Hi Kool1, I'm sorry to hear you had a negative experience with our product. I have read similar comments from other folks who suggested we stopped making a specific group size at some point, but whenever I've asked for any information to support that, the best I've been able to get is links to comments other people have made on other message boards. If you have any documentation from us that indicates we had issues or stopped production on any battery size, I'd really appreciate it if you could share it with me, as no one here has any knowledge of such an issue. What were the circumstances surrounding the issues you had with your battery?
jeepman3071, we typically recommend a range of about 13.7-14.7 volts for alternator output, so your's doesn't sound unusual except for the spike to 19 volts and unless output of less than 13.7 volts is normal for you. As an energy storage device, a battery is only capable of delivering the voltage it contains, which wouldn't be anywhere near 19 volts. I'm not an expert on charging systems, so I can't explain why your's would spike to 19 volts and I don't know how long your's was operating that way, but I can tell you that voltage level will damage a battery.
Likewise, a battery's job is to start a vehicle and supply additional power if the demand of the vehicle exceeds the output of the charging system. If the battery started your friend's vehicle, the charging system should've then been able to power the electrical system while the engine was running. I understand the end result in both instances is a replaced battery, but I would be interested in your insight on why the battery should've been supplying power to your friend's vehicle after the engine was started.
Steve, I really appreciate your feedback (as well as everyone else's) and I do share everyone's comments with folks here internally. If any battery fails from a manufacturing defect, it is likely to do so well within the first year of use, if not the first month. While I understand you guys have had some issues with your batteries, I can't begin to explain what we see on our end. The volume of discharge-only (meaning they work fine when charged) batteries that come through our warranty system is alarming to say the least. So much so, that Optima sent me out on the forums to explain how to recover deeply-discharged batteries and
produced videos describing the same.
One thing I can tell you is that the issue of discharge-only batteries mistakenly being returned under warranty is not limited to Optima and is only going to increase as start/stop technology brings more AGM products into the market. Some other brands and manufacturers have dealt with this by simply voiding the warranty on their batteries, if they are found to be discharged below a minimum voltage level. That may work fine for low volume battery brands, but that is not an acceptable solution for us or the industry as a whole.
The key to long battery life, regardless of brand, is proper voltage maintenance. Whenever any battery is discharged below 12.4 volts and left in that state, suflation begins to form, which diminishes both capacity and lifespan. One of the most-common ways this happen is when someone jump-starts a car with a discharged battery. Unless that battery is fully-recharged with a battery charger, the owner will probably continue a cycle of dead batteries and jump-starts, until either the battery or alternator needs to be replaced. That makes a quality battery maintenance device an excellent investment, especially for vehicles that don't see regular use.
Jim McIlvaine
eCare Manager, OPTIMA Batteries, Inc.
www.pinterest.com/optimabatteries