Is the Optima Yellow Top a good batt?

Here's the Pep Boys start page for selecting a battery:

Car Batteries | Auto Batteries For Trucks & SUV's | Pep Boys

There's a link saying "select your store"; I click on it, and nothing happens. Seems like they need to fix something.

Canadian Tire stores up here were like that for a while.

 

Pep Boys tells me the same thing: "Zero results." No batteries for a '16 Prius.

I don't mind buying a new battery at the dealer, but are there no other options? Still concerned that I don't drive that car often enough / far enough, to keep everything in top operating shape.

I need to do what my signature says: JUST DRIVE IT!!

 

I've emailed them; something's bogus there; it used to work.

 

Yes, I have a 2010 Prius. It took 10 minutes to do it with just a ratchet wrench and extension.

VS995 ?

 

see my post #19, i don't think there is a drop in replacement yet.
maybe you should consider a battery minder.

 

Thanks bisco. The Prius is so popular, especially here in California. I'm surprised optima doesn't offer batteries for the 2016. I usually only get 3 years out of any car battery. Just never drove enough, and too many short little trips.

 

Yes, it is designed for deep discharge cycles.

Yes, most folks get 5 years - some less, some more. There are folks who say replace at 5, and others who just drive and drive.

 

This would require effort and more than “Just Driving It”.

Not sure our cheeseburger loving friend is up for that .

 

Even if you're not replacing the battery, it's not a bad idea to remove it once, say halfway through its life, clean the posts and clamps. Then too, you know what to expect when it comes to replacement time.

If doing the swap in a store parking lot: Take along a few washers to use as shims on the hold down bracket: it's a very finicky design, can't tolerate even slight battery height variations.

 

Ahh so the G3 has always hot cigarette lighter? Unlike the G2 the lighter is dead with car not in ready.
I like that. Sometimes it’s handy to have a always hot 12 but usually I would not run anything off the hot lighter without the car in ready your just hammering the 12 volt battery. Your running the 12 volt low and the inverter dc dc converter runs extra hard to charge it back up when you start the car so your not saving anything your just sitting in a hot car. In fact your mileage may be better if you don’t run the 12 so low and just sit in ready. Nothing free here. Takes fuel to charge both battery’s.
In ready The engine will run when it needs to charge the 12 it won’t use but a tiny bit of fuel. Keep the ac on keep the cabin cool and dry don’t let the hybrid battery go through hot cool hot cool cycles. It takes its toll on the Hybrid battery. And the ac system.

It’s a very small 12 volt battery compared to a full size battery.

Get a battery charger and once a month hook it to the front 12 volt jump points. Notice it’s charge behavior in 4 amp mode over the months. How fast does it charge up to very little current draw. You will quickly see when the battery starts to Fail. It will suddenly take much much longer to become charged. My last yellowtop lasted 2 years 11 months and few days on its 3 year warranty. I noticed on a charge it was all of a sudden taking forever to charge up. Auto zone gave me a new battery and that replacement is coming up on its third year. That monthly charge saved me a lot of trouble.

The best battery is the factory battery. If my Prius was a taxi that’s what I would buy.

 

No, it has no voltage when the car is off. It does have voltage with the car in accessory mode. The usual.

 

No, a deep cycle wouldn't necessarily be better; might be, might not depending on your exact usage.

BUT......we've been dancing around the real question: Why do you insist on just sitting there while NOT in the ready mode ??

When it is READY the engine won't run unless it needs to.......to keep the batteries charged up. (Note that you must be in Park and not Neutral.)

If you aren't running the A/C or heater, you should find that it will be a LONG time between engine runs.

If you continue to do what you say you have been doing, eventually you will sit there too long and the battery will be so low that the car won't start. And that is hard on battery life too.

5 years is good for a battery but some go 7 or 8 with good care; that is, NOT discharging them deeply.

 

Just out of curiosity I emailed one of the local Toyota dealers. I asked for a price quote on a original equipment Toyota 12 volt battery for my 2016.

The parts department man replied, and quoted me $297 clams! Plus installation.

 

cheaper than the $400. someone else mentioned. toyota was so proud to point out how they had made room under the hood for it.
and yet, all i've read about is dead batteries and how expensive they are.

 

I expect to pay $300+ for a Toyota OEM battery. That's fine. The Toyota Truestart 12 volt battery has a 84 month warranty. Mendel, I saw a thread from 2007? You commented that you usually replace the 12v every 3 or 4 years, regardless of condition. Are you still doing that? I think that's a good plan.

 

I had Yellow Top at one my first cars around -99/-03 and it was amasing. Survived with all audio equipments, survived at "ice car"(non road old car what kinds we here use to rally around own made tracks on lake ice) what was rolled 3 times.
Battery also experienced quite nice short circuit when alternator bearings broke and alternator almost melted during short circuit.
Finally after all of this usage, minus pole was bended little bit but battery worked this like a new and was able to turn car starter at winter 6-0 compared to reqular battery.

Two years ago i planned to buy Yellow Top, sales person knew how great yellow tops were back then but claimed that sad to say that Optima has reduced quality.
But he said, they still good but not so good like you and i remember.

Also i habe had Red Tops in two cars, but they have been only few years with me so cannot say how good they are.