Had an issue with my XJ Supersport. A couple of times now I've got in, pressed the start button and it doesn't start.

I get in, press the brake, then the start button. The panels power up, there's a click from the front of the car, then the panel goes into standby, showing the mileage and "P".

The battery is charged, the car's been used recently, and I've not been in & out of it. It is not saying "Low battery: please start engine" on the display.

Then (some minutes) later it'll start as if there was nothing wrong with it.

I've tried closing the doors, locking & unlocking, leaving it, coming back to it etc, but I can't get a common pattern of behaviour. Hooking it up to another car with jump leads doesn't help, even leaving the donor car connected for > 15 minutes. The AA came to it, tested the battery (12.4V), and it started straight away. Then when the engine was running, it was showing 14V, so the battery is charging fine.

It's booked in to get looked at, but I thought I'd throw it out there for others to see. Anyone else had the same problem? Is there some odd immobiliser functionality I should know about? Am I about to look like the world's biggest fool when I take it in?

 

No its sounds like something is definitely wrong.

 

Maybe it's the start button itself that isn't working right.

 

This has happened to me before but only because I didn't press long enough. If you press the start button very quickly it's like turning an ignition with key to the right one position which doesn't turn the engine on. When I press the button I wait until I hear the engine start. If that's not the problem then you have one........

 

Thanks. It's happened a few times now, and it's definitely not the length of the button press! I have a Renault Espace, which is also a push-button start, so I know how they work in theory.

It happened on Friday. I was in the car in town for well over an hour. Left it for half an hour, and went back. Pressed the start button, and the starter turned the engine for the very briefest instant. Probably only a tenth of a second. Then nothing.

I had to leave it until Sunday night. When I went back to it, there was no action on the starting. No messages on the dash. Connected it to my father-in-law's Mondeo (that was embarrassing) and it started straight off. Drove it for 20 minutes, then went to refuel it. In the time taken for me to get out and insert the fuel nozzle, the display panel showed "Low battery", but fortunately it started to get me off the garage forecourt.

It's now booked in for the dealer to have a look at it. I'm suspecting a problem in the alternator/battery/starter motor area.

The trouble is it's now got to prove itself as a reliable vehicle. I kinda don't want to leave it anywhere. It was only blind luck that where I parked it on Friday afternoon was legal & safe for me then to leave it for two days.

 

I'm sure many will agree- a little knock, a window not working properly, is one thing.
But not starting is really upsetting.
Please let us know how it works out for you and Good Luck !!

~BEST~
BILL------------------------------>

 

Thanks for your concern guys.

So, it turns out that having been sitting in the showroom for a while as a show car had lunched the battery. While it could maintain voltage and the alternator was working, it was not consistently able to deliver the peak current required to turn the engine over.

So the dealer has replaced the battery. Naturally at no cost to me.

They also cleaned it inside & out, and the loan car was a Ford Focus.

I suspected that that might be the root cause of the problem, and I'm glad they've gone ahead and taken affirmative action.

 

Wonderful !!