I just bought a new NOCO G3500 charger for my Red Top Optima AGM battery for a 2007 F430 Spider. The battery is 3 years old and is working fine. I notice that when I connected the charger it would proceed through the LED's showing charge percentages (25% ---> 75% ... 100% green). Sometimes it would go all the way to green (always blinking, never solid) and the other LED's turn off, sometimes the LED's all stay lit including blinking green. This happens whether I leave the charger on for days or disconnect re-connect. Question - is this normal behavior? Have others experienced various LED levels regardless whether the charger is on for a short time or long time on an otherwise fully charged battery (car has not been started in a few weeks)? I'm wondering if this behavior may indicate my Optima battery is on its way out since the charge cycle is not stable (although after 3 years I would be annoyed). I tested the charger on my other car's Interstate wet cell battery - also 3 years old and the LED's progressed quickly to blinking green with other LED's going out and then overnight solid green all other LED's continue to be off. Any experience with NOCO? thanks
Have you tried contacting their customer service? I would do that, it is possible you received a defective unit
Hope this site might explain the different modes of your charger. I have several NOCO's (not the G3500 unfortunately) and they have worked flawlessly. Hopefully you can resolve your questions. https://no.co/support/g3500-charging-modes ~ Steven
Thanks - I contacted support (chat was good) and they suggested that the unit either works or it doesn't. The fact that when I connected the NOCO to one of my other batteries, the G3500 went to solid green leads me to think my current red top Optima is probably weakening. I learned bad things about Optima (of course after I bought one )(@#)@#). At three years, terrible purchase. It still works of course and I probably can get another year out of it - but when it comes to batteries AND Ferrari's - the last thing I want to experience the next day after a trip to the hill country for a Ferrari meet (we have great ones here in Texas!) is to hear click - click -click when I try to start the car. So I'll probably get a new Odyssey or Interstate before the next trip. Perhaps the NOCO is giving me a heads up. Great batteries should go to green on a tender and stay that way (...NOCO or Ctek or even battery tender plus). My new NOCO is not doing that - so maybe it knows something I don't about the Optima.
