Optima yellow top batteries

mapco · **Joined:** Tue Jan 09, 2007 4:27 am **Posts:** 250

Which model will fit in the KJ?

tjkj2002 · **Posted:** Sun Sep 30, 2012 9:53 pm

There are way better batteries for just a few dollars more then a optima.Check out the Sears Diehard Platinum P1 or P4,much better battery and a 4 year free replacement warranty compared to optima's 1-2 year replacement warranty.

mapco · **Joined:** Tue Jan 09, 2007 4:27 am **Posts:** 250

I just checked the pricing and I can get the yellow tops for half the price of those Platinums. I'd like to stick with that. Any idea on the correct size I need?

tjkj2002 · **Posted:** Sun Sep 30, 2012 10:27 pm

Well if you can get optima's for $100 then better buy 2,you'll need the 2nd one when the 1st one fails in a month or 2 days outside of warranty.Even for $100 I'd expect a battery to last longer then 2 years.

Group 34/78 is what you want.

mapco · **Joined:** Tue Jan 09, 2007 4:27 am **Posts:** 250

The Diehard Platinum is $230. The Optima Yellow Top is $150. Not quite half.

Why do you hate Optima so much?

tjkj2002 · **Posted:** Sun Sep 30, 2012 10:54 pm

mapco wrote:

The Diehard Platinum is $230. The Optima Yellow Top is $150. Not quite half.

Why do you hate Optima so much?

Just picked up a Platinum P4 for $198.

I had 2 yellow tops die,internal shorts,within 5 days of the warranty ending(2 years) and no help with warranty.I could see one but 2 back to back is piss poor quality.Heck USAFCOP had a yellow top die and in 3 months and it just sat in the battery tray,never hooked up yet.There quality went way south when they moved production to Mexico about 5 years ago,not the same optima's you heard raved about 10 years ago,those are long gone.

Now the Odyssey battery line is the king of the hill,but they make the Diehard Platinums(not the advance golds in the gray case) which sell a little cheaper but same battery and same warranty.There on sale right now for $198 for the P4.

ATXKJ · **Posted:** Mon Oct 01, 2012 8:18 pm

Hey my Yellow Top lasted almost 6 months past the end of warranty......

tjkj2002 · **Posted:** Mon Oct 01, 2012 8:44 pm

Geez I looked at advance auto's website and they want $230 for a group 34 yellow top,that's more then I paid for my Odyessy PC1500 and Diehard Platinum P4,even after taxes.

Ryn7 · **Posted:** Tue Oct 02, 2012 5:18 am

We've had our Redtop in our Jeep for five years and nine months, knock on wood.
Even though I damaged it when using the winch heavily.
Here a yellow top runs $240.00 regular suggested retail.
Would I buy another one?
I was thinking of adding a Yellow top as a second battery originally, but left one cheap electric cooler plugged in and it drained the battery.
Didn't when we first bought it.
When this one dies I'll probably replace it with an odyssey battery.

It's a group 34/78 for the size.

KJ_WHEELER_2010 · **Posted:** Tue Oct 02, 2012 1:09 pm

I got my Optima RedTop about a month before I deployed. The Jeep sat for 9months before I came home. It fired right up. I've not had any trouble out of mine so far. I've had it for 2yrs now. I'm not saying nothing could go worng......but this has been my experience so far.

tommudd · **Posted:** Tue Oct 02, 2012 1:35 pm

In the KJ I had a red top, well have had 3 of them
first one lasted 7 months,
next lasted 2
had a devil of a time getting either replaced due to Optima being a**wipes
finally got the replacement for the second one and sold it
WOULD never buy one again
They used to be good 10 years or more ago
anymore cheap junk

mapco · **Joined:** Tue Jan 09, 2007 4:27 am **Posts:** 250

I've had my red top for about 15 months now with no problems, now I'm scared.

Grannysgoat · **Posted:** Tue Oct 02, 2012 7:06 pm

I've had the pleasant experience of 3 Red tops. One lasted less than a year, no warranty. Second one lasted about a year, no warranty. Last one actually lasted a couple of years in my wifes Liberty, (yup, Grannysgoat) went dead about every 90 days and I would just charge it up. Finally put in a Triple A battery (or I should say they did) for 100 bucks as it was dead in the garage, again......

Have the Diehard P in my Rubicon...

ATXKJ · **Posted:** Tue Oct 02, 2012 8:51 pm

We tend to have this discussion on Optima's a lot - however
Optima's were originally designed by a Swedish company and when they expanded into the US they had a manufacturing plant in Colorado
they made great batteries.
Then in 2000 Johnson Controls bought Optima -and immediately began building a plant in Mexico
the 2 plants ran in parallel for a while and then at the end of 2009 beginning of 2010 or so they closed the Colorado plant.

The batteries manufactured in Mexico do not have the same quality as the ones manufactured in Colorado.....

and personally I won't buy another - and I'll avoid anything made by Johnson Controls....

tjkj2002 · **Posted:** Tue Oct 02, 2012 8:57 pm

ATXKJ wrote:

- and I'll avoid anything made by Johnson Controls....

That includes Interstate batteries,made by JC.

ducktail · **Posted:** Thu Oct 11, 2012 12:51 pm

For what it is worth, we have blue tops in our jon boats and they take a beating from the stumps we hit, the trailer rides and the constant charge and discharge. 2 & 3 years old and they are fine..

hardhittinz · **Joined:** Tue Jul 03, 2007 10:44 pm **Posts:** 195

i personally run XS Power batteries and like them alot good battery ive left my sons dvd player and screen on all night and the gps plugged in charging and this and that and no trouble restarting next day.ive even played my stereo for 2hrs straight jeep off and sub playin off amp blasting and started back up no issues...I did have a redtop and just as the warranty was up the top of it got a big knot/bubble in the plastic or what reason i have no clue...

RED_KJ_666 · **Posted:** Sun Oct 14, 2012 11:52 pm

x2 on the Odyssey I also run a PC1500 34/78 in my Liberty, I left it at my buddies place with the CB on and under seat lights for 3 weeks and it fired right up. As earlier mentioned since Optima has been manufactured in Mexico they have been junk......

Ted15 · **Posted:** Sun Oct 28, 2012 9:02 am

I can't seem to find the conversation and I don't remember the forum it was on but there were several dissatisfied optima owners that had nothing good to say and a rep from optima chimed in on the conversation. I'll continue to look for it but my mind was changed as I had every intention to purchase a yellow top and now I'm thinking the die hard made by odyssey or an odyssey. Check around and listen to what people are saying about optimas made in the last five years (I think). The problems seem to coincide with the purchase of the company by Johnson Controls. :2cents:

Ryn7 · **Posted:** Mon Oct 29, 2012 7:04 pm

Ted15 wrote:

I can't seem to find the conversation and I don't remember the forum it was on but there were several dissatisfied optima owners that had nothing good to say and a rep from optima chimed in on the conversation. I'll continue to look for it but my mind was changed as I had every intention to purchase a yellow top and now I'm thinking the die hard made by odyssey or an odyssey. Check around and listen to what people are saying about optimas made in the last five years (I think). The problems seem to coincide with the purchase of the company by Johnson Controls. :2cents:

You mean this?
http://www.jeepforum.com/forum/f28/opti ... y-1387245/

Optima yellow top batteries

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