OEM Battery
 

Is there any advantage in using a geniune OEM battery verses say an Interstate or a Duramax (autozone) brand?

You would need to compare CCA, cold cranking amps and reserve. The US replacements are apparently manufactured by Interstate to begin with. Europe gets Varta.

Be careful that the battery you buy has the proper remote venting arrangement, the required venting nipple and make sure you use it. Sometimes the nipple gets "lost" because it gets in the way on the shelves. Make sure the one you buy has it. And make sure the installer uses it. Sometimes it gets thrown in the garbage :(

The venting is required because of hyrogen gassing during charging.

If the genuine OEM has ports for adding water, and you are the type to remember to maintain it, then that might be an advantage.

If you want the ultimate, the battery compartment can take a slightly larger battery. Finding the right one means carefully measuring the space you have, and looking in the catalogs. Then buy the heaviest duty commercial fleet battery in that size. Again, the remote vent is a must.

+1

As well as OE from the Jaguar Dealer network or an aftermarket alternative brand, a third choice is available to UK owners with Varta batteries.

Jaguar Dealers rotate stock so batteries they supply are always of recent manufacture. Unsold batteries go back to Jaguar after a few months and find their way in bulk to a limited number of aftermarket suppliers. These genuine OE Varta batteries are perfectly good and can often be obtained for around half the dealer list price.

With a Varta battery, you can check the date of manufacture. It's stamped on the top of the negative terminal post:

Attachment 21198

The code is WW/YY for Week number and Year.

Graham

yes orignals are varta, we replace with interstate. what is IMPORTANT is the CCA the battery ACTUALLY puts out. most batteries DO NOT meet their own rating. This is why many batteries fail Jaguars test and why a battery that starts a car meens nothing. If the Batteries CCA falls short when testing, youll have a voltage drop when cranking will drop too much due to low CCA(regardless of rating) that will induce module/electrical faults. So be forwarned:)

Sounds like the OE battery is barely adequate when new?

Graham

No oem varta's are fine, and under warranty we go back with same. After that interstate since alittle cheaper but still fine. The point i thought i was making is that checking other aftermarket batteries, many fail cca when new. Occassionally varta and interstate, but by far all the rest alot more frequently. And when you have them tested they never test cca but voltage and that only tell have the story. Ive had good luck with walmart everstats. But have a a couple fail the midtronics testor at work after they no started for me and i charged them back up. When taken back to walmart they said they were good and even though i showed them my prinout for our testor i had to get a manager both times to warranty the battery. The manager was fine with it when i explained and was in uniform and they gave me new batteries

Anyone ever had a Bosch battery before? Pep Boys of all places has it on the shelf.

Well my Jaguar has a "Jaguar" battery made in Poland by Exide .

I have always bought Varta or Bosch batteries for my previous cars.
The last battery lasted just three years and three weeks.

I have never ever seen this arrangement before but it is there on my car.
Is it a US requirement that is then standard on all Jaguars?
All the UK batteries I have ever seen that can be topped up with distilled water have vent holes in each cell and no cover/vent pipe.
It is quite common to buy batteries in the UK that are sealed for life.

What type of battery ?

From a Bosch site
I understand that the SCS has a higher charging (voltage ?) rate.

I would be a little surprised if Jaguar had not been fitted with the same system. I have always fitted a Calcium Silver battery on my Ford just for peace of mind.