Hi,

I bought an X351 LWB portfolio from a Jaguar dealership just under two years ago. It is a 2011 model with 52000 miles. (Now has 72k) Jaguar gave it the 100'000 mile service and importantly, replaced the battery prior to selling me the car. The battery is date stamped 12/18, so should be in fairly good condition. Recently it's not wanted to start if left parked for more than about four days. I've checked the battery voltage and within a few minutes of starting the voltage climbs to a healthy 14.4 volts. I'm not sure if this is normal. My other cars aren't quite so high tech and tend to hit the 14.4 volts instantly.

When I stop the engine, it settles within a few minutes to 12.6volts. I've taken the battery out of the car for 36 hours to eliminate the usual suspicions of something not turning off when it should. After sitting on the floor of the garage it has dropped to 12.15 volts. It did start the car with this voltage this morning, but I know that if I left it another few days it wouldn't stand a chance. I've ran a diagnostic and no fault codes are found, apart from the usual EPB needing reset after battery disconnect.

What's everyones thoughts on the battery? Is it knackered? Or is there an issue with the alternator not kicking in as soon as the engine is started? Should Jaguar replace this under their warranty for the part, even though there isn't one still valid for the whole car? Will I end up paying them a fortune to diagnose it?

Thanks

Alan

 

Best measurement is battery voltage while cranking. You might need an assistant. Should be at least 10v, ideally 11.

12.15V is about 50% charge, so to drop to that after 3 days indicates a high rate of self discharge, caused by an internal fault.

Thr battery had a 1 year warranty, so not sure what warranty you think you are going to claim on.

personally I would just go buy another battery, not from Jaguar. $100 over here for one from Walmart.

 

Re the warranty, the Jaguar battery has a three year warranty, as do all Jaguar parts with some get out clauses of fair wear and tear. If they supply a battery with a three year warranty, you'd expect it to last three years of normal use. If it doesn't, you can lean on the Consumer Rights Act 2015, which states that any item must be fit for purpose and as described. Lasting two years isn't fit for purpose or as described when they sell it with a three year warranty.

 

The Jaguar UK website states a 2 year parts warranty.

https://www.jaguar.co.uk/owners/warr...-warranty.html

 

Either way, purchased less than two years ago so irrelevant, but thanks for being helpful.

Has anyone else got any ideas? Is this a common issue? Anyone else had similar?

 

The usual reason (80%) for battery failure is what you are experiencing - high self discharge due to micro internal shorts, stemming from grid corrosion.

https://batteryuniversity.com/index....internal_short

I quote : "Limiting the depth of discharge, reducing the cycle count, operating at a moderate temperature and controlling overcharge are preventive measures to keep corrosion in check.". Unfortunately, the only one you have much control over is depth of discharge. Lifetime is drastically reduced by any discharges below 50%, and deeper discharges can kill a battery just once.

I've had a battery fail on a new car in less than a year, and it was no coincidence that it stood for 6 months or so before sale. Sitting around on a dealer court for months while people occasionally drive it for short distances is not good. The damage might have been done to it by the time you bought the car.

Also, if you ever leave the car for periods of more than a few days, it is helpful to have a battery maintainer on the battery, because as soon as the battery starts to discharge, damage begins. Uncharged capacity is lost to sulphation of the plates. Even at 90% charge, long term, the remaining 10% is lost.

At the end of the day, car batteries have a very hard life - deep discharges, rapid charging, extremes of temperature. The deep cycle batteries on my boat just died at 5 years, 6 months. They led the ideal existence, no temperature extremes, always on multi-stage charger, no deep discharges. They're still done, same failure mode as yours.

 

The early XJ's were known for battery problems. So much that Jaguar did some redesign on the 2014 and up models. So your 2011 most likely will need a battery fairly often. This was a much talked about in the first few years the XJ was out. My 2014 with 45K miles is still on the original factory battery. I have left the car sit in the airport for 6 weeks several years ago with no problems starting it after returning.

What's normally recommended is to install and use a battery tender as Jaguar even released a rebadged CTEK unit.
Here are some things too look at if your interested.
I think it's just part of the cost of ownership!
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Here is the charging kit.
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Perfect! Thanks for your help guys. I’m off to visit the dealership in the morning, I’d imagine the battery is knackered. I’ll try and find a CTEK kit as described. Looks fairly generic but I fully expect the Jaguar one to cost an absolute fortune!

I’ve left it for a few weeks between drives before and had no issues, but unfortunately with Covid and the English lockdown rules it hasn’t been used much since two weeks before Christmas.

thanks again for your help

 

Yes it's too expensive from Jaguar and here is a thread that might help you in getting one.
CTEK Charger
CTEK Info
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Been using ctek for 12 years or so, they are about £69 next day delivery on Amazon

 

Alan,
I suspect that you're not driving enough for the alternator to keep your battery fully charged, especially now that it's winter. Cold is a battery's enemy. A low battery will cause all sorts of electrical gremlins.

I have a CTEK and keep on my battery whenever it's parked at home. It's easy to hook up and it will keep your battery fully charged. Here's how to do it, with photos:
https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/x...lation-130801/

Just remember to connect the negative CTEK pigtail to a chassis ground, and not the negative battery terminal.

Stuart

 

Update:

Thanks for all your help.

My nearest Jaguar dealership in Ipswich, England replaced the battery under the parts warranty for free, as it had lasted less than two years and they fitted it themselves prior to my purchase of the car. They plugged it into their machine and kept me waiting for three hours whilst it did some tests to establish that my multimeter wasn't wrong and the battery was useless. It took some negotiating to replace it for free, but the battery is manufactured by Varta (still has their logos on) who give a warranty of between 36 and 42 months depending on spec, so Jaguar offering less would make them look bad and most likely breach the consumer rights laws in the UK.

I've ordered the CTEK charger from eBay, but not the branded one. CTEK seem to like charging three times the price for writing Porshe, Aston Martin, Bentley or Jaguar on their kit!

Thanks

Alan

 

CTEK chargers come in several different models. When you receive yours, notice if it has an option for charging AGM vs. lead-acid batteries. If so, you must choose the correct setting for your new battery. AGM batteries charge at slightly higher voltage than conventional ones. If you're uncertain, post a photo of the battery here.