Battery OPTIMA or Duracell

Purchased a Red Top 35 today and it fits! I did have to take the bottom bracket and flip it so that the side of the battery facing the headlight [+ -] stayed secure.

I ended up buying a red top optima gel battery....expeeeensiiiive

I had a red top in my mk5 after the OEM one took a dump. It worked very well without any issues.

been using optima redtops for almost 10years in all my vws. even when i was out of warranty they still let me take it in for a free new swap. theyre somewhat overkill for basic cars but w/e. i love them.

I've been running a redtop in my Outback for 8 years now. Still shows no signs of slowing down. Will be getting another one for sure.

Went with an Optima at Wal-Mart. $100, no issues.

Yellow Top Optima Battery. Used them since they're a deep cell battery and wont die when they're drained 150%. Something about how the seat belts sucked the life out of it after sitting for two days. Euro belts fixed that issue. They have a two year 100% over the counter replacement warranty at any of their retailers (yellow top). In '95 had a bad alternator overcharge the battery and leaked acid on the intercooler tubes. Since then I've relocated it to the trunk and had an Optima. If there wasn't a sealed battery when the car was rear ended it would of spilled the acid all over the trunk. The impact did kill the Yellow top by separating the conductors internally. Insurance refused to pay for it, but after the receipt was found it had 2 Mo left on the full warranty. So, safety, warranty, performance and longevity for about 30% more than a normal battery.

Don't assume the Optima is in good condition either. I love them, I have one in each car, but both my brother and I have bought RED and YELLOW tops that were bad from the store.

Optima is the most overrated battery brand on the planet (I'm not saying the WORST, but they are way too well-known for being a slightly-below-average product). They used to suck when they were gel cell (gel cells all suck) and their more recent AGM (AGM itself is good) batteries aren't great. Made by Johnson Controls, a not-great company, in Mexico.

My Optima Redtop 8003-151 34R that I purchased through amazon kicked the bucket and cannot be recharged. Do not buy Optima Batteries from Amazon since they will send you back to Optima and Optima will tell you that Amazon is not an Authorized dealer.