Optima Batteries.... who makes them?

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We all are aware of Optima's tanking quality. I had a yellow top that lasted a year and a half then died without reason with a dead cell. Yesterday, I drove across the state to swap out a battery for my friend. He had a yellow top as well. Same problem, it had a dead cell, and was working perfectly fine the day before. His battery was less than a year old.

I know Optima switched production to Mexico, but who makes them?

The new yellow top (free under warranty) says Johnson Controls on the top. I thought Johnson Controls was known as a quality company.
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quite possibly its made to the manufacturer spec.

which is engineered poorly or for cheapness..


JC in general is a good manufacturer of car batteries

at least regular ones.
 
Originally Posted By: Donald
The battery is more expensive with the same warranty. I do not see the point.


It is a deep cycle gel battery. Older Optimas were known to last quite a bit longer than regular batteries. I've seen some older ones closing in on 10 years old. Manufacturing was recently switched to Mexico and there has been a problem with them lasting more than 2 years. Many people bought them based on their reputation, but have found out the hard way that quality has changed.

Normally I would have just bought an Interstate, but there seems to be nobody that sells them around here. It is either the Optima, the Diehard, or the Duralast Red top. My experience with Duralast products steered me towards the Optima.


That still doesn't explain the poor quality. Both these batteries saw normal use, no extreme loads or discharging.
 
Originally Posted By: jeepman3071
Originally Posted By: Donald
The battery is more expensive with the same warranty. I do not see the point.


It is a deep cycle gel battery. Older Optimas were known to last quite a bit longer than regular batteries. I've seen some older ones closing in on 10 years old. Manufacturing was recently switched to Mexico and there has been a problem with them lasting more than 2 years. Many people bought them based on their reputation, but have found out the hard way that quality has changed.

Normally I would have just bought an Interstate, but there seems to be nobody that sells them around here. It is either the Optima, the Diehard, or the Duralast Red top. My experience with Duralast products steered me towards the Optima.


Call 800-CRANK-IT to find an Interstate dealer.

Deep cycle batteries are not needed in a car, only on a boat for the "house" battery. And similar applications where you may discharge the battery all the way often.
 
Wikipedia says Johnson Controls acquired the company in 2000:
2000 - Gylling Optima Batteries AB of Sweden (spiral-wound battery technology)[4]
They (Gylling) bought it from Gates in '92, according to Optima's website.

To me, it explains why they showed up in Costco around that time, as Costco's regular flooded cell batteries are made by JC.
 
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They were made by Johnson Control when I worked for Sears from 05-07. Quality on the Optima's was subpar at best. I think I ended up warrantying out 90% of the ones I sold sue to premature failure.
 
The manufacturer is largely irrelevant, IMO.

Every company cranks out good products, mediocre ones, and bad ones. Saying that JC "makes good batteries" is an overgeneralization.

The fact that Optima quality is slipping, or whatever you want to call it, means that JC is probably being told to cut corners or make them cheaper for Optima.
 
I bought a new Optima at AAP this past September and had to return/exchange it twice because they were both duds.

The one thats in the car now has been in service since October 2012 (4 months exactly I think today?!) and that one is showing signs of problems already.

Completely agree with Optima quality going down the chute. It was my first Optima and I wont buy another.
 
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AFAIK, they're still owned by Johnson Controls. But I guess they decided to let the Optima be a "style over substance line." The original Optima, when it was a small company in Colorado, made some fine batteries. My first one lasted over 7 years. My last one (made by JC) didn't make 2 years and now I'll never buy another one. In fact, I'm not all that impressed with Johnson Controls' other battery brands any more. The last Interstate I had barely made 2 years. No more Johnson Controls batteries for me.

FWIW, I confirmed that Batteries Plus's "X2-Power" AGM batteries are made by DEKA. They're priced comparably to Optima and Diehard Platinum (made by Enersys), and are readily available at Batteries Plus stores. I was surprised to find this out because Batteries Plus is just about notorious for offshore-sourced batteries. But the X2-Powers all carry a big "Made in USA" label in big print, and the store confirmed that they are re-badged DEKAs. Just another option for us seeking to re-capture a battery that works they way Optimas USED to work. :-/
 
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Originally Posted By: 440Magnum


FWIW, I confirmed that Batteries Plus's "X2-Power" AGM batteries are made by DEKA. They're priced comparably to Optima and Diehard Platinum (made by Enersys), and are readily available at Batteries Plus stores. I was surprised to find this out because Batteries Plus is just about notorious for offshore-sourced batteries. But the X2-Powers all carry a big "Made in USA" label in big print, and the store confirmed that they are re-badged DEKAs. Just another option for us seeking to re-capture a battery that works they way Optimas USED to work. :-/





Yes, I bought one of those BatteriesPlus ones for my previous Audi. I had to specify I wanted the AGM battery -- it's a Deka Intimidator.
 
Originally Posted By: dparm



Yes, I bought one of those BatteriesPlus ones for my previous Audi. I had to specify I wanted the AGM battery -- it's a Deka Intimidator.


It certainly intimidated my lower back when I had to lift it over the fender of the Ram... that suckka is HEAVY!
 
Originally Posted By: 440Magnum
Originally Posted By: dparm



Yes, I bought one of those BatteriesPlus ones for my previous Audi. I had to specify I wanted the AGM battery -- it's a Deka Intimidator.


It certainly intimidated my lower back when I had to lift it over the fender of the Ram... that suckka is HEAVY!




Yes, on my S4 it was located right in front of the windshield dead-center. Even with a battery puller it took two of us to get it out of there (and barely).
 
I work for Johnson Controls, so I can buy Optima batteries at cost. At the price I pay for them, they are worth it. Otherwise, I wouldn't buy them, I don't think they are anything special.
 
What would be a good quality battery? I've read several threads on this, but they all seem to say different things. The battery would just be used to start the jeep. I do have a set of 130 watt KC off-road lights, but they are wired in with my high-beams and aren't in use for long periods of time.

We have Autozone, Advance Auto, Sears, Walmart, and Napa around here.
 
Just a couple things:

1. Optima batteries aren't gel, they are AGM, which is Absorbed Glass Matt. They use a traditional electrolyte that is, as the name implies, absorbed by a glass matting which keeps it from spilling or sloshing around.

2. Optima is owned by Johnson Controls. Optima batteries aren't being "demanded to be made cheaper" and JC doing the bidding. They are a JC brand so if anybody has cheapened it, it is JC.

As far as good luck? I've only ever owned one Optima, it was a red top and lasted a solid seven years starting my Mustang. However, for more recent purchases, I simply couldn't justify the price premium and my last two batteries, one for the Expedition, and the most recent, for my BMW, have been Exide's.
 
Originally Posted By: OVERKILL
Just a couple things:

1. Optima batteries aren't gel, they are AGM, which is Absorbed Glass Matt. They use a traditional electrolyte that is, as the name implies, absorbed by a glass matting which keeps it from spilling or sloshing around.


True, and relatively few batteries are "gel" electrolyte. MOST of the ones people call "gel cells" are actually AGM. At least in the automotive and computer (UPS) world.

Originally Posted By: OVERKILL

2. Optima is owned by Johnson Controls. Optima batteries aren't being "demanded to be made cheaper" and JC doing the bidding. They are a JC brand so if anybody has cheapened it, it is JC


I think what happened is that Johnson Controls bought up a very successful competitor that had established a sterling reputation for reliability, low self-discharge rate, and long life. Whether deliberately nor not, things have been changed that have resulted in the Optima being a sub-par (even by JC standards) product. Sales are probably still brisk due to the reputation built prior to JC ownership. The Optima brand is probably turning a tidy profit for JC even though the Jeep forums and BITOGers are grousing about the decline. So I'm not really sure that they know (at the beancounter level anyway) that they have a problem yet.
 
Originally Posted By: jeepman3071
What would be a good quality battery? I've read several threads on this, but they all seem to say different things. The battery would just be used to start the jeep. I do have a set of 130 watt KC off-road lights, but they are wired in with my high-beams and aren't in use for long periods of time.

We have Autozone, Advance Auto, Sears, Walmart, and Napa around here.


You have to find who manufactures the battery, not who's name is on it (kinda like all the filters made by Champion Labs ;-) ) IMO, Deka and Enersys are the best manufacturers right now, followed by Johnson Controls (except for their Optima brand, which has slipped from technology leader to very poor quality). I've had terrible luck with Exide in the past, but I'm not really sure about them now.

Be aware, also, that even the "good" manufacturers make low-end batteries if that's what the re-seller wants, just like Champion will make a mediocre filter for the brand that demands it. I wouldn't take an entry-level Autozone battery if you gave it to me, but part of that is just anti- Autogroan bias from their shoddy rebuilt parts I've dealt with.
 
Originally Posted By: 440Magnum

You have to find who manufactures the battery, not who's name is on it (kinda like all the filters made by Champion Labs ;-) ) IMO, Deka and Enersys are the best manufacturers right now, followed by Johnson Controls (except for their Optima brand, which has slipped from technology leader to very poor quality). I've had terrible luck with Exide in the past, but I'm not really sure about them now.

Be aware, also, that even the "good" manufacturers make low-end batteries if that's what the re-seller wants, just like Champion will make a mediocre filter for the brand that demands it. I wouldn't take an entry-level Autozone battery if you gave it to me, but part of that is just anti- Autogroan bias from their shoddy rebuilt parts I've dealt with.


The Duralast Gold is made by Johnson Controls and seems like a decent battery. 800CCA, 1000CA, and a decent warranty. There are also Autozones pretty much everywhere. The current Optima in my Jeep is about 1.5 years old, same age the other one was when it died, and my pro-rated warranty was up a month ago. I'm almost thinking buying a battery now with a good warranty when I have the money is better than the Optima dying suddenly like it did before and having no warranty. I often drive a few states away and don't want to be stranded like my friend was.
 
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