I got my 2024 about 3 days ago, I had fun these past 3 days but now it's going below 0 degrees so it time to put the car away until spring. What do I need to maintain this car in my garage?

1. Trickle charger. Which one do I get and any pics on how to connect it to the battery? I know it's the battery in the trunk but do I just close the trunk the trickle charge cord? Where do I connect it to?
2. Tire flat spots. How do I avoid these? I heard some people buy matts or foam to place under the wheel. Do you use these? If so what do I buy? Do you do something else to avoid this?
3. Anything else I'm missing? Do I have to move the car a few inches? Do I have to start it up once in a while, how often? etc.

- Thanks

 

Drive it once a week, at least

 

Nope. Once it's too cold or the salt is on the ground is does not come out to play.

 

Many use a CTEK, I’ve used a Battery Tender for the past ten years. You can wire the harness into the car, or you can clip it to the jump points under the hood. Yes, you can close the trunk on the harness.

I inflate the tires to around 45psi for storage. I’ve never had a flat spot.

 

Buy a CTEK battery maintainer. There are explicit instructions regarding attaching the leads, the + to the battery management box on the trunk floor and the - to any stud on the trunk floor. This unit should be left operating until spring driving time. It can be left in operation indefinitely.

Do NOT start the car unless you are going to drive it for a half hour or more. Starting the engine does far, far more harm than good unless it is to be driven.

As has been mentioned, you might add more air to the tires. I have never found this necessary.

No other preparation needed.

 

I wish people wouldn't refer to battery maintainers as trickle chargers - they're two different beasts.

 

Some other possible steps:



4. A shot of Sta-Bil or other fuel stabilizer, then drive to a fuel station and fill up the gas tank. Especially useful where Ethanol is included in the gas. Tho' today's gasolines will not go bad over a single winter.

Sta-Bil:



5. Some of us like to do our oil changes just before storage. This rids the crankcase of acidic contaminants, or moisture, if you haven't been driving long enough trips. I've seen discolored/stained dipsticks on other cars from winter storage, and while we don't have dipsticks, just think of what those contaminants are doing to the engine bearings.

 

Concur with the above winter storage advice with the exception of not driving the car. Agree that starting the car and letting it idle provides little to no benefit. But I do believe in using the vehicle once a month for at least a half hour of interstate driving and I always find a day that is above 40 degrees with completely dry roads. After a spirited drive, I ease the Jag back in the garage, plug in the battery charger and put the cover back on and I've have had no issues during the previous 5 years of Maine winters.

 

Like others mentioned before winter storage I connect a CTEK and over inflate the tires to 45psi. But I also run a can of Redline SL-1 Fuel system cleaner through the car and then change the oil. Finally I wash and wax the car right before storage. I don't bother filling the gas tank.

 

The tips above are all good. I will add that having a full or nearly full gas tank is beneficial as it minimizes condensation in the tank while the car is sitting. I filled my tank to about 3/4 and added Stabil before putting it in the storage mode. I'll probably add a bottle of Techron or Redline fuel cleaner to the tank when I take it out of storage and start driving it again.

Portlander gives good advice about driving it once in a while when weather conditions are nice. Keep in mind that the tires do not provide very good grip in frigid temperatures even if the roads are dry.
Here is a good tutorial in how to install a CTEK unit. There are other brands out there for less money but the CTEK has an excellent reputation. I have had no issues letting the hatch close on the wire, just make sure there is a little slack and the wire is placed over an area with weatherstripping.

https://howtune.com/articles/548-ins...-jaguar-f-type

 

If you connect the C-Tek to the contacts in the engine bay you can run the wires down the wheel well and avoid closing the trunk or the hood onto the cables.
Also, if you are parking in a garage, I would cover the car and leave it unlocked, even if connected to a C-Tek
A friend's locked Porsche had to be towed to the dealer because of a dead battery after Winter storage.

 

Fortunately, I live in SoCal and do not have to deal with such issues, but when I lived in the NE [in an area subject to wet, humid winters] and had a '98 993 C2S in pristine condition [looked like a European Turbo S], I went a bit overboard. I did all the things advised above and to finish it off placed the car in a Car Capsule, which is an inflatable clear plastic "bag" that completely encapsulates the vehicle. There is a fan that runs 24/7 to keep the air inside dry and clean. Worked great and I could see the car all winter long!

At the time, a couple of my kids were in high school, so we had a steady stream of their friends touring the garage to check it out. They were amazed!

 

I use a car envelope (non-inflated) for my car, as I store it in a barn that has mice and other varmints.

 

I've always been warned that winter mice chewing on the your wiring, among other things, is the biggest danger for storing the car for long periods. If you drive it once a week that's probably not an issue, but there are horror stories -- including a friend of mine who considered "totaling" his 918 after the repair bill for mouse damage was first estimated at $38,000. He ended up paying ONLY $26k.
I store my F-type in winter and drive at least a couple times a month. During storage the car is surrounded by an intricate pattern of mouse bait, especially near the 4 tires where I'm guessing they crawl up into the engine bay and body. So far so good but I'm slightly petrified on every winter visit to the car until I turn the key and it starts. So unless your storage area is rodent proof, beware the little critters.

 

Are you telling me a Jaguar can’t take care of a few mice and other varmints? Gimme a break!

 

My Jaguar is in a Rhino in a barn with mice and bats, and which recently had lobsters, clams and salmon.

Marlin Perkins would be proud.

 

Congrats,

I believe some general advice for #2 is to over inflate the tires.

Not sure if you should perhaps also consider putting fuel stabilizer? If you were storing it in Oct to May sorta thing I would expect that would be more necessary. Something to consider and think about.

Yeah, the trickle charger for sure, but I have no direct immediate advice on that other then: I believe Jag has an option where they could install a quick connect version where you never have to deal with the battery at all once things are setup. This you could do yourself as well. Less valuable for long term winter storage, but certainly would be more convenient for general summer use, keeping things charged in between drives etc

 

trust me you have to drive the car,whether you like it or not, ive seen the carnage

 

I've stored my car the last two winters, covered indoors and on a CTEK, from November to March, and never driven the car during that time, nor would I want to unless I was taking it out long enough to get the *oil* up to temp, which is probably a 30 minute drive. Anything less than that and you're doing more harm than good. I've had zero issues with storing a car for that short of a time without driving it.

 

I seem to recall that if you park your Jag with the doors unlocked, the electrical system and onboard computer never really "shuts down". And therefore it is best to lock it if you are going to park it for longer than say overnight. Is that correct ?

My Jag is parked in a fully finished and insulated garage. The temperatures in the garage are usually +20 degrees over the outside air temps which rarely drop below about 20 degrees. It's on a CTEK device whenever parked if I anticipate not driving it for more than a few days.