Hi,

My XJ has a Jaguar (Varta) battery with reference
CX23 10655 BA

I don’t see any AGM marking, so I suppose it’s a standard calcium one?

Did/do the X351 get AGM from factory and if so from what model-year?

Thanks,
Thierry

 

thierry_1500, it is my understanding that ALL XJ's of this body style came with AGM batteries from the factory. There is a reason for having the AGM in the car. IN short, when you charge and discharge the battery, it can produce chloirine gas. The AGM battery is built to not allow this to happen and if it does, it has a special vent that dumps it to the environment. If you go with some other battery, you may not have that feature and it can be dangerous. Getting an AGM battery is something that I would say you need to start looking at.

 

To the best of my knowledge JLR didn't start fitting AGM batteries from the factory until stop/start came in, in MY 2012 cars. It might have been earlier than that in the XJ though.
When fitting a new battery even if the OEM battery is not AGM you are much better off getting an AGM. They last a helluva lot longer than an "ordinary" flooded cell lead acid battery, they don't have low charge problems as much and they are quicker to recharge. On my XFS and XFR the OEM flooded cell batteries were pretty much knackered at three years old and on previous cars I always renewed the battery at four years old anyway, but the AGM in my F-Type is still going strong at 5 years and 7 months old.
It also helps to use a battery maintainer / trickle charger fairly regularly.
The big (and only) downside to an AGM is the cost, around twice that of a "normal" battery.

 

I replaced my XJ battery (Varta, date stamped 2012) and it was an AGM. Yes, they are more expensive, BUT AGMs can be shipped via UPS. whereas Lead/Acid cannot. That means "discounters" like Rock Auto sell them (at a more REASONABLE price). Comparison shop quality batteries and you will likely find AGMs are not that terrible.

 

Hi all,
thanks for your answers.

After review, the battery in my car is the model that was fitted from factory.

it’s a non-AGM one, so it seems that at least in Europe these were fitted until 2012.

it’s possible that the AGM ones were fitted only from 2013, with the Stop and Go system.

Not sure moving to AGM is beneficial/ worth it if the car alternator and charging system was tailored for classic batteries?


BR,
Thierry

 

thierry, the charging system is not going to know the difference. It issue comes in that standard lead acid batteries can "self discharge" over time. Due to the construction of an AGM battery, this is less likely to happen (still happens to a degree).

I can say that my 2012 XJ cam from the factory with an AGM battery.

 

Chris,

Interesting. My 05/12 (Happy Birthday!) came with a lead/acid battery, and was replaced with a lead/acid 5 years ago. I keep it on a CTEK now and it seems fine, although I know a new battery is just around the corner. I will replace with an AGM.

wombat

 

ThanksThermo & Wombat.
Looks like there has been a change to AGM in 2012 then.
Or there are market specificities: I read some brands do not ship their cars overseas with the final battery, but with a specific one which is removed during car final preparation and shipped back to factory.
Don't know if this is the case with Jaguar.

 

wombat, your battery tender is making up for the losses through the self discharge effect. Granted, with modern day cars, this is not as much of a problem as the computers suck much more current than the battery uses internally. But, if you remember cars from the 70's that have sat for a long time won't start. That would be because of this "self-discharge" effect. In modern day cars, this just means that you may get an extra day out of letting the car sit before you reach the point of not being able to start the car.

 

Thermo, I agree that the power drain of modern cars is a big reason manufacturers have elected to use AGM batteries as original equipment. But I disagree that the higher self-discharge rate of conventional batteries used in 70's cars was problematic. Other than the electric clock, these cars consume virtually no power during standby. I store my '73 Fiat in an unheated building for 3-4 months over the winter, without a tender, and the starter spins at the same speed in April as it did in December.

My XJ, on the other hand, consumes 1.25 amps continuously while sitting in the garage. I can see why Jaguar, Mercedes, etc. put such massive batteries in their cars. Even with the lower self-discharge of AGM technology, it doesn't take long for even these huge batteries to drop 0.2 volts, enough to trigger the "Start Engine" announcement. BTW, I installed a conventional battery in my car when I purchased it last year. It does have the vent nipple connecting to the outside vent, so no worries there. At $160, it was half the price of a JLR battery, and since I use a tender, it should last for a long time.

Whatever type of battery you have in your XJ, I'd say you need to drive it 30 minutes weekly, or get a tender.

 

My 2010 XJ also had a flooded battery from factory. When Jaguar replaced it in 2015 they put in another flooded battery. I replaced it again last year with an AGM, works fine.

 

Hi, Thierry
Varta is a good brand. I wouldn't run to change the battery even if it isn't AGM.
Wait until your battery dies, and then buy a new AGM Battery with high CCA and AH. Good luck!

 

Thanks Eric, yes, this is exactly what I’m doing.
Esp. as since I used the reconditioning function of my charger on it I got no more get low battery warnings.

 

The trick is to change it just before it dies, thus getting maximum life but avoiding the situation where you either get stranded somewhere, or are stuck at home and need to get somewhere.

These days I change car batteries at 5 years, which is the average life of a battery in a warmer climate.

Anyone want to fly in one of those airliners where they change the parts after they fail, rather than according to a maintenance schedule?

 

Well stated. I recently replaced the battery in our 2016 XJ, "just because"....

 

It's nice to see old discussions get resurrected after a long dormancy, especially by a new forum member, even when they are from New York or New Jersey. It's great to see someone join a forum and actually read old posts, instead of just post a quick question and leave.
Welcome to The Forum!!

I've refrained from some items in the earlier posts, mainly from the OP, but I've never heard of a calcium battery being used in a car, at least for a conventional car. And an AGM battery is still a lead-acid battery. But instead of leaving the voids between the lead plates, the space is occupied with the glass mat material, that keeps the acid absorbed so it doesn't just slosh around.
Also, conventional lead-acid auto batteries are vented. AGMs just control the acid much better than the free-flowing chamber/cell design, and are less prone to outgassing as mcuh.

 

https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/x...attery-212478/

Still works great, no problems, highly recommended.

 

You're probably aware already, but if not...
Not all battery chargers are suitable for AGM batteries.
Most standard battery chargers don't recognize an AGM charge level, and don't properly charge an AGM.
So check the application of your charger to make sure it can support an AGM battery without ruining it!

 

My newly acquired 2012 XJ L came with a (relatively newly installed) non AGM (Interstate MTP-49/H8) battery. It gave me "low battery/start engine" warring within 6 hrs of arrival (though I had driven it more than 30 miles before parking in the garage). I quickly connected a trickle charger (NOCO 1 AMP that I had used in my Mercedes SUV), 24 hrs later it indicates a fully charged battery. Interstate batteries website for fitmat doesn't approve this battery. It suggests an AGM battery (MTX-49/H8) instead. It is noted in this discussion that some 2012 had regular lead acid battery and some AGM. Mine is a 06/2011 build. As this car will be used sparingly, I plan to keep it on a trickle charger while parked in the garage. The battery in the car had been on a battery charger (during the previous ownership) as leads to connect to a charger are still attached to the battery terminals.
Q.
Is it OK to operate the car with currently installed battery or should I replace it with an AGM battery or wait till this battery is in need of replacement?

 

Terminology matters. There are 3 types of battery chargers: Battery Charger, Battery Maintainer, and Trickle Charger.

Your 1Amp NOCO "trickle" charger is a battery maintainer because it has circuitry that continually monitors the state of charge and automatically shuts itself off when fully charged and turns itself back on when the voltage drops. You can keep it connected without fear of boiling out the electrolyte because it is a "smart" device. A trickle charger charger is a "dumb" device because it doesn't have that circuitry and will keep charging after the battery is fully charged and can boil out the electrolyte. If your battery is completely discharged, a 1 Amp battery maintainer or trickle charger won't be able to recharge it. To do so requires at least a 10 Amp battery charger.

Should you change your flooded battery to an AGM now? That depends on how confident you are that your existing battery won't die on you when you're on the road. Your 2012 doesn't have the Stop-Start system, so it probably didn't come from the factory with an AGM battery. Note that the X351 is very sensitive to low voltage, so If your battery is low all sorts of electrical gremlins will happen.

Even though your 2012 doesn't have Stop-Start, I'm pretty sure it has the BMS Module (Battery Monitoring System) attached to the negative battery terminal. If so, when you attach your battery maintainer, make sure that you attach the positive (red) pigtail directly to the positive battery terminal first, and then attach the negative (black) pigtail to a chassis ground and not directly to the negative battery terminal. Attaching the negative pigtail directly to the negative battery terminal will damage the BMS module.

For more information about going from flooded to AGM and the BMS system, read this thread from the X150 Forum (2007 - 2015 XK/XKR models).
https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/x...change-241034/