go for a more expensive unit like CTek (I think Kwame has this one for his car, I'll have to check), it's still cheaper than continuously buying batteries - and way more convenient

 

I had a yellow top when I was in high school and that thing was a beast - that was around 97 or 98 when I got it. That battery lasted all through college and was still working great when I sold the car in 2004. I would have to agree, from my experiance, their older batteries were much better then the current junk.

 

Yea i just ordered it to be done with it. I've reached the conclusion that no matter what type of battery i get its gonna end up having issues because of my non-use of the car.

Now I just need to find someone local with enough knowledge to hardwire this for me. Adam do you know any place local to LI or queens that would be would be able to do this without issue.

Thanks again guys.