About 2 weeks ago I went out to start my 2003 x-type and it wouldn't start. Jumped it, went to Autozone where they checked out the battery, starter and alternator and said all were fine. I got the battery (Duralast Gold) in Sept 2011. Up until yesterday it was fine until I went out for lunch and it wouldn't start. I took it to a Jag dealer and they hooked it up to check for draws and they came to the conclusion today that it was the battery and nothing else. I would need a better one (Interstate) to replace the battery I got in 09/2011.

I searched the forums and found possibly it was caused by a bad ground wire, but wouldn't the dealer have found that? Any other ideas?

Any help would be appreciated. The dealer wants $187 for the analysis plus another $190 for the new battery. Maybe I can get something back from Autozone for the battery I got from them in September, but who knows.

 

depxtype, when you test a battery, ideally you should disconnect the lines off of the battery so you are only seeing the battery itself as it is being tested. That eliminates any problem with the car. If you are truely worried about the cables, get your hands on a new battery, then using a multimeter, touch the black lead to the lead portion of the battery post (not the clamp) and the red lead to the exposed metal of the motor. With the help of a second person, have them start the car as you are watching the multimeter. Did the multimeter jump over 1.000 VDC? If yes, the ground cable is bad. If no, then the ground battery cable is ok. To test the positive cable, start the car, turn on the A/C to high, rear defroster on, and headlights on bright. Now, using the multimeter, place the read lead on the lead part of the positive battery cable and the black lead on any one of the little metal tabs on the top of a fuse. If you get over 1.000 VDC with this check, your positive battery cable need replaced. Less than 1.000 VDC, that cable is ok.