Some advice needed please: the car is a 2006 4.2 S-Type. It has been resting untouched for 7 weeks. When last driven, all was well: started instantly, both key fobs worked properly. The car was left on a battery maintainer for the entire 7 week period, and it shows a green light for “fully charged” (but this is not a CTEK maintainer and I am not very confident in it).

The problem: there is no response whatever from either fob. The doors and trunk remain locked.

Complicating factors: the driver’s door key lock is inoperable. The key will NOT turn in the lock. As long as the fobs work, no issue. But now, with no response from the car from fob use, the car is essentially “hors de combat”.

A possible clue: a few months ago the battery went almost dead, with insufficient juice to even start the engine. After bringing the battery to apparent full charge, all was well until we left town and the car was not used for the 7weeks. I am wondering if the battery has now gone completely dead (again), and thus is not responding to the fobs…? But without being able to access the battery in the trunk, and without being able to open the doors with the key, I am stuck. And if I somehow could open the trunk, would the alarm sound?

I will replace the batteries in the fobs, just in case, but the likelihood that both would be entirely dead (given that they both worked perfectly 7 weeks ago) is not great. Assuming that the fobs are not the culprits, is my only road ahead that of having someone use a shim to break into the driver’s compartment?

Any and all advice gratefully received.

 

Use a voltmeter to read the available voltage across the battery terminals. Use the key to open the boot.

 

>> Use a voltmeter to read the available voltage across the battery terminals. Use the key to open the boot.

Just what I would have written.

Gregory, you are worried that the alarm might go on, if you open the boot with a key - not sure, but if it does: Once you opened the boot, you have access to the battery and pulling off a battery terminal should shut up the alarm.
Buy a new battery and a CTEK charger (charger for future use). 7A or more.
...and fix you driver's door lock.

 

Thanks for the response - and I would love to use the key to open the trunk - but the 2006 S-Type does not have key access to the trunk!

Further: this morning I unplugged the battery maintainer from the wall and then plugged it in again to start the charging cycle anew, just in case it might show a fault light and thus give me some clue to the problem (meaning, showing that the battery itself is at fault). Alas, after several hours it is again showing full charge.

any other ideas as to how I should proceed?

 

It would very much surprise me, if your 2006 S-Type is any different than my 2004 and my 2005 S-Type!
Look under the chrome "cross-handle" on the boot labeled "JAGUAR". From underneath you will find the key-hole on the left side.

 

Peter, thanks, and this would indeed have been my procedure but there is no key access to the trunk on this facelift model. And a new key barrel for the driver’s door is, alas, no longer available, so that is a dead end. I have been unable to find a repair source.

 

While I can't believe that Jaguar deleted that boot key-hole, here meanwhile another idea: Do you have "access" to the battery terminals? You wrote, a charger is attached. Is it attached in such a way that the charger cables to the terminals protrude out of the boot? If so, you could connect a good battery (a second battery) to those cables and then use your fob.

 

But here is a video, which might help you:

 

Yup, apologies to you Peter and to NBCat - yes, there IS key access, under the chrome plinth, to the side of the license plate lights….BUT assuming my battery IS (as the battery maintainer telling me) fully charged, while I should be able now to open the trunk (haven’t tried yet), I still have no access to the cabin because of the broken door lock cylinder.

A related issue: both of my X-Types go into hibernation mode if left for locked and unused for several weeks. When that happens the fobs are inoperative- but simply unlocking the door with the key awakens everything and all is well. This is precisely what happened with our two X-Types after the 7 week hiatus. The S-Type, however, because it has the broken door lock cylinder, cannot wake up to the fobs.

So….I guess I need to find a way to get that door open.

 

I have not heard about hibernation mode before... (I also have X- and S-Types and obviously can't drive them all at once...)

I thought the course of action is obvious not that you located the key-hole in the trunk:
Open the boot - disconnect battery quickly, IF alarm sounds - else confirm that you battery is dead (multimeter) - but regardless of that measurement: In line with what you wrote before, your battery IS dead: replace battery - open rest of car with FOB - fix driver's door lock (if you can't find new replacement part, try to FIX the existing part or replace with part from wreckers...

 

Your car has folding rear seats? Even the R's do but the cables are all hidden behind the trim panels in the trunk.
Maybe release the back seat back and push it forward from inside the trunk?

Then if you have power you can push the door lock button(Somehow?) to open the car?
You can also use the lock smith trick of inserting a small inflatable bag in the drivers door frame. The pump it up until you can snake a wire down and press the unlock button?

Dozens around for cheap too?



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First thing is use key to open boot (trunk) and let us all know that at least worked.

The check battery voltage which may be very low - or not...

 

get in the trunk and fold the seats down

 

Thanks for all these suggestions - I will report but it might be a few days....

 

And if you don't post an update, I will move into your guest room until you repent. You have been warned...

What is the present status of the car? Specifically, how is the battery charger connected? Is the trunk closed on the charger leads?

Do your rear seats fold forward? How optimistic are you the key will open the trunk? What degree of frustration will you endure before calling a locksmith? What of the parking situation, if the alarm were to sound and couldn't be readily silenced? Just thinking out loud about some options.

One thought, if unable to access the trunk, is to somehow kill the battery by putting a load on it via the attached leads. Once dead, I wonder if recharging it would defeat the suspected hibernation mode and allow the fobs to work. Just a thought. No idea if it would work.

 

Hi Karl,

I just checked on my S-Type, which would be the same: Yes, he can fold the rear seat from trunk.
So once he opened the trunk with the key, he can get to the driver door from inside and open the door (or silence the alarm by putting the key into the ignition, if need be).

And I know already that he is not in a position to put money into the car, as it is not his, he just takes care of it for the moment.

 

Fingers crossed the key works to open the trunk. However, I could have sworn the rear seatbacks didn't fold on certain models. Supercharged? Or maybe with the optional ski boot?

 

By default the STR rear seats are not set to fold but will.
There's bracing metalwork behind the seats but it doesn't cover anything like the whole area.
(The ski thing seems irrelevant in the above.)

 

The battery charger sits outside the car, as does its plug to the house electrical system. The dual cable from the battery to the charging unit is long enough that it easily allows the trunk lid to be closed (and locked, as it is at the moment).
Holiday obligations have so far prevented me from attempting to open the trunk with the key (but my hope that opening it will not set off the alarm remains alive. After all, with the car locked, it is normal to use the fob to open the trunk without the alarm sounding).
As for the possibility of my crawling into the opened trunk to access the cabin and open the door, …..well, that is something I will have to ask a family 12 year old to do. ☺️
I will definitely give an update (I will spare you the frustration of not learning the outcome….why do people ask for help but having received it, don’t have the courtesy to report whether the problem has been solved or not?).

 

SOLVED!

The story: car left locked for 7 weeks. Battery minder in place and working, showing full charge. Driver’s door key cylinder permanently inoperative. Fobs not recognised.

Once I found the (forgotten) key slot for the trunk (thanks for that suggestion), I inserted the key and turned it. Eureka! The trunk lid opened! Unfortunately, this triggered the horn alarm…and the tools I had at hand were the wrong size, but I have tolerant neighbours.

My suspicion and hope, based on previous experience of the systems in my X-Types, which also go into hibernation after several weeks without use: I tried the fob unlock button. Another Eureka moment! The system had arisen from sleep and the alarm went silent.
Several locking and unlocking sequences showed that all is now well.

Thanks to all who took the time to respond to my query. Much appreciated.

Just one thing: I can’t find how to add SOLVED to the thread title.