[Vwdiesel] Battery Source

[William J Toensing]

A battery will eventually run down, Optima or regular battery. My Citroen CX diesel has gone over 6 months with out running ( has a regular battery) & has started right off. However, I don't think the Optima battery is to blame for the Suburban's failure to start, but its battery draw while not running. The solution to having a battery last a long time & being ready to start with months of inactivity is to use a battery tender which keeps a battery at maximum charge but does not overcharge. I have a 1993 Rockwood diesel pusher motorhome I bought in 1999 & has two 12 volt batteries in parallel to start the 5.9 Cummings, & have been in there ever since I bought the rig, & possibly a year or two more.. I have a battery tender continuously hooked up & the engine has never failed to start despite going many months between startups. How long they will last, I don't know.

It is interesting to see the discussion about the Optima battery. I have seen the Optima batteries for sale at Costco. I think the yellow top was around $100 & the red top $140 or $160. Does anyone know how long an Optima battery will last compared to a regular battery? That is, does it last long enough to justify costing twice as much as a regular battery?