Jim, I understand you feel my sole purpose is to put a positive spin on all things Optima online, but my primary purpose is really to provide pro-active customer service and that started with the introduction of a series of battery Tech Tips YouTube videos that now have more than 75,000 views. My point about my participation on forums is that I am not online to socialize or do anything but deal with Optima-related content and my post count on most boards is a reflection of the work I do.
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Thank you for posting the length of one brand's warranty. I have done the research and know both the length
and conditions of many battery warranties. I always encourage folks to research both the length of the warranty and the warranty terms associated with any battery they are considering purchasing. Our warranty terms and conditions can be found
here.
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I understand the reasons why you don't want to swap your batteries and why you are dissatisfied with the performance of your Optima battery. At the end of the day, all batteries are just energy storage tanks. As I've stated in this thread, your Optima is fully-charged at about 13.0-13.2 volts, but the closest your's ever appears to get in the data you presented is 12.98 volts, right after you arrive at work and it looks like you drain it down to about 12.12 volts during the day. The electrical demands on your other battery are not as high and as a result, your vehicle's charging system is able to maintain the voltage in that battery through normal use. You didn't buy a RedTop to power your fridge, because you knew that battery was not designed for deep-cycle use. The electrical demands in deep-cycle applications such as your's, tend to be more demanding than the capability of many charging systems and as such, batteries used in those applications may need a more robust charging system or occasional charging with a battery charger. Whenever you do get around to replacing your Optima, if you don't use another one, I'd be interested in knowing how your replacement battery fares over it's lifespan in the identical configuration.
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As for our engineer's comments, I am only repeating his statements to me. I don't know that the lower readings of your charging system mean it is incapable of maintaining any of our batteries, just that they are lower than what he has seen in his vehicles and what he has been told are typical.
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One of the most-frustrating parts of my job is my inability to share not only production numbers, but warranty return rates and manufacturing defect rates. Many people within our industry have at least ballpark knowledge of those numbers (or specific numbers as they relate to their company), but those people might not include a guy who works behind a counter or someone who heard something from a buddy. Even though more than 99% of all automotive batteries end up being recycled, many manufacturers are frustrated by the number of good batteries that are mistakenly returned under warranty, by owners who simply deeply-discharged them.
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Some companies have dealt with this issue by adding specific language that voids the warranty on their batteries if they are discharged below a specific voltage threshold. Others have just bit the bullet and accepted the fact that an inordinate amount of batteries returned as bad” really aren't bad at all and dealing with this wasteful practice is just part of the cost of doing business. Optima took a different approach and decided to be pro-active in addressing this problem. They felt if they could be more pro-active in explaining to people what the voltage of a fully-charged battery should be, the point at which sulfation starts to impact battery performance and how to properly-maintain a battery, everyone in the industry would be better off.
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It's not an easy job, because it means sometimes I have to find a nice way to tell a guy who went through three batteries in three months (not including the original battery he replaced), that his batteries are probably not the reason he is having issues. I don't know if other manufacturers and brands aren't more pro-active on message boards because of a lack of resources or simply a fear of the unknown of how they might be received. I do know many other companies in the automotive aftermarket are aware of my activity and I am frequently asked by them about what I do and how I go about doing it. Unfortunately, those conversations don't go much further than the time commitment involved. I do think more companies will eventually follow suit, but it will take some time.
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TJ, since Jim makes a habit of selectively quoting other sites, I need to clarify the instructions he referenced from our site. For regular charging, we recommend 10 amps max and a voltage range of about 13.8-15.0 volts. The 15.6 volts Jim referenced was for a rapid recharge scenario and that voltage must be regulated, which doesn't sound like the case with your charger. I also had an '02 Camaro that I stored every winter and I always combed threads, looking for advice on how to properly maintain it in storage. The debate as to the value from a mechanical standpoint of periodically starting an engine while in storage always seemed to go back and forth. From the perspective of a battery manufacturer, I can tell you that periodically starting and idling a stored vehicle (even at higher RPMs) may not give the alternator enough time to replace the energy in the battery that was used during storage and starting. Keeping the battery maintained above 12.4 volts is really the key for long-term storage and I have heard good feedback on the CTEK models and other microprocessor-controlled chargers with conditioning/desulfation modes.
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HenryJ, I will ask around about both Scott Lentz and someone named Eric. The name & number of the NAPA rep would work well too. As you made mention of your pre-JCI Optima's, I cannot tell you why warranty terms were changed prior to JCI's ownership of Optima, but the free replacement warranty period on all of our batteries has only increased under JCI's ownership and is currently three years on YellowTops and RedTops.
Jim McIlvaine
eCare Manager, OPTIMA Batteries, Inc.
www.facebook.com/optimabatteries