low-tech: dead Optima

[Kurt Sussman]

Dan Thompson (dthompson@adelphia.net) typed this ...
> Kurt wrote:
> > My 1.5-year-old Optima is dead...

> If you don't mind my asking, how did it die?

The simple answer: I have no idea.

Here's the whole story with updates.

Back in February, I moved to Portland, OR. From then up to September we
mostly walked or took PT to get around. My office is in the same
building I live in, so I have no commute. I drove my car maybe
once/month. When I did drive it, it was running for 30-45 minutes each
way, plenty to charge the battery.

Since September (when my daughter started school) I've been driving my
car about every other week or so. No battery problems. Last week,
though, I noticed that 1. the remote wouldn't unlock the doors, and 2.
the dome light was REALLY dim. And it wouldn't even click the starter
solenoid.

So I pulled the battery and put it on my charger for a few hours, but
the charger is either broken or too wimpy for the studly Optima, because
the battery had no more juice after charging than it did before.

Anyway, here's the update: I called the manufacturer (Johnson Controls)
and asked about the warrantee (since I'd gotten a few different stories,
one year was the most consistent one), and they told me that it should
have a 6-year warrantee with full replacement for the first 3 or 4 years
(depending on the purchase date). They gave me the name of a reseller
that would process the return after testing the battery, and I just got
back from dropping it off there.

So I'll have more details tomorrow. And maybe a new battery!

--Kurt