I ended up buying a red top optima gel battery....expeeeensiiiive
I had a red top in my mk5 after the OEM one took a dump. It worked very well without any issues.
been using optima redtops for almost 10years in all my vws. even when i was out of warranty they still let me take it in for a free new swap. theyre somewhat overkill for basic cars but w/e. i love them.
I've been running a redtop in my Outback for 8 years now. Still shows no signs of slowing down. Will be getting another one for sure.
Went with an Optima at Wal-Mart. $100, no issues.
Yellow Top Optima Battery. Used them since they're a deep cell battery and wont die when they're drained 150%. Something about how the seat belts sucked the life out of it after sitting for two days. Euro belts fixed that issue. They have a two year 100% over the counter replacement warranty at any of their retailers (yellow top). In '95 had a bad alternator overcharge the battery and leaked acid on the intercooler tubes. Since then I've relocated it to the trunk and had an Optima. If there wasn't a sealed battery when the car was rear ended it would of spilled the acid all over the trunk. The impact did kill the Yellow top by separating the conductors internally. Insurance refused to pay for it, but after the receipt was found it had 2 Mo left on the full warranty. So, safety, warranty, performance and longevity for about 30% more than a normal battery.
I had numerous Optima batteries in my car for about 12 years and the only reason I kept going with them was because they replaced it under warranty every time they went bad.
Every optima battery I have seen in customer vehicles (I'm an auto tech) goes to crap in about 6 months to a year. I think these types of batteries are more sensitive to low voltages. They also don't hold up at all during the freezing winter months.
I had an optima in my garage queen, wasn't even hooked up most of the time(unhooked it till I wanted to drive/work on it). it died 2 years and one month later, with MAYBE 1000 miles on it, no replacement/etc. now it's a doorstop in my garage.
Optima batteries have slowly gone to shit since they were bought by Johnson Controls.
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