Remanufactured OPTIMA Battery | The Truth
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- Sponsor
- OPTIMA Batteries
- Location
- Glendale, WI
There are a lot of great deals to be had on websites like eBay, Craigslist and Facebook marketplace, but there are also a lot of scams. In the battery world, one of the biggest scams is the "remanufactured" OPTIMA battery. Wikipedia suggests the process of remanufacturing a product involves, "the rebuilding of a product to specifications of the original manufactured product using a combination of reused, repaired and new parts."
OPTIMA Batteries are NEVER rebuilt or remanufactured. Anyone who suggest or implies otherwise is lying to you. The biggest wear items in a battery are the battery cells, so replacing them would involve opening the battery case without damaging it and somehow removing cells that were mechanically inserted under pressure at the OPTIMA production facility and replacing them with new cells. There's only one place in the world where SPIRALCELL batteries are made and that's the OPTIMA production facility. We don't have a factory outlet store, where we sell spare parts for our batteries, so no one outside of the OPTIMA production facility has access to these components.
Even if they had access to those cells, they'd have to figure out how to insert replacement cells. Whether it's our flat-plate PUREFLOW batteries or our classic SPIRALCELL design, the only way to get anywhere near the same amount of power put back into that battery case is through a highly precise and mechanical process that is only found at the OPTIMA production facility. Even if they accomplished that impossible task, they'd then need to figure out how to add the acid back into the cells and reconnect them together.
Whether it's OPTIMA's SPIRALCELL batteries or PUREFLOW batteries, the connection made in between cells in those batteries is done with cast straps. Basically, we turn the batteries upside down after we've inserted the cells mechanically under pressure and we cast robust lead straps between the cells. It's a very expensive and difficult process, which is why just about every other battery out there uses tombstone welds to connect cells, even though those connections tend to be weaker and more restrictive for current flow. If all of this is difficult for you to visualize, you can watch a video that highlights some of those aspects of our production process here.
So what's the real deal with these OPTIMA batteries people are trying to represent or sell as remanufactured OPTIMA Batteries? As we mentioned before, the entire premise is a lie, so there's really no telling what is going on with the battery they are trying to sell. It could be aged inventory that could no longer be sold as new and should've been headed to a recycling center but may have been intercepted. It could be discharge-only warranty returns, that also should've been headed to a recycling center, but may have been intercepted. It could be a battery that was installed in a high-cycling commercial application, so even though the battery may only be a few months old and look very clean, it could have already been cycled hundreds of times and be very close to the end of its useful lifespan. Whatever the case may be, they are trying to sell you a used battery, so why might it look like a new battery?
Tires, motor oil and batteries are all typical wear items in a vehicle. Wear indicators on a tire will show you how much tread is left and easily identify tires that have a lot of miles on them. Motor oil tends to look dark and dirty after being used. Old car batteries can often be given a new appearance with a wet rag and terminal polisher, even if everything inside the battery is used up.
When someone presents one of these used OPTIMA batteries as remanufactured or rebuilt, they are mis-representing the battery and what was done to it. Those batteries only carry the warranty coverage the seller is willing to personally provide. When we do see used batteries being honestly represented as such, the warranty term is typically an exchange within the first week or month. If you ever see an OPTIMA battery for sale and you are not sure if it is new or comes with a full replacement warranty, call our toll-free number (8-888-OPTIMA) or send our customer service team an email at info@optimabatteries.com.
OPTIMA Batteries are NEVER rebuilt or remanufactured. Anyone who suggest or implies otherwise is lying to you. The biggest wear items in a battery are the battery cells, so replacing them would involve opening the battery case without damaging it and somehow removing cells that were mechanically inserted under pressure at the OPTIMA production facility and replacing them with new cells. There's only one place in the world where SPIRALCELL batteries are made and that's the OPTIMA production facility. We don't have a factory outlet store, where we sell spare parts for our batteries, so no one outside of the OPTIMA production facility has access to these components.
Even if they had access to those cells, they'd have to figure out how to insert replacement cells. Whether it's our flat-plate PUREFLOW batteries or our classic SPIRALCELL design, the only way to get anywhere near the same amount of power put back into that battery case is through a highly precise and mechanical process that is only found at the OPTIMA production facility. Even if they accomplished that impossible task, they'd then need to figure out how to add the acid back into the cells and reconnect them together.
Whether it's OPTIMA's SPIRALCELL batteries or PUREFLOW batteries, the connection made in between cells in those batteries is done with cast straps. Basically, we turn the batteries upside down after we've inserted the cells mechanically under pressure and we cast robust lead straps between the cells. It's a very expensive and difficult process, which is why just about every other battery out there uses tombstone welds to connect cells, even though those connections tend to be weaker and more restrictive for current flow. If all of this is difficult for you to visualize, you can watch a video that highlights some of those aspects of our production process here.
So what's the real deal with these OPTIMA batteries people are trying to represent or sell as remanufactured OPTIMA Batteries? As we mentioned before, the entire premise is a lie, so there's really no telling what is going on with the battery they are trying to sell. It could be aged inventory that could no longer be sold as new and should've been headed to a recycling center but may have been intercepted. It could be discharge-only warranty returns, that also should've been headed to a recycling center, but may have been intercepted. It could be a battery that was installed in a high-cycling commercial application, so even though the battery may only be a few months old and look very clean, it could have already been cycled hundreds of times and be very close to the end of its useful lifespan. Whatever the case may be, they are trying to sell you a used battery, so why might it look like a new battery?
Tires, motor oil and batteries are all typical wear items in a vehicle. Wear indicators on a tire will show you how much tread is left and easily identify tires that have a lot of miles on them. Motor oil tends to look dark and dirty after being used. Old car batteries can often be given a new appearance with a wet rag and terminal polisher, even if everything inside the battery is used up.
When someone presents one of these used OPTIMA batteries as remanufactured or rebuilt, they are mis-representing the battery and what was done to it. Those batteries only carry the warranty coverage the seller is willing to personally provide. When we do see used batteries being honestly represented as such, the warranty term is typically an exchange within the first week or month. If you ever see an OPTIMA battery for sale and you are not sure if it is new or comes with a full replacement warranty, call our toll-free number (8-888-OPTIMA) or send our customer service team an email at info@optimabatteries.com.