Topic: Help!!! Need new Battery!!!

[Ironhide]

After a long time I'm back in the forum!

My family and I are doing well and I hope you and your families are doing well, too.

I've a huge problem, after 12 years my battery is done.

I wanted to buy an new battery but the German ones are to big (size).

The only one that would fit into my engine compartment is an Optima battery (no we can't buy any other U.S. batteries down here).

But which one is the right one for a stock Saturn Sky Redline?

Optima says: Optima Red Top 25

The Opel Forum says: Optima Yellow Top D34 or Red Top 34

Please help me.


By the way the broken battery fried my heating actuator.

[joybill44]

The Optima 25 red top fit my solstice perfectly.

[hammy221]

I'm debating on doing an optima battery to after the sound system upgrade.

[joybill44]

my optima 25 is about four years old now and still going strong. I would recommend hooking up an auxiliary power source before disconnecting the battery. I used a small 9V battery plugged into my cigarette lighter. Otherwise you can lose all your presets in the radio and other things as well.

[Sol Asylum]

I thought battery group sizes were an international thing meaning if we know what the Kappa battery size was you could get another of the same size and it will fit.  So in this case if we know the 25 and 34 batteries will fit, you could find any group 25 or 34 battery in Germany and that will fit.  When I get a chance I will see what the stock group size was and post it.

I have been hearing that the Optima brand was purchased by another maker and they are not as good a quality as they used to be.  So while people that have an older battery are quite happy with them new owners are not.  And if they cost in Germany what they do here in the USA that's a big price tag your not going to be glad you paid if it goes bad.

[Ironhide]

I thought battery group sizes were an international thing meaning if we know what the Kappa battery size was you could get another of the same size and it will fit.  So in this case if we know the 25 and 34 batteries will fit, you could find any group 25 or 34 battery in Germany and that will fit.  When I get a chance I will see what the stock group size was and post it.

I have been hearing that the Optima brand was purchased by another maker and they are not as good a quality as they used to be.  So while people that have an older battery are quite happy with them new owners are not.  And if they cost in Germany what they do here in the USA that's a big price tag your not going to be glad you paid if it goes bad.

Not really.

Customers in Germany are quite happy with Optima.

In Germany the batteries are labled different to the ones sold in the USA:

Optima Red Top 25 = Optima Red Top RTS 3.7

Optima Red Top 34 = Optima Red Top RTS 4.2

Optima Yellow Top D34 = Optima Yellow Top YTS 4.2

The S stands for positive pole on the left side, regular German batteries do have their positive pole on the right side.

Optima batteries are cheaper in Germany than in the USA.

[Sol Asylum]

The factory size battery is a group 86 so if you have a cross over chart you should be able to find something that fits.

It's possible the ones in Germany are being made by a different manufacturer then the ones here.

[Kelu]

It's possible the ones in Germany are being made by a different manufacturer then the ones here.

Most probably, high chances that batteries are build "locally in EU" as is a pain to ship them.

[Ironhide]

It's possible the ones in Germany are being made by a different manufacturer then the ones here.

Most probably, high chances that batteries are build "locally in EU" as is a pain to ship them.

I've checked Johnson Controls on Wikipedia.

It's an Irish Company that produces Fire, HVAC, and Security equipment for buildings.

In Germany they've bought some big battery companies: Varta, Delphi and Hoppecke.

Additionally they've bought Recaro Automotive.

It's possible that Varta is producing the Optima batteries in Germany and that would be an explanation for the low prices.

You can buy a Red Top 25 for 135$ in Germany.

It seems that 8% of the batteries are done after 2 years.

[Ironhide]

Someone from the German Opel Forum recommended A Varta battery, but there's  problem!

The smallest working German battery is still too long.

I would have to bend the small brackets on the left and right side of the battery mounting and I'm afraid to do so.

Any ideas?

[Sol Asylum]

Use something that fits? 

[Ironhide]

Use something that fits? 

That's why Germans are using Optima batteries.

It's so ridiculous that German companies don't care about U.S. cars.

[Sol Asylum]

There you go, start your own company making things for US cars.

Are there very many US cars over there?

[Ironhide]

There you go, start your own company making things for US cars.

Are there very many US cars over there?

Yep!

Most of the people are owning Dodge Ram, Corvette, Camaro and Mustang.
Some people are owning Dodge Carger, Doge Challenger and Ford Raptor.

But as I told you since last year it's not allowed to sell new U.S. cars in the EU or Germany except Ford Mustang (they say U.S. cars don't meet climate warming rules).

So GM had to close all of it's dealerships in Germany and Europe.

The EU are idiots, sorry.

[Kelu]

Oliver, I remember I changed my factory battery 2 times at least, I always used a Varta as replacement.
I think I might have one around the house as is hard to get rid of it, want me to dig for it and take some pictures?

[Ironhide]

Oliver, I remember I changed my factory battery 2 times at least, I always used a Varta as replacement.
I think I might have one around the house as is hard to get rid of it, want me to dig for it and take some pictures?

Thanks for the offer Kelu,

Finally I've decided to go with an Optima Red Top, because it fits perfectly in the Saturn Sky without doing any changes to the mounting.

First I wanted to buy a Red Top 25 (Europe: Optima Red Top RT S  3.7) , but got a great offer from a Dealer and bought a Red Top 34 (Europe Optima Red Top RT S 4.2).

The 34 also fits because of it's special design (someone in the German Opel Forum installed a Yellow Top / Red Top 34 and had some pictures for me).

Don't know if CTEK battery chargers are available in the USA, but they are the best choice to keep a battery in good shape (need to buy one).

By the way as a firefighter my brother is recommending AGM batteries like the Optima, they are easier to handle in case of a crash.

[Wartie]

Use something that fits? 

SA for the win!!!!!

[Ironhide]

Finally I got my Optima Red Top 34.

It fits perfectly on the mounting and my car is good to go again.

By the way the label on the battery says made in Mexico.

So now I'll have to buy a CTEK battery charger to keep the battery in good shape.

[Sol Asylum]

The ones we get here in the States probably say made in Germany.

[Ironhide]

The ones we get here in the States probably say made in Germany.

Then you'll get a high quality battery. 

[Ironhide]

Little update!

The battery is still working pretty good, even if I don't use my car for several days.

As a firefighter my brother is quite happy with my new battery, because in case of a crash it's much easier to handle as a regular one.

By the way got a new heating actuator on warranty, but had to replace it by myself.

I'm not sure if it has been the empty battery or the jump start which fried the actuator, but I think it would be a good idea to remove the wire of the actuator before starting/jump starting

the car.

[wspohn]

A good battery should fire the car up even after sitting for 3 weeks (that's the longest I have tried it - in winter)

[Uranium-238]

A good battery should fire the car up even after sitting for 3 weeks (that's the longest I have tried it - in winter)

That does depend on the battery a bit. At about that length of time the Braille in my Camaro probably has a 50/50 shot of starting the car in the summer, and no chance in the winter. Granted we're talking a lightweight battery that's on the edge of what's useful for the car, but it was worth the ~40 lbs weight savings.

But, higher compression V8 vs. low compressing I4.

[DeepBlueGXP]

Little update!

The battery is still working pretty good, even if I don't use my car for several days.

Get your self a trickle charger.  The coupe has been on one for 6 months and starts right up
https://www.google.com/search?client=firefox-b-1-d&q=Mroinge+MBC010+Automotive+Trickle+Maintainer+12V

[DeepBlueGXP]

Little update!

The battery is still working pretty good, even if I don't use my car for several days.

As a firefighter my brother is quite happy with my new battery, because in case of a crash it's much easier to handle as a regular one.

By the way got a new heating actuator on warranty, but had to replace it by myself.

I'm not sure if it has been the empty battery or the jump start which fried the actuator, but I think it would be a good idea to remove the wire of the actuator before starting/jump starting

the car.

Do you have a photo of the actuator?