zoblo, the biggest concern I frequently see cited with the use of solar chargers is proper voltage regulation. Some less expensive units will not regulate their charge and could overcharge any battery.
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Jim, as the guy who has personally made those “thousands of posts,” I can tell you that the majority of them explain basic battery diagnostic and maintenance information, applicable to any lead-acid battery. There are also times when folks do post incorrect information about our products and when that happens, I'm also happy to post correct information, especially when there are safety concerns involved (our batteries should not be mounted upside down). I only have a handful of posts on the vast majority of sites where I participate, because I only participate in threads started by others that mention our batteries. Optima doesn't pay me to ask questions about my own vehicles, socialize in forums or post smiley faces clinking beer mugs, so my post count on most forums tends to be low as a result.
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I do handle a huge volume of conversations and if I missed anyone's question to me in this thread, I apologize and would be happy to do my best to answer it. I do also regularly assist our customers in getting warranty service for their batteries, although most find they do not need warranty service, once they properly-recharge their battery. The reason I spend the extra time to explain the difference between “gel” charger settings and non-gel settings, is because this is a conversation on a public forum and that information may be applicable to someone else, who is also reading this thread. I do appreciate you posting our warranty terms and would encourage you to continue posting the terms of other manufacturers as a comparison.
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As you correctly mentioned to zoblo, one of the things that can hurt a lot of batteries is not keeping them topped off and having very small, long-term drains that run them down. From the data log you posted, it would indicate your YellowTop was partially-discharged in the morning (12.58 volts), discharged as low as 12.12 volts during the day and parked in the evening in a partially-discharged state at 12.65 volts and presumably left that way overnight, as indicated by your morning voltage reading. From what you've posted, I think your battery is performing as best it can in your application. If you are convinced the quality of our battery is the reason it appears to be constantly undercharged, you always have the option of swapping it with your other battery, to see if our's is able to regularly start your vehicle and how the other one performs in the auxiliary role.
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Our engineer wanted me to apologize for him, for previously missing the RPMs associated with your various alternator output readings. He indicated that assuming the readings were at a moderate temperature, the voltage output is lower than what he has personally seen in his vehicles and what he has been told is typical output voltage from his time in dealing with Optima customer service.
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As I have mentioned before, Optima does not release production numbers, nor does any other manufacturer. If you can convince other manufacturers to give you their numbers, please post them here, as I have been told when others do, we will follow suit. As for the Race-Dezert board, I was really glad Gary Powell was willing to share his experiences with our batteries and not because none of his customers have ever experienced a single failure of our batteries in any of the vehicles he wired. I was amazed he posted
the information he did, because he did so at the risk of giving up a competitive advantage he holds over several of his fellow racers.
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TheJosh, the current free replacement warranty on our YellowTops is not 12 months, but three years. As Bill indicated, if you purchased your YellowTop prior to February 1, 2009, it came with a two-year warranty, with 12 months of pro-rated coverage. If there was always a direct correlation between quality (or the perception of) and the length of warranty offered, the vehicles with the best quality ratings would always have the best warranties. However, some companies acknowledge that many consumers would not have the confidence to buy their products, without the backing of a significant warranty. As a result, many generic store battery brands will have longer warranty terms than premium brands that cost significantly more.
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HenryJ, I'm still interested in the contact information of the person you spoke to, if you are interested in sharing it. If you have Optima batteries that are still performing after more than 10 years, I would encourage you to
submit your story to us for our Wall of Power.
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Jim McIlvaine
eCare Manager, OPTIMA Batteries, Inc.
www.facebook.com/optimabatteries