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Can anyone point me to a local place to get a cheap Optima Yellow/Blue top battery? I tried Kragen and they were wanting upwards of 200 and I know people who have gotten them for 125. Any help is appreciated.
I work at NAPA, but I can't save you what it would cost you in gas to come get it. Try to find a used one if you can't afford the new price, they pop up on CL from time to time. Optimas are pretty much the same price all over.
I work at NAPA, but I can't save you what it would cost you in gas to come get it. Try to find a used one if you can't afford the new price, they pop up on CL from time to time. Optimas are pretty much the same price all over.
non-spillable, can be mounted in any position... sideways upside down, you name it. they have better cranking amps than most regular acid filled batteries and can stand up to rapid discharging and recharging better, plus with no lead plates inside to come loose and short out they stand up to hard wheeling better.
but, from my experience, they don't like to sit without use. I would say if you don't need the extra power for a bunch of halogen lights or a winch, or dont beat the piss out of your rig, don't bother with the extra expense.
I needed a new battery last year so I spent a couple hours reading reviews on the higher end batteries and in almost every test the Costco Kirkland brand battery came out on top. I figured it was some cheap battery but the Kirland battery is very high quality. I run 8 lights, a compresssor, and my GPS at the same time with no issues. It was about 1/2 the price of all the batteries it was tested against and always did equall or better to them. I think my Kirland battery was $75. I wanted the Optima but settled for what I could afford and I definately don't regret it. I also live up in the mtns. with well below freezing temps and my rig will sit for weeks at a time without being used and yet it will fire right up each time I go to start it. My Everlast I had in there before would have to be jumped every single time it sat in cold weather for multiple weeks. For the price, you can't go wrong.
i would try the kirkland well before getting a red top optima. years back the optima reds were great. but they sold out and the battery went from great to junk. ive had atleast ten red tops and all the newer ones are dead and gone. all but one of the older ones are still going. i have had only one out of three of my yellow tops go bad, but again it was a newer yellow top. as for the blue tops, i will never buy one. many many of my boating friends have tried them and had to buy something differant the same week. they are the worst of the bunch. cant tell you why, but they just dont seem to be any good. i am switching to either odyssey or something else for the high end stuff, and maybe will try the kirkland like Bhicks has mentioned. i am DONE with optima.
I like Optima's but then I have not bought one for many years, my old one is still getting the job done. The exide Orbital battery is essentially the same thing and a bit cheaper. I have heard good things about the Sears die hard platinum too though I have never used one.
I replaced my red top the other day and I bought that battery 1 week after I bought the jeep 8 years ago, I never had to get jumped once, jumped people here and there and I decided that it was well worth the money and was time to upgrade cause of the light bar so I went with the yellow top in hopes that it will last as long or longer then my red top.
My Red Top, bought at CostCo in 2007, was starting to crap out, so I pulled it and threw a trickle-charge on it overnight. Now it seems fine, we'll see.
My yellow top crapped a month after it's two year warranty. If they are so damn good, why don't they back it up with a warranty. Their warranty is the worst in the country.
My yellow top treated me well for 6 years, then I let it sit too long and it went dead, its been sitting in my garage on the concrete floor for the last 2 years, I just keep forgetting to toss it out. Hooked a test light to it a couple weeks ago and its glowing nice and bright, I charged it up and its holding at 13.5v. I'm happy with that
Thier warranty is short because they know people are going to put them through hell. They're just covering their asses.
My Red Top, bought at CostCo in 2007, was starting to crap out, so I pulled it and threw a trickle-charge on it overnight. Now it seems fine, we'll see.
if you check out optima's website there are detailed instructions on how to charge them, you can't charge them correctly with a standard battery charger if they drop below 10v. You need a charger that has provisions for charging AGM batteries, or you need to follow the procedure on optima's website. The latter is what saved mine. Using that procedure I've saved a dozen or so optimas that customers have turned in to us as cores
Keep an eye out on Craigslist, i picked up a brand new in box yellowtop for $100. i see them all the time for $125-$150
Also, if it is your daily driver, you shouldn't ever have to charge it, i had a yellowtop in my old '90 Cherokee for 8 years and never charged it once.
