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New Battery Time..No more Optima Red Top! Hello, O'Reilly AGM?

LoL I wish i could.
 



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I thought I would give an update to everyone out there on my situation- just in case it would save you the headache and frustration I am experiencing.

I used to love Optimas. I would buy one and get 7-10 years of faithful service out of it. I had 3 do this. I had multiple that outlasted the vehicle they were in. It was 100% worth the premium price for the premium performance. I would get excellent winching performance and accessory performance also. As you know, quality has gone down hill since they were bought out and the production moved from Longmont, CO to mexico.

In search of a new quality battery- I sought out the most expensive and highest performing battery I could locate. The Odyssey Extreme AGM was a premium price and boasted lots of features and promised long life and high performance including a 4 year warranty. I purchased their 34/78 battery for my wife's Jeep June 26, 2018. It cost $270. Expensive.
IMG_0306 copy.jpg


Well, unfortunately a couple of weeks ago it up and stopped starting my Jeep. It has been 3 years and 1month. I take it to the local auto parts store and sure enough, it won't hold a charge. No problem it has a warranty.

I read up on their warranty process shown here: https://www.batterymart.com/pdfs/odyssey-warranty.pdf

It states warranty period is "4 years for an engine starting application for PC1220, PC1350, PC2250 and all BCI sizes."

Also asks me to provide proof of purchase to original retailer to start the process. I call the guy I bought it from and send him my receipt. After a week of deliberation, Odyssey refuses to warranty my battery and stand behind their product for two reasons:

1. The warranty is 3 years according to them. This contradicts what I see from many retailers and the warranty policy document above.
2. The battery reached its "normal end of life"

Two issues I have with that. There is lots of places that say it has a 4 year warranty. It is unacceptable to change the warranty period at their own discretion and convenience. Even if it is a 3 year warranty, we are out a month over 3 years. Stand behind your product and issue a warranty replacement. I dont care if it reached its normal end of life. 3 years isn't enough for a premium $270 battery.


I will never buy from Odyssey or Enrsys again. I recommend you do the same and tell your friends. The more I have dug on this, the more I find that they did the same to many others out there.
 






I almost went with the Odyssey Extreme because of the 135Ah rating on it, until I read many similar reviews.
Ended up getting a Northstar X2 MAGM, because of all the positive reviews, my spec requirements, Full no questions asked replacement, and can source them at a nationwide chain (Batteries Plus), in the event something does happen while traveling. So far, it has performed flawlessly after a couple of years use. It is a bit more pricey than the Oddyssey, but the comfort factor of knowing it will work, when you need it to work, is there. You can completely drain these, and still charge them back up Hundreds of times, with no ill effect.

I understand that Batteries are consumables, that need replacing... but, they Must outlive the manufacturer's warranty, to be worthy of our hard earned cash! Any excuse not to honor it, is nothing more than a consumer rip off. You have every right to be pissed.

X2 Magm group 65.jpg
 






I have a Odyssey I bought last year. Left it in the truck and it drained to nothing. Tried charging it, and it would not take a charge. Tried the piggy back charging trick, and that seems to have saved it for now. Battery is holding, so we'll see.
 






I have two Optima red tops in the Explorer. The main one is the oldest, maybe 3 years old, and is already losing voltage when its not used a lot, even with a battery tender on it 24/7. Right now, its at 11.7 volts. I don't think it will last much longer. I have it set up so both batteries are open when starting the engine, so it really doesn't get that much of a load on it.
 






I have a Odyssey I bought last year. Left it in the truck and it drained to nothing. Tried charging it, and it would not take a charge. Tried the piggy back charging trick, and that seems to have saved it for now. Battery is holding, so we'll see.
I am going to have to try this trick I guess. I will google it.
 






I am going to have to try this trick I guess. I will google it.

You take another battery, doesn't have to be a AGM, and put it on a charger. Then run a set of jumper cables off that battery to your AGM, and let it piggy back charge. Once it's over about 10.5 or 11, you can charge it on its own.

Worked for me
 






Ended up getting a Northstar X2 MAGM, because of all the positive reviews, my spec requirements, Full no questions asked replacement, and can source them at a nationwide chain (Batteries Plus),

I'm pretty sure that's what's in our Dodge Ram right now. They have been in there several years with no problems. I also got mine at Batteries Plus.
 






I almost went with the Odyssey Extreme because of the 135Ah rating on it, until I read many similar reviews.
Ended up getting a Northstar X2 MAGM, because of all the positive reviews, my spec requirements, Full no questions asked replacement, and can source them at a nationwide chain (Batteries Plus), in the event something does happen while traveling. So far, it has performed flawlessly after a couple of years use. It is a bit more pricey than the Oddyssey, but the comfort factor of knowing it will work, when you need it to work, is there. You can completely drain these, and still charge them back up Hundreds of times, with no ill effect.

I understand that Batteries are consumables, that need replacing... but, they Must outlive the manufacturer's warranty, to be worthy of our hard earned cash! Any excuse not to honor it, is nothing more than a consumer rip off. You have every right to be pissed.

View attachment 341480

That Northstar sounds like a good choice, what do those cost for a group 65 now?

I like Batteries Plus, we have one here also, and my last battery was from them, a Bosch AGM for about $210 I think it was. I got that to replace my prior AGM battery from Sears, a Platinum thing which died at about four years of minor usage. I was worried about getting Sears to replace it, and then saw the prorated details, the replacement would be the Gold, and the closest Sears now is 100+ miles.

I hope the new PoFe4 batteries develop a little more, those would be a great next step. They currently are still high, $500, and also do not come in any proper sized case to fit well. They are all made in general random dimensions, the case that is, so fitting one is not that easy. I'd rather piece one together if I had to modify the tray to hold it. For that path, the cost would be less, but you'd be buying three or so battery cells, and the BMI controller, plus putting it all together. I don't have that big of a need yet to do all of that, I'm waiting to see what new improvement comes out.
 






That Northstar sounds like a good choice, what do those cost for a group 65 now?
I got mine before all this crazy inflation hit, in the last year. I would check your local Batteries Plus website, for today's pricing. The 65 was around $350ish when I got it.
 






Very good. I was pricing the AGM that Sam's Club sells last month. The price was reasonable, but I know from experience they keep stock for a long time. So you might be lucky and get a new one, or it could be two years old, and you won't know that until you have it in hand to look at. I go there every couple of months or so, I should check each time I go.

I don't need a battery really now, but my old Ranchero has an old Optima, and I'd like to make a group 65 fit that if possible.
 






I looked at Costco yesterday. They have interstate- but no Agms that fit and said they can’t get any more rn.
 






My ranger has an orielly super start agm and it seems good. Had it almost 2 years. The next 2 will be the tell.
 






Sam's club has agm in a 65, for less than 200. They stopped selling the magm in that size, which is a bummer. I bought 2 group 31 magm for the trailer bank from them. Rebranded deca units. Good battery to get, as Sam's has a good return policy if needed. Food for thought.
 






The JK is on it's second O'Reilly Auto Super Start Platinum AGM battery, 3rd for the vehicle itself.

The 1st (factory) battery just died after 4 years, the second battery was just over 3 years, popped the top caps (swelling). We will see how long the new battery lasts..
 






Wow. The biggest thing I have taken from this thread is a concern that the legendary @tdavis drives a jk now. Haha.

does anyone else remember the days when an optima would last 10 years commonplace? This is an indicator of a much bigger problem in our country.
 






I have two Optima red tops in the Explorer. The main one is the oldest, maybe 3 years old, and is already losing voltage when its not used a lot, even with a battery tender on it 24/7. Right now, its at 11.7 volts. I don't think it will last much longer. I have it set up so both batteries are open when starting the engine, so it really doesn't get that much of a load on it.
Hope it's not quite off topic, but the common denominator seems to be AGM....and these seem a lot of $ for a short life - I've never gotten less than 4 yrs service from the mid to low priced non AGM batteries I've bought over the years. Is this an AGM issue or is the extra cost for an AGM justified (provided you get a good supplier)? Enlighten this old schooler please.
 






Hope it's not quite off topic, but the common denominator seems to be AGM....and these seem a lot of $ for a short life - I've never gotten less than 4 yrs service from the mid to low priced non AGM batteries I've bought over the years. Is this an AGM issue or is the extra cost for an AGM justified (provided you get a good supplier)? Enlighten this old schooler please.
The majority of us that use the AGM (Glass Matt type), use them for a couple of common reasons.
1) Wanted for Off Road purposes. 2) Have Accessories that have a heavy drain.

These typically can be bought with different uses in mind, and different styles are made, for a variety of uses.
ie.... Starting or Deep cycle units, or a combo of both, in a Dual battery.

They are all sealed units, and handle the abuse, we throw at them off road, much better than traditional lead units can.
Many more advantages to a sealed AGM unit, but these are the main reasons.
 






Our "youngest" Optima battery still going strong.

PXL_20220223_170438397.jpg
 



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That's pretty good. I'm on a Odyssey in JP right now.
 






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