For all intents and purposes, Optima is the same company it was in 2000 (when Johnson Controls originally acquired them). All the corporate ownership changes at JCPS and most recently at Brookfield/Clarios were for tax avoidance. I don't know where all the "Optima has gone downhill since the sale" type of comments come from, but I suspect it stems from the same lack of knowledge and understanding that cause people to say stuff like "FrAm FiLtErS aRe GaRbAgE!". The same factories have been making these batteries for a long time - JCPS/Clarios makes 1/3 of all automotive batteries in the world, both for the OEM and aftermarket.
I haven never had an Optima battery fail prematurely and bought my first one ~1999-2000 for my Dodge. I think
@starkey480 is still running the one I swapped with him when I sold him my GenRight stuff...
[Disclaimer - I previously did consulting work for JC and their close suppliers, both at U.S. and international locations]
When I worked at AutoZone, that was roughly the average on returned/swapped batteries. The store I worked at decided to beta-test one of those fancy "reconditioning" chargers. Over 1/2 of the lead-acid batteries that were warranty-swapped were able to be reconditioned back to like-new performance. They would sell them as "used" batteries on a small rack next to the main battery rack. My mom used one in her Sonata for ~4 years without issue before moving to Florida.
On a personal note, in my 16 years of living in Phoenix, I never had an OEM or top-shelf aftermarket lead-acid battery fail in less than 6 years.
