I've been reading some worrying things on international car forums about counterfeit Optima batteries being sold through unauthorized channels, apparently the fakes look convincing on the outside but use inferior internals that fail within a year and obviously carry no warranty support from the actual manufacturer. Given that Optima is already an expensive battery, the idea of paying premium money for a knockoff is pretty infuriating. I want to make sure I'm buying from a certified Optima battery dealer Sharjah that gets their stock directly from the official distributor rather than some gray market source. The car battery replacement sharjah website mentions they're authorized for Optima but in this part of the world anyone can claim anything on a website so I'm hoping someone here has actually purchased an Optima through them and can confirm the product was genuine with valid warranty registration. Are there specific things to check on the battery itself like holographic stickers date codes or serial number formats that distinguish a real one? I've also heard the packaging should have specific markings and the terminals should have a certain finish quality. Would rather look a bit paranoid asking these questions now than deal with the headache of a fake battery dying in the middle of summer and having zero recourse because I didn't do my homework on the seller.