120 for the yellow top is a great price. It drops right in you just have to cut the plastic shield or not use ot at all that goes under the stock battery.

 

I'm going on four years with the stock battery. How often do they need to be replaced? Thanks.
edit: looks like it's a gamble. Some take two years, some longer. I purchased my 08 in sept of 07 fwiw.
https://www.fitfreak.net/forums/1st-...o-years-9.html

 

How long? Whenever it stops working!

Just kidding. Though its pretty much true.

"Most" batteries can last between 3 to 5 years. I, myself, do not expect most batteries to last 5 years. There will always be exceptions to the rule.

But the way I see it, because it can vary... I would just recommend using it until it goes bad. If, at any time things start dimming and/or it takes longer to crank the engine, get the battery checked out. Then replace it if its in bad condition (maybe even in "poor" condition too). Especially if you have to deal with cold/snowy winters.

Last thing anyone needs is a car that won't start in frigid conditions.

 

I'm trying to price batteries before it's an issue. I'm thinking at $120.00 I should replace it. The stock unit is 80 at bernardi, which seems cheapest. the optima seems like an upgrade however. Maybe I should wait the summer......

 

Short of catastrophic failure, you usually get a bit of warning on failing batteries, dimming lights and longer crank times. That should give you plenty of time to buy a battery and do the swap at your own convienence.

But, on the flip side, there's nothing stopping you from doing it now (or in the summer). If it makes you feel better, go for it.

 

Mine only lasted 3 and a half years over here in jersey.

 

Ended up buying one. Thanks for the info everyone.

Sale is still on if anyone is interested:
Optima YellowTop Battery for Honda $119.69 FS TAX IN MOST - Slickdeals.net

 

Looking forward to it. I have an aftermarket sub and amp, and if my car sits when I go on business trips, it will not start. It makes for fun nights at the airport.

 

It fits in my 2009 Sport. I just removed the try and you can get it in there carefully,..it fits! Because the posts on the Optima are on the opposite side, i ran some 12 gauge wire from the post to the original connector. So far everything is fine, with one exception: my power outlet stopped working about 2 weeks later. Not sure if is a coincidence or ?

 

If your positive and negative posts are on the wrong side, then you did not buy a D51R Optima battery. You bought a D51, and should have paid more attention. The "R" in the D51R model means "Reversed pos/neg posts". Also, 12 ga. wire is too small to bridge the distance from your wrong battery to where the cable connections actually are. If you either get the correct battery, or switch to 8 ga. wires, your accessory power port will work. The too small 12 ga. wires have too much resistance to supply enough voltage for all of the car's power requirements.

 

Noted. It's not the end of the world though. Ill either see if i use that yellow top in my altima or just get the 8 ga wire. Thanks for the info.

 

Good! I didn't mean to seem to come down on you for not buying the right battery configuration. I just posted the info. to keep other thread readers from making the same mistake. Regarding replacement batteries, buying one for a Fit is like being left-handed. Any battery other than a stock one from a dealer needs to have the "R" at the end of the size number in order to have the pos/neg posts in the right place for a Fit. Compared to most other cars, Fits have backward batteries.

 

Hello MarkyMark,

Can you update us ... it's now August 2012 ... on the Optima's service life? That is, did it die or is it still performing?

Thanks.

 

That battery died in July of 2011, but it has a 3 year free replacement warranty, so I just took it back to Advance, where I bought it, and got a new one for free. I have not experienced any issues with the current one.

 

I'm at 5 years with the original battery. Frigid -20*C (-4*F) got the best of it. (managed to bring the battery inside for a bit to warm up just enough to squeeze a start... hehe) I watched it get worse when winter came around, with the longer starts and all. Now I shall replace... I'm thinking the Optima, although I'd have to make sure it fits with the current SRI installation. Would you say, Mark, that you recommend that battery despite the rather short life?

 

I wouldn't recommend it if you don't have too much additional demand - audio equipment and air compressors in my case.

I think there are a lot of quality stock replacements out there for less $$.

As for the short ram, I didn't have any problems fitting a K&N unit with this battery installed.

 

have the same battery in 2 cars definitely top notch

 

hoping to get a larger battery to deal with my car's constant flickering lights.

Has anyone fitted one of these with a T1R carbon intake installed? I'm worried about cracking it...

also

Has this mod solved anyone's flickering light problems?

 

you could always put the battery in the trunk :dunno:

 

I got an Optima Yellow D51R after my stock battery died at 47,000 miles. The first Yellow Top only lasted to 64,000 miles and I had to get a warranty replacement - no big deal. My warranty replacement just died at 99,000 miles, so I'm losing the faith in Optima. I just bought a lead acid battery to get around so the guys at Advance Auto can do some deep cycle tests on the Optima.

Both of the Optimas died completely (flat lined) and instantly - no warning signs leading up to the failure. I'm also in Miami, so the weather shouldn't be a factor.

Anybody else see issues with the Optimas like mine? I'm going to run my Fit by the shop to test the electrical depending on what the battery tests say, but my car is full stock.