dailydriver

^^^Unless one finds some VERY VERY OLD stock (to the point where it might not be able to be brought back to life old), ALL/100% of the Optimas are now made in Meheeco.

I believe that Optima Jim will confirm this as well.

OptimaJim

cdoublejj, even if you upgrade your alternator, whether you drive the vehicle long enough and run the engine during that time at a high enough rpm will determine how much current your alternator is able to put back in to your battery. You are better off just fully-charging your battery with a battery charger as soon as you can. Every battery we produce is made in Monterrey, although JCI does manufacture batteries at facilities around the globe. I always caution folks who consider making purchases online to review the warranty and return policy before making a purchase. For internet-only retailers that may involve shipping the battery back at your expense and waiting for warranty service, while brick and mortar retailers can offer much faster service. We've had more than a few folks come to us upset over a battery they purchased online from an unauthorized retailer, who later refused to provide warranty service or disappeared entirely. At that point, it usually becomes apparent to them why the deal they got on the battery was too good to be true, when compared to other retailers. Battery performance isn't impacted by wind shields or wind chill.

Orange Juice, your tender should do just fine to maintain voltage in your battery.

Jim McIlvaine
eCare Manager, OPTIMA Batteries
www.instagram.com/optimabatteries

cdoublejj

they claimed to have a 36 month warranty and a DOA warranty, not sure on shipping, i also got the google purchase insurance in-case the event the reseller refuses to assist and i read the terms of service for the Google purchase insurance as well. i may have to pay return shipping other wise i think i should be decently covered.

cdoublejj

Man this CRANKS!!! Car has been a little bit rough around the edges lately and it has no issue cranking over the engine, it's cranks over fairly fast too. it also didn't seem to care the trunk was left open with the light on all night either.

ghardester

I am going to wake up this old thread because my question is similar to the thread topic.

My Optima Red Top is probably approaching 10 years old (maybe 12) and has been just great in all that time. But it is about time to replace it. I have been noticing a bit of slow cranking on occasion but nothing too severe. It is Winter, I work graveyard and am always driving in the dark with lights and many accessories running for an 11 mile trip.

I have a Lukas ARA 7000 dash cam (great thing!) that I leave on while parked at work for security reasons. Yesterday I left it on during my day off for about 24 hours and the car wouldn't start. The power drain for the dash cam is 200mA, not being hip on electrical stuff I don't know whether that is a lot or not. However, I would like to leave the dash cam on in parking mode all the time. Is 200 mA a lot or is my battery just shot? It is taking a charge now.

I am buying another Optima, yes I know they are made in Mexico now, so are Moog auto parts and they are great, so save the 1s and zeros about 'Made in Mexico".

Should I go with the yellow top Optima due to the 200 mA power drain? Assume the camera will be on except when parked at home. I think the answer is yes, yellow, but I would like to hear some input.

Discussing other brands is fine, but I am probably buying Optima. Yellow for this application???

OptimaJim

Hi ghardester,

I don't know which battery you are using right now, but our 34/78 YellowTop is a 55Ah battery. If your vehicle has a 200-milliamp parasitic draw, that means it will discharge the battery at a rate of 1.6 amps per work day (.200 x 8 hours). If you leave it parked for 24 hours at that rate it will discharge at a rate of 38.4 amps per day and be completely discharged in just under a day and a half (55Ah/38.4 amps). Those calculations assume the battery is in relatively good condition and fully-charged when the car is parked (most are not) and these timeframes can be shorter in hotter climates and longer in temperate climates. Most vehicles also need batteries that are well above a 0% state of charge to start.

By definition, your application is considered deep-cycle, so I wouldn't recommend a RedTop at all. Not only is 200 milliamps a very significant draw, you are probably setting yourself up for an alternator replacement in the near future, especially if you don't plug your vehicle into a maintenance charger in between use. In addition to considering an alternator upgrade, you may want to consider a physically larger battery that offers more reserve capacity. A larger battery probably wouldn't fit in the stock location without some modification, so if you look to move a battery inside your vehicle, make sure it is properly-ventilated to the outside atmosphere.

Jim McIlvaine
eCare Manager, OPTIMA Batteries
www.facebook.com/optimabatteries

ghardester

Thank you for the input and the calculations. I did not realize how significant the power drain was. Like I said, my red top is getting pretty old. I will be replacing it with a yellow top in the near future. And it looks like I should probably be turning this dash cam off when I am parked, except for certain at risk times. It goes into sleep mode after 5 minutes but wakes up to full recording mode at the slightest movement, like a rain drop, trees limbs moving, etc. being in Oregon that means it is basically in full recording mode all the time.

The good news is that my red top recovered nicely after 4 hours on my charger at the 2 amp setting. But it will be replaced by a yellow top relatively soon.

Again, thanks for all of your input, it was just what I was looking for.