Optima Redtop or Yellowtop?

[Logan94605]

How much can you get an Odyssey battery for?

AutoZone has the 48-720 for $324.99 with the core trade. Plus there's a 20% first time online order discount. We'll see if that works. That's less than either Optima I was looking at.

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[Wheelin98TJ]

AutoZone has the 48-720 for $324.99 with the core trade. Plus there's a 20% first time online order discount. We'll see if that works. That's less than either Optima I was looking at.

$260 would be a good deal.

If you have to pay $325, I'd also consider a battery made by East Penn. It will be quite a bit cheaper and they've been very reliable for me lately.

 

[Logan94605]

$260 would be a good deal.

If you have to pay $325, I'd also consider a battery made by East Penn. It will be quite a bit cheaper and they've been very reliable for me lately.

Yeah I did use that term loosely. At least it's not more than the others... Unless I went for the Extreme. I'll check East Penn never heard of them.

 

[Wheelin98TJ]

Yeah I did use that term loosely. At least it's not more than the others... Unless I went for the Extreme. I'll check East Penn never heard of them.

Deka is an East Penn made brand that I've been using.

I have 5 of their marine batteries that are over 3 years old and they've treated me very well.

Napa brand batteries are another made by East Penn.

 

[Sweetums]

I ran Optima for a while and found they failed faster than OE batteries, they are also very temperamental about charging.

Years ago I went deep down the rabbit hole and found Odyssey and Northstar batteries were superior to Optima, in fact, both companies were founded by disillusioned Optima employees. Odyssey is made in the US or UK; I put one in my old Nissan about 6 years ago, it's still there cranking hard on the coldest days without complaint and dealing with all the high speed vibration and shock I could throw at it.

Optima is overpriced and not worth half what the sicker says, I had regular old Die Hard batteries last longer.

 

[sharpsicle]

Wow, I must be one of the few with a good Optima experience. Have had the same yellow top battery in my other car for 8 years and it's still going strong.

 

[Mr._Bill]

Wow, I must be one of the few with a good Optima experience. Have had the same yellow top battery in my other car for 8 years and it's still going strong.

You might have one that was made before they sold the design and moved production. Optima used to have a great reputation.

 

[sharpsicle]

You might have one that was made before they sold the design and moved production. Optima used to have a great reputation.

They sold off in 2000, didn't they? And the new plant was 2007?

 

[Mr._Bill]

They sold off in 2000, didn't they? And the new plant was 2007?

I'm not sure without looking it up. Maybe they're like Jeeps, most of them are fine, but there's always a few that get dragged across the internet to show how horrible are.

 

[High Alextude]

I’ve actually owned both Optima and Odyssey. Never had an issue with the yellow top. Red top crapped out after less than a year! Odyssey I had on my 2012 JK, had it on for 4 years before I sold the Jeep, so no complaints there either.

 

[steve68]

I had 4 red tops, all failed, could not to get them to charge, even tricking them, The very last one would go dead with the radio on within 20 minutes,

Just bought a Exide AGM H8 169$ at Costco, Not for the Jeep, for my 70 Nova BBC, needs a big battery,

 

[Logan94605]

Wow, I must be one of the few with a good Optima experience. Have had the same yellow top battery in my other car for 8 years and it's still going strong.

I checked other forums and YouTube and the Optima does seem to be a bit of a crap shoot. I read several reviews where the first two lasted a year or so but the third replacement lasted years past expectations. I've never been a good gambler so I'm going with the odyssey..haha

 

[Hootbro]

They sold off in 2000, didn't they? And the new plant was 2007?

Pretty much this. When then Johnson Controls (now Clarios) bought out Optima Battery and built the plant in Mexico under the initial guise that it would only be for European market sales with the claim the then USA factory could not keep up with demand, they eventually phased out all USA production by 2009 and closing the USA plant.

I think most buyers today of Optima Batteries have bought them riding on the stellar reputation the USA made batteries of years past not knowing the quality slip of the Mexican made ones.

I would not pay the premium for them.

 

[sharpsicle]

Pretty much this. When then Johnson Controls (now Clarios) bought out Optima Battery and built the plant in Mexico under the initial guise that it would only be for European market sales with the claim the then USA factory could not keep up with demand, they eventually phased out all USA production by 2009 and closing the USA plant.

I think most buyers today of Optima Batteries have bought them riding on the stellar reputation the USA made batteries of years past not knowing the quality slip of the Mexican made ones.

I would not pay the premium for them.

I guess the point I was getting at is that my Optima battery was clearly bought after all this happened, yet it’s still been a fantastic workhorse for me. Despite the many times I’ve tried to kill it (on accident), it’s been going strong for almost a decade.

I’ve never had a bad Optima. Guess I’m just one of the lucky ones then.

 

[Hootbro]

I guess the point I was getting at is that my Optima battery was clearly bought after all this happened, yet it’s still been a fantastic workhorse for me. Despite the many times I’ve tried to kill it (on accident), it’s been going strong for almost a decade.

I’ve never had a bad Optima. Guess I’m just one of the lucky ones then.

It is not question they are all going to be duds, just the rate is higher for them.

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