[RICK LAKE]

Large Arbor Phil Save your money. Unless the battery is mounted, sideways or up side down. Get an interstate battery, pepboys or Sears diehard. They sell small ones with 700-800CCA. If you put a battery tender on it in the winter, it will last for years. The Idea I go with is remove it from the car and put it on a small wood pallet with a battery charger on a timer. It runs for 15 minutes, once a day. battery stays in top condition. Have gotten 6-7 years out of 5 year batterys. There are guys who have had problems with Optimas. This is not a cheap battery either.
This explains why the VR and Alt where stressed out and running max charging all the time until it cooked the VR. Recheck charging system after battery replacement. Could have hurt system again. If VR are cheap, get a spare and the tools you need to change it on the road. Just a thought. Gald you found the problem and fixed it. Rick L.