I got my $125 [after all rebates] yellow top battery from advance auto parts. I could not pass up this great price and deal, so I purchased the yellow top. But, my 3 year old OEM 12v battery on the PRIUS is still working fine. ***How long can I store the yellow top? I might not need to install it for a year or two, until the original 12v finally fails.
Can't answer but a note to Optima may help. I replaced my OEM with an Optima after 3 years and 56,000 miles just because I'm OCD about such things. I still have the original and it holds a full charge well. Any member who wants it may PM me to pick it up free.I'm in western NC near Asheville. No mail.
I was hoping someone would have an answer to the battery storage question since I was considering doing the same thing. My OEM battery is now 4 years old and last fall I moved to hot AZ. I've heard batteries don't like heat, so I'm worried my battery might go downhill faster now. It seems to be doing fine so far. I do pamper it by using a battery minder occasionally to keep the charge topped up. I want to replace it with an Optima when the time comes, so thought it would be nice to have a new battery on hand so I wouldn't have to wait for it to be shipped here. Just don't know if it's feasible. Anyone know? TIA
4 years is the engineered life of a car battery. Anything longer is taking a pointless risk. Anything shorter is wasting money. Storing a battery for a year isn't a great idea, as batteries really last about 4 years, used or not.
The battery should be stored fully charged. I'd recommend connecting it to a float charge (approx 13.8 volts) for at least 12 hours every three months. I wouldn't recommend using full charge cycles while in storage (except perhaps for the very fist time after the battery is received).
I do not know, because there are 2-3 different coupons you will need for this savings. There is a link about the $125 yellow top battery,it tells you about all the ways to save money on it, when you use the coupons...search for it.
