I have used Optima's in quite a few cars over the years. I don't have one in my HHR but I would like to since it is a gel battery that won't leak like most batteries do towards the end of their life. The one in my truck is 14 years old and starts it up without a problem. I have only had one die on me and that was at ten years.

Most people that have problems with them don't understand how to properly charge them. They have to be connected to a regular battery first if they are dead and then they can be charged with a charger or you can just buy an AGM charger.

The only thing that has kept me from putting them in all my cars is the price. 15 years ago, Costco sold the dual terminal red top for $99 and everyone else was $109. Now they are double. Lead acid batteries have gone up 10-25% but Optimas doubled.

I used to buy "blems" from a battery warehouse when I lived in SoCal. Red tops were $45, blue and yellow were $55. It's been a few years since I checked their prices.