New Optima 12v Yellow Top D51 battery with Pencil Posts

My new Optima is scheduled to arrive on the 6th.

Gee... did you throw in a bit of swag, since I'm buying it direct?

I should have put "Prius chat" in the comment box, right?

 

The trouble with other sources for Prius Optima battery is that it isn't available yet in places like Autozone, Amazon, etc. (even though they carry other Optima batteries, their computer systems don't list it yet), so if you need one now, the best place to get it is directly from Optima. $200 plus tax - delivered. I got mine within two days via FedEx.

 

Rae, I don't know that any extra swag was included in your order, but citizens in our PowerPack Nation do receive free swag and other special offers and joining PPN is free as well.


Jim McIlvaine
eCare Manager, OPTIMA Batteries, Inc.
OPTIMA Battery Power Pack Nation

 

And you can get an OEM from a Toyota dealer for less. I'm afraid that this battery will be a losing product for Optima as it is a niche product so must be priced much higher.

 

Yeah, here's what you get for your cheap OEM Toyota nee GS motorcycle battery, a blown cell in a 4 year old battery. All it took was a few seconds in Ig-On. Same thing could happen if you shut the car off with the headlights on and wait too long before opening the door. You can have somebody jump it but it will still be dead at the next place, the car may not even shut off. The price difference is relatively small, MSRP of $166 for Toyota vs. $199 Optima, but the difference in quality is huge.

 

There is a 'whine' factor among car owners,
You see Prius owners 'whine' about the HID headlights, the original battery, Integrity tires, dash rattles, brakes, Traction control, Navigation and so on. Any weakness is pointed out and dissected in public.

What you do not see are many folks 'whining' about what works: Optima Yellowtops, Michelin tires, cargo room, the HV battery from Re-InVolt, the engine, and so on.

If everyone tells you to buy a Yellow top and no one is here whining that it is a scam, pay attention! You know that if there were disgruntled owners, we would hear it here.

(I am happy Danny does not try to moderate valid complaints, what a dull site if we pretended the Prius was perfect)

 

Optima had some manufacturing problems with their Yellow top batteries that they have rectified and also improved the warranty. I had two in a row that only lasted for a year. I still have faith in them, the warranty replacement was painless.

Mick

 

Mick, I have read a wide variety of information about our batteries online. Untrue rumors relating specifically to our YellowTops included stories that there was some kind of issue with them at some point and that our group 51 line had been discontinued. Neither of those rumors have any truth behind them. If you read this somewhere else online, please provide a link, so I can address it there as well.


What were the circumstances surrounding the two issues you had within a year and do you recall the voltage of either battery when you were having problems?


Jim McIlvaine
eCare Manager, OPTIMA Batteries, Inc.
www.facebook.com/optimabatteries

 

Jim,
A year ago I had to replace the yellow top in my Honda Civic. It had started the previous afternoon with no issue and the next morning it was so dead that I couldn't even get a click from the starter. Voltage was in the high 11s and charging it brought it to the low 12s and a slight click when starting. It was also just out of warranty period. Online research brought up several mentions that there had been a manufacturing defect, I'll leave it up to you to find those since that was over a year ago. When purchasing my replacement I was surprised to find that the warranty perior had been extended for the newer production dates which was enough for me to believe the rumors of the manufacturing defects. Less than a year later I had the exact same failure and replaced it under warranty and got rid of the car when we purchased our 2010 Prius. When the time comes I will be replacing the OEM battery with a yellowtop, I've had good experiences with Optimas over years. It is odd to have the same problem with two units, I do still have the original one.

Mick

 

Hi Mick,

If the voltage on your YellowTop was in the high 11s, it was more than 60% discharged and even in the low-12s, it is still 40-50% discharged. Fully-charged our YellowTops will measure about 13.0-13.2 volts. When any battery is discharged below 12.4 volts and allowed to sit in that state, sulfation will begin to form, which diminishes both capacity and lifespan. While our batteries are original equipment in some vehicles, Civics are not one of them. Did you have issues with your previous battery, prior to installing your first YellowTop in the Civic? What is the voltage of the original YellowTop right now?

The free replacement warranty period of Optima batteries has only increased under JCI's ownership. An optimist might say this is an indication of our increasing confidence in our products, while a pessimist might suggest the added time would cover a "bad batch" of batteries. A marketer might say it was done to be competitive in the marketplace and add consumer confidence, while a customer service rep might say it was done to keep people with deep-cycle applications from buying a RedTop, just because it had a longer warranty.

In the battery business, warranties are largely viewed as marketing tools that help instill consumer confidence and keep customers locked into a specific brand. That is why generic or store brands will often have longer warranties than premium brands. The truth is, if any battery fails from a manufacturing defect, it is likely to do so well within the first year of use, if not the first month.

Jim McIlvaine
eCare Manager, OPTIMA Batteries, Inc.
www.facebook.com/optimabatteries

 

Should most independent mechanics be able to install the Optima Yellow Top in a Gen II Prius? I am a little hesitant to attempt to do this myself as I am not so mechanically inclined and I'm sure the dealership would not be very helpful in installing anything but the OEM 12v. For someone in my situation am I probably better off just having the dealer replace the OEM? Thanks for your help!

 

It is straight forward, It is just a bit awkward to get at it in it's little cubbyhole. I put mine in without following any directions (watching YouTube video can be useful) in about a half hour.

JeffD

 

Any good dealership should be happy to install it for you. The service department is separate from the parts department and the sales department. At any rate, it's for customer satisfaction. Obviously they can't warranty the battery (they will probably tell you that) but they should warranty their work.

THIS is what separates the rip-off dudes from the really good dealerships!

 

Some dealers (and entire chains) have a policy of being unwilling to install customer provided parts. I ran into that before in WA state and it apparently applied to the whole chain (dealership group under one owner). IIRC, they said it was due to legal liability issues. I believe they had run into suits or threats of one before...

 

From the info on Techstream, IIRC mine was as high as 14.6v last night.

 

Just ordered the Optima DS46B24R from Batterymart.com for $157 + shipping.
Pretty good price I thought

 

Yes, but not quite as good as the initial coupon for $170 with free shipping from Optma.

JeffD

 

How many are buying these to "just have on hand when needed"?

My 7.5 year old battery just died without any warning and I had to buy a new one immediately. Since these batteries are not available in my local FLAPS, I bought a new battery from my local Toyota dealer. The price, including tax, was less than the price of an Optima BEFORE shipping and tax. So going the Optima route would have cost me more money AND about a week's downtime. The solution seems to be buying an Optima when the price + shipping is low and put it on the shelf until needed.

 

7,5 years old?
wow thats long for a lead acid battery in your prius,....how did you to that

 

Will that Optima DS46B24R fit a Gen III (2010-Up) Prius?

Thanks, SJ