On battery #5 (replacement #4)

[alrock]

#1, May 2007: New truck
#2, day two of ownership, dealer came out to my driveway and put a new battery in.
#3, October 2009: begins to fail in Monument Valley as I smelled sulfur. Smelled sulfur all the way to Moab then replaced it in Moab with F5's help
#4, September 2011: fails at a QT, won't release key, doors won't lock, not a single light works. I get a jump and limp it in to O'Reilly for a warranty replacement
#5, Today, Firestone tested it for the fun of it when I got my alignment and it failed. Took it to O'Reilly for another warranty replacement

Love how the desert heat destroys these traditional lead acid batteries.

 

[ArtHummer]

What brand are you using?

 

[alrock]

O'Reilly's Super Start Extreme. I don't recall what the dealer installed.

Over the past 15 years it hasn't mattered what battery I install - they fail between 12 and 24 months due to the heat.

 

[Neo]

I'm on number two the factory one lasted over 5 years.

 

[bebe]

Try Optima. Mine have been lasting about 4 years. I have a blue top.

 

[Mr_Rich]

You called it on the desert heat. If you get two years on a battery in the desert you are LUCKY. If you can keep a battery @70 degrees for many, many years you will get a lot of use out of it. In my telco days (retired now) we had remote equipment that had battery backup in case the commercial power failed. These were one hundred pound Liberty batteries and heat killed these out in desert environments just like it would a car battery. We had classes on battery maintenance and what to look for when a battery is losing its charge. I like Optima batteries and I have an aux battery in my K1500 that still holds a charge after nine years.

 

[silvrzuki77]

I ve had nothing but problems with optima here in vegas. Since johnson control bought them like 6 years ago. I am looking at odyssey for my next battery. Expensive but way better.

Bebe i think your old optima is the reason its still works. I had bought one in 2002 and would switch from truck to truck when i bought and sold one and that optima was in my rock crawler and is still being used lol. Quality went way down with them.

 

[Mr_Rich]

I didn't realize that Optima was one of the brands under Johnson Controls. I did a search and there it was. We had a rep from Johnson Controls give us the presentation years ago when I worked telco like I mentioned previously. The rep tried to sell us on the products, but ultimately the business decisions were made to go elsewhere for battery products.

 

[08SolarFlareH3]

Odyssey makes great batteries and will probably be my choice when it comes to doing a battery in the hummer. XS Power / Power Master make great batteries also. A good cheaper alternative is batteries manufactured by East Penn

Sent from my iPad mini using Tapatalk

 

[alrock]

I may go the route of an upgraded battery when the warranty is done on this one. Didn't have a lot of choices on the battery since it failed on the way to Moab

 

[Sethmark]

Gel cells do better.

 

[LagunaH1]

Today, Firestone tested it for the fun of it when I got my alignment and it failed.

It's been my experience that some battery testers are really inaccurate.

 

[alrock]

Quite possibly, but it failed two testers and got me a new battery

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[Hunner]

Gel cells are now old technology. AGM absorbed glass mat is now my choice.

 

[08H3]

Two miscellaneous comments. 1.) I have an Optima and haven't had any issues at all. I tend to drain them down using accessories (e.g. radio on for hours, inverter, etc.) which is one of the reasons I went with the Optima since it's a hybrid starting/deep cycle. 2.) Don't trust Firestone blindly. I'm not saying they would lie, but they are definitely in the business of selling accessories. I just tell them to skip the courtesy check when I go in for the alignment now. It saves me time, and them time since I'm not going to buy anything from them anyway.

 

[bebe]

I ve had nothing but problems with optima here in vegas. Since johnson control bought them like 6 years ago. I am looking at odyssey for my next battery. Expensive but way better.

Bebe i think your old optima is the reason its still works. I had bought one in 2002 and would switch from truck to truck when i bought and sold one and that optima was in my rock crawler and is still being used lol. Quality went way down with them.

I just bought my 3rd last year...and we do get to 100+ for a couple of months a year - mostly staying in the high 90's for about 5 months, then we get nights in the 30's for 5 months.

I had an Orbital Blue top (marine) also, that was a good battery too. I saw the Odessy rep at a 4x4 function, and was impressed with his spiel. I may go with that next time. Or, whatever the pirate guys are buying. I like having the convenience of a Napa brand, it just makes life easier because they are everywhere.

Optima is aware they are slipping, and are working hard to rebuild their reliability.

 

[06 H3]

I'm on #2. Original lasted 4.5 years and #2 is on 3.5 so far...I think it's an interstate if I remember correctly. Next one is an odyssey

 

[chad]

Well my battery just died and won't stay charged. Had to jump it off several times yesterday as I was in town and stores where closed. So my question is I'm debating between ac Delco and optima. What should i do? I need to get it through autozone as I have credit I need to use in the store.

 

[Sethmark]

Optima red.

 

[chaos254]

I dont trust optimas anymore. Their quality went to ****.

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[chad]

Lol. See that's what's killing me!! One guy says optima and one says no! What do I do now!!

 

[H3-ING]

OEM 6 months, replacement OEM 9 months. Put in dual Optima yellow tops after that, 2+ years no issues. So I am satisfied with their quality.

 

[Sethmark]

I put a red top in every 4wd I've owned. Their quality is fine. Particularly when the car is on its side.

 

[Kyle]

Ive got a red top in mine too. Ive gone an hour listening to music with the engine off and when i turned the key it started right up!


Sent from the top of a mountain in my h3

 

[alrock]

There's something to be said for moving away from traditional lead acid batteries in an off road vehicle. There are many unsatisfied with Optima, but many still are. If you can't go to Odyssey, maybe Optima is a good choice.