Evening All
Just came back from a two week trip from
Melbourne to Dalhousie, accross the Simpson and return via
Innamincka &
Broken Hill.
IA couple of months ago my wet cell deep cycle battery had a cell 'collapse' after 3yrs and it was goodbye - to bad, so sad.
So I decided to go upmarket and get one of those you beaut, large capacity, sealed (no more wet cell leaking acid crap for me) big sucker batteries advertised in the 4WD mags as the best thing ever invented.
Ended up choosing an OPTIMA - $450.
Installed it and everything ship shape.
Depart for the Simpson at the end of April and all is still 'ship shape'. The Waeco is cooling and freezing as it should. Boy this is going to be one hell of a trip.
Get to
Berri and stay at the 'Commissioner for War' relos, and she is showing them how good the Waeco is.
Oops! the frozen meat in the Freezer is starting to thaw. Bugger, must be tooooooo low, wind it up a notch.
Get to
Clare the next day, Bloody hell, couldn't have turned it up enough. Alarm bells are starting to go off.
The Commissioner for War says later that day when turning on interior lights. Oh my! aren't these new fluros you went to all the trouble of putting in rather dim.
Well! the alarm bells fairly explode and a quick
test with a $2 multi metre confirmed that the aforementioned 'mother' of a battery had dropped to 10V and wouldn't hold a charge for more than 5 minutes. This was Saturday night in the country.
Down to
Adelaide next morning to Supa cheap in Elizabeth. They had an el cheapo wet cell deep cycle which I purchased, fitted and away we go.
That battery never missed a beat in 5000kms over some of the worst roads and conditions you will ever experience.
I reckon it will see me into my
grave.
Now, this is the best part. I had to carry that mother of a OPTIMA (heavy as) for the rest of the trip to have a chance of being considered for warranty replacement. Sometimes moved it in and out of the vehicle three times a day.
Anyway, get back to
Melbourne and return it to the supplier, who sends it off to his supplier.
RESULT: It was replaced with a comment passed down the line that should the replacement do the same, then there will be no more warranty as there is something wrong with the system it is attached to.
Bullcrap in the extremous. It is a Piranah system that has been fully tested.
One thing I will say is that the replacement was still in its imported shrink wrapping with OPTIMA literature enclosed along with some other accessories. The first one wasn't.
That may be a clue as to why it went 'fubar' as Truckster would say.
Now you can take or leave whatever you like from this experience, however I will say that this is the first time I have ever carried a multi metre, what for I don't know, but I do know I will be buying another one to keep in the 4WD permanently.
Regards
Ken Robinson