Battery OPTIMA or OEM Subaru

I had to replace the battery on a 2016 Crosstrek this summer and, in retrospect, missed a bunch of warning signs before it finally wouldn’t start: slow cranking, occasional extra crank needed, flickering dash lights, and generally dim interior lights.

Love the optima redtops, seem to last forever

Finally pulled the trusty old Panasonic battery out of my CX-5 and replaced it with an Optima Yellowtop. When I buttoned everything up, I still had my radio stations and settings right where I left them.

Buy a nice battery. I bought used 6 months ago and did a week of nightly research first, by FAR the biggest complaint was the battery going out or having constant low messages. I put a yellow top in mine a few days after getting it, not one issue this far.

Get the battery from the dealer. It lasts longer and has a 7 year warranty. The Optima Yellowtop died on me after 3 years.

I bought an Optima Red Top battery for my van, but the part store accidentally got me the one with top mount terminals only instead of top and side like I requested.

I bought my wrx brand new in 2015, the battery lasted two years and was replaced at the dealership. That second battery lasted two years and I went back for them to replace it and said that they wouldn\u2019t because it was already replaced under warranty. She told me they would replace it for something like $160, I said \n\n\u201cLook lady the first battery lasted two years and the second lasted two years, I\u2019m not spending my money on your junk batteries.\u201d

Fwiw optima batteries have been garbage for the last 20 years.

21 Outback. Battery issues - I’m on my fourth battery since buying it. Have had issues with door seals leaking, but those were fixed easily under warranty. Definitely can confirm the assembly quality - we had to test drive quite a few before getting one that didn’t rattle on every bump we hit.

Optima batteries are absolute trash for deep discharge use. Their quality is also not what it used to be. Anytime I see them in marine use, I swap them out for a proper AGM. Only thing they are decent at is starting applications in cars.