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who has ordered one and did you have any problems with it? I've looked at a few sites and they are 50 dollars cheaper "including" shipping than anywhere local. Has that been your experience as well?
not any police car or fire truck I have driven (or seen) use themYou guys are right about the optimas. I only got 7 Y E A R S out of mine and I took it out just to get another one. Fire dept. school busses and police cars use them. I would check your systems...
My thing is....If you go to your local auto parts store and buy the same battery I believe you would get a good quality battery. But it's very possible when you buy the same battery on line you can get a second or refurbish and its called "NEW". Unless you buy one from a major company.You guys are right about the optimas. I only got 7 Y E A R S out of mine and I took it out just to get another one. Fire dept. school busses and police cars use them. I would check your systems...
I bought my Red top at Costco and it is a model# 34/78, that is the biggest red top they make.The optima Red Tops sold at Costco are a different group # and slightly smaller / weaker than what you typically see available at an auto parts store (35-70 vs 40). This is why they sell for about 30% less.
The red tops will fail premature in an environment where they are ran low then recharged. I had a 4" alt pulley on an old engine combo that would not charge under 2k rpm. Consequently I would occasionally have to put a charger on the battery to keep it at peak and my batteries would fail every 18 months. I spoke to an Optima rep at Sema who broke this down. Since then I have ran yellow tops (their deep cycle application) w/ no issue.
Also last I checked they still offered 3 years free replacement which is a good warranty for the industry. Not to mention a gel cell battery has other inherent safety and preservation advantages over an liquid acid battery.