1st Gen R53 Cooper S Most liked posts in thread: Optima Batteries

The short answer is yes a Optima will serve your needs just fine.

 

Go with Dave.0's favorite color - Red.

 

Optima (Johnson Controls) moved the manf'ing of Optimas to Mexico and their ratings have fallen ever since. In my recent search for a new battery recently, I found many complaints against 'Mexico' Optimas. Seems like the Optima...'ain't what it used to be'.

 

Jumping on the anti-Optima bandwagon…

Post 16 from here (http://www.motoringalliance.com/forums/car-entertainment-nav/16901-optima-34r-2.html) sums up my thoughts on Optima batteries:

Sort of a thread jack, but here goes…
I’ve been involved with Jeeps since 1998.
For many years, Yellow Top Optimas were the ‘Go To’ battery for anyone that was in the market for a replacement battery. The Optimas were very dependable and handled the abuse of pounding around off road and of running a winch. My first Yellow Top lasted longer than eight years.
Then, things changed.
Many feel that the when Optima sold out and manufacturing was relocated to Mexico, their quality suffered.
My second Yellow Top that was purchased after the relocation failed with a bit over three years on it – a sudden and total failure where it cranked without hesitation one start and was unable to turn the starter the next time. The battery would only take a partial charge and went back to flat as soon as subjected to a load.
The new favorite in the Jeep world seems to be Sears DieHard Premium – Not cheap in the least, but reviews are very good.
Should a replacement battery be needed, the Sears DieHard Premium might be worth a look… and no, I don’t work for Sears or a battery manufacturer

 

My Optima Red Top died last week and I am NOT getting a Mexican Optima.

Ordered an Odyessy 1200 AGM battery.

Optima batteries are not what they used to be.

 

The red top is a starting battery, it is what you need.

 

I have been using a red top for many years without any issues. One thing to consider is that Optima does not specify a red top battery for the Mini because there is no vent tube like the OEM battery. Many people, like me, just use it without a vent tube. I like the red top because they not to leak like so many other batteries.

 

I have had problems with the last two Red Tops..........will be going back to a better quality lead acid or bite the bullet and get a Braille next time.

 

My red top is still alive & well in my ex-MINI. I've also read the complaints about the latest Optima batteries. When Skooby need a new battery I bought one from Advanced Auto Parts. Works well & cost a lot less money.

 

My last battery was an Interstate brand off the shelf. So far so good, even with all my weird electrical stuff going on.

 

....speaking of Gnat, what's the latest update on his condition?

 

I've updated the thread.

 

Optima Red top and you will be good to go for years.

 

Which one?

I've been looking to get an Optima but which model should I get? I can't for the life of me figure out which model.
Thanks.

 

I've been running an Optima 34R battery in my '02 Cooper S for about 9 years now. Actually, two of them. I retired the first one after about six years of use. It was still working okay at that time, but I considered six years to be about its useful life and I wanted to avoid possibly being stranded if it died suddenly. I replaced it with another 34R and that has been going fine the past 3 years.

But just last week I loaned my MINI to my wife to run an errand and found out 4 days later she had left the lights on when she parked it (hey I'm working from home this month and I don't drive the car everyday). Needless to say, the battery was completely dead. Of course it's never good to completely discharge a battery - and especially not an AGM one. I gave it about 20 min of 6 amp charge from a conventional battery charger and that semi-revived it. Then I put it on a Battery Tender for a nice slow charge to bring it back up slowly. It took nearly 3 days (!) at the low 750mA output rate, but it's back to fully charged and seems to be fine. I've checked the battery several times with a voltmeter and it reads 12.4v, so it seems to be back to normal and holding the charge okay.