HenryJ, I don't know who you spoke to, what their affiliation is with Optima or what was said in the conversation and how it was remembered and re-posted here. Please PM me with the name and contact information of the person you spoke with, as I'd like to speak with them as well. It would probably be helpful to include your real name, unless he knows you as “HenryJ” and your business affiliation. Building a battery plant isn't easy, but it doesn't take eight to nine years. We broke ground on the Monterrey facility in 2007 and started production in late-2008.
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You are correct that there are several clever marketing techniques that companies can use to promote their products. There is a standard rating system for batteries created by the BCI (Battery Council International) that includes cranking amps, cold cranking amps and reserve capacity. While other brands and companies may elect to use proprietary testing standards or specifications to promote their batteries, we use the specifications from the standardized BCI rating system to describe all of our batteries.
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Batteries are one of the most-recycled products in the world, with over 99% of all batteries being recycled. While most “black box” lead-acid batteries will use recycled lead, using pure, virgin lead is standard practice for Optima, as well as the AGM industry as a whole.
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Jim, thanks for posting those photographs. Our engineer indicated he likes your meters and while the voltage drop is ok, the measurements at the batteries seems on the low side and he asked if there is any change in the voltage at higher rpms, around 1800 or so or if you only see voltage above 14 volts at start up?
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To use your analogy of sinks and tubs, while they may have the same water source, if the connections to the sink use rusty pipes, you may see rust in your sink. Personally, I understand your frustration with the charging issues you've been experiencing. As you are now on your fourth Optima for your auxiliary system, at what point will you use a battery from another brand, to see how their performance compares to that of your Optimas in that specific application.
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By conservative estimates, we sell more AGM automotive batteries than every other manufacturer combined, several times over. As a result, there will be far more conversations about our batteries (both good and bad) online. The volume of batteries we sell also allows us to be pro-active in assisting consumers in ways other brands and manufacturers simply cannot. You don't need to be an expert to use one of our batteries and we have millions of customers who have proven that for more than 20 years. The YouTube videos we have produced and the advice I offer is often universal and can be applied to any battery. As a vehicle's electrical system gets more complicated or the demands on a battery increase, more care may be needed, but that is the norm for any battery, regardless of type or brand.
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I believe Black & Decker alone markets at least nine different models of battery chargers, which makes it hard to keep up with all the different features of the various units. I do know we often get feedback from folks who use those chargers and get F01 or F03 codes, indicating a bad battery, when their batteries are only deeply-discharged. I don't know if I've mentioned it in this thread or if that particular charger has a “gel” or “gel/AGM” setting, but we recommend avoiding any charger setting that has “gel” in it, as it may not fully-charge our batteries (or any non-gel battery) and could damage it over time.
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We keep very close tabs on the quality of our batteries and as I'm sure you read on the Race-Dezert board, the degree of automation in our current production process has greatly decreased variability, which has resulted in an increase in the the consistency and reliability of our products. We built a state-of-the-art facility to manufacture the best batteries possible, not cut corners.
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bfdiesel, I'm glad to hear your Optima has served you well. While no manufacturers release their defect rates, there are days when I wish they would. However, even if they did, I suspect many folks who have experienced battery issues would be unlikely to believe how low those rates really are, based on their own personal experiences and Optima's rate is far lower than the industry norm. When I have asked to share that information in the past, I've been told that when everyone else does, we will glady share our numbers.
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John, depending on the question that is asked, I usually consult with two different staff engineers. No one is happier that I am on message boards than those guys, as they are also on forums in a non work-related capacity for their personal vehicles and used to get frustrated by the bad information (and often terrible advice) that was being posted. While they would've loved to have stepped in and helped folks, that would open up a can of worms for them that would likely prevent them from doing their regular duties. The vast majority of the issues folks face can be handled by a non-engineer like me, but when needed (or requested), I can always call on those guys.
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Unfortunately, we cannot get more personalized in our customer service than me posting on message boards. We are the most-widely sold AGM battery in the world, with more than 30,000 retail partners around the globe and that seems to keep our engineers and management team fairly busy.
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The Rover Shop, I'm sorry to hear about the problems you've been having with your batteries. What kind of batteries were you using that were having issues with high amperage draws? What was considered an “okay” voltage reading and what kind of amperage were you using?
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JCI does own Optima and 49% of Interstate, in addition to producing all of their batteries for them.
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Jim McIlvaine
eCare Manager, OPTIMA Batteries, Inc.
www.facebook.com/optimabatteries
