My Red Top is about 2 years old. I live in the Northeast where the weather is starting to get cold. If I do not drive the car for a week or so, the battery goes dead and I have to charge it. It still takes a charge but this is not what I expected when I purchased it. My sears Diehard always started after a week or longer of not driving during November or early December. Is this the way these bateries work, and if so, next spring when I put the car back on the road, I will purchase another Diehard.

Does anyone else have this problem ?

Stan, invest in a battery tender and hook it up. Then the battery is always ready to go and the battery life is extended. The Optima Red Top is gel filled and will not leak acid below your battery on the wiring harness that controls your computer and cause havic on your corvette. Your Red Top should last a good five years. The battery tender helps.

Normally, batteries fail faster in hot weather (Like Houston where I live) How long have you have the battery? My mom's 98 vert has an optima red top and it will start after 2 months of sitting. (yes it's a garage queen) You might want to check for somthing draining your system. If you have an electrical "leak" a die hard will not solve the problem.

I could let my red tops go 3-4 weeks and they would start even in the cold, after one bad winter I got a battery tender, it's the way to go.

Imho...Battery tenders are the way to go in colder climates, but it sounds like you may have a power drain somewhere.

I never had that kind of problem with my Red Top. I had it in the car for right at 2 years before I sold the car.

I don't know if this fact or fiction, but I have been told that leaving your ignition key in the ignition will drain the battery sooner also. When parked in the garage I always remove key from ignition and just place somewhere handy inside the car. (I like to have keys in cars just in case of a fire [or a quick get-a-way] then I don't have to go searching. The person that told me about the key removal said that with the key in the ignition there is some electrical activity and drainage of power. I have done this for years and it does seem to make a difference. Happy Vettin' to All.

Also, after a couple of dead battery incidents I do use a Battery Tender plus the key removal.

I agree...Optmia red top has always been my battery of choice. I can go several weeks, well over a month with no starting problems and never have to worry about battery acid leaking onto my BCM's.

my optmia is over 3 years old,never had a problem. now that i checked it i bet something happens soon.

yeah that is how my luck is too. If the car sits for awhile or isn't driven for any distance the trickle charger as everyone said is a must. On my second one (red top) and wouldn't have any other battery. The car uses lots of juice even when sleeping I agree with phlyno keep a key handy but the fobs need to be out of range

thanks. I do use a battery tender during the winter when the car is put away, but never had to use one in November while the car was still on the road. how can you tell if you are using too much juice when the car is sitting ? based on what eveyone is saying, it sounds like i have an electrical problem somewhere.

First how much are you driving it? Are your runs long enough to recharge the battery? If you have short multiple trips you are losing charge overall. Measuring battery drain is complicated and lots of work usually it is the battery gets low from some event (leaving the radio on while washing or lights on for awhile) and sets it up for failure because it doesnt get a chance to recharge because of short runs. Charge it up and see if it runs down again then check for parasitic drain.

I'm still running the original Delco in my 04 coupe.It can sit for 2 weeks at a time and still crank right up. The car and battery will be 4 yrs old in June. Is this abnormal or am I just lucky in all areas?

Your lucky!!

Not uncommon. Your climate and driving habits probably just keep it going.