It’s not uncommon for Optima batteries to do the same, must be something related to spiral type batteries.

Mind you, it can happen with any type of battery.

I had an auto electrical customer fit one of my controllers and a new battery to a elderly gents car about 15 years ago.

This was in South East Victoria and the gent then set off on his holiday, along the Great Ocean Road.

A day or two after the fitting, the auto electrician phones me, saying his customer was not getting a charge into his new auxiliary battery and that he had called into two auto electricians and both had claimed the SC40 was the problem.

The auto electrician asked if he could give the customer my number.

Next day the gent rings me from Apollo Bay and gives me the full story. It seems that the two auto elecs had measured the current going into the new auxiliary battery and it was just 4 amps and both stated that the SC40 was the problem.

I explained to the gent why the SC40 couldn’t be the cause of the problem and he seemed to understand and told me he would see another auto elec in Apollo Bay.

Next day I get a courtesy call from the gent and the problem was fixed.

The 4th auto elec to work on the car decided to check the battery, no electrolyte. He filled it up and all was well.