New to me 2009 XJ Portfolio. Battery needs charging (car was delivered to me a couple weeks ago after standing at dealer - battery does not start car). Owner's manual suggests that battery should be disconnected before charging, but will lose the 'radio code.

I have charged many other cars without removing the battery (red to red, black to black) and off we go.

So the question is:

1. Does the battery need to be disconnected before charging?
2. Where is the radio code documented. I have gone through the owner's manuals, and it indicates in Europe and UK the code is needed - but does not state whether the US cars have the same code needs.

 

Hi paddyh,

Congratulations on acquiring a truly fine auto!

I can't tell you whether it is necessary to disconnect the battery before charging it, but it certainly wouldn't hurt. There are plenty of sensitive electronic components in the X350 and a slip of a jumper cable might wreak havoc.

I have disconnected the battery in our '04 XJR a couple of times and have not needed a radio code. My understanding is that North American cars do not require the code. What you will need to do is to reset the Electronic Park Brake (EPB), which is easy:

1. Apply foot brake
2. Activate the EPB in both directions, On-Off-On
3. Done!

Cheers,

Don

 

Thanks Don. I have disconnected the battery and connected up a charger. We shall see tomorrow what happens. I did note the date code is 23-08 so the battery could be reaching its limit.

I will have to start researching a good replacement battery. I drive the car tomorrow for the first time.

Patrick

 

Hi Patrick,

For some reason Jaguars seem to require a healthy battery more than most cars, so your 6-year-old original battery is probably nearing the end of its service life.

I don't know if your '09 uses the same form factor or Group as our '04 (H8, I think), but you probably already know that there are only about three battery makers left in North America: Johnson Controls, Exide, and a smaller company, East Penn. Between them, they manufacture virtually all the major brands, including Interstate, NAPA, Sears Diehard, Walmart, Optima, Autolite, Motorcraft, CarQuest, etc. The OE battery in our '04 looked like a Bosch, but was marked Varta. A little online research revealed that for awhile Varta was in partnership with Bosch to make auto batteries. I think I read that Johnson Controls acquired the battery manufacturing operations of Delphi and Optima, and also owns or controls the former battery divisions of Bosch and Varta.

I've been using Walmart batteries for several years because their warranty and exchange policies are so generous that I've been paying $20 to $30 for each new battery. But the specs on their battery to fit our '04 were not as good as the specs for the DuraLast Gold battery from AutoZone, even though both were made by Johnson Controls. The prices were identical, so I went with the DuraLast Gold.

Curiously, sales clerks at two different AutoZone stores talked me out of the DuraLast Platinum AGM (Absorbed Glass Mat) battery in favor of the conventional Gold battery. They hinted that they have no trouble with the Golds but may perhaps have had some issues with the Platinums. I know that several automakers, including Mercedes, are now installing AGM batteries made by Johnson Controls in some of their new models, so perhaps it was only in the early days of the technology that they had issues. Perhaps another member will be able to offer more information.

BTW, Pep Boys could get a Bosch battery for a similar price, and its specs were similar to the DuraLast Gold, but they would have had to order it, while AutoZone had the battery in stock. Also, I think the Bosch warranty was not quite as good, maybe the same 3-year free replacement but either no proration after that or less than the DuraLast.

If you're curious about which battery makers serve as OEMs for the European automakers, this document is informative. Note that battery OEMs for Jaguar in 2008 were Delphi, Johnson Controls and Varta:

http://europe.autonews.com/assets/PDF/CA41440317.PDF


I'm sure that's more than you wanted to know, but maybe it will be useful as you conduct your own research.

Cheers,

Don

 

Hello there, well I agree with others on here, any car with a trunk mounted battery aka Jaguar, needs to have a very good battery in it. I have an xj and xjr, and these cars will not start if the battery is not fully charged. These cars wont start with one of those jumper packs either, and the jumper pack I have has 2 batteries inside and 3000peak amps. The clamps on it simply dont carry enough power thru them to the battery I guess.

If you are looking at a new battery, AGM is the way to go. They are more costly, but car manufactures are already changing over to them because of their superior performance. Every car on the road will soon switch over to them with the new "start stop" technology they are introducing. These cars shut off when at a stop light and restart automatically when taking back off and they say that these cars will "restart" 50 times in a normal drive cycle and they have already found out that standard batteries are not lasting very long in this high electrical stain environment. I sell the AGM batteries to our county for police cars, snow plow equipment, ect., as well as to Ambulance services and they LOVE these batteries. They said average battery lasted them 3 years and the AGM they have been getting 5 years out of. Now remember these are vehicles with ridiculous electrical stains, they should last typical consumer much longer. And I will go ahead and admit I sell Exide batteries as part of my job and I have met with and done sales with Exide regional managers before so excuse me if am a bit brand biased but the fact still stands with AGM being a superior design, no matter the brand.

AGM batteries don't have the corrosion problem with terminals associated with standard lead acid batteries sometime, because AGM batteries dont have the potential to leak acid or expel vapors. AGM batteries accept a charge easier than standard batteries so that can decrease stress an the vehicles alternator. By design, AGM batteries also have a higher power to size ratio, now these batteries are typically heavier than a standard battery. Most of the time they will have a higher cranking amp rating than the original manufacture battery also. They are also more resistant to drain and recharge damage. AGM do require slower recharge if placed on a home battery charger as those chargers often charge 12 volt batteries with voltages as high as 18 volts when placed on higher amp charges. Car alternators are regulated and typically only charge up to 14.8 volts.

Jaguars thru 06 take a group 49 (also known as H8) battery which is very popular, but 07 and newer xj take a group 93. Now since this 93 is a newer and unpopular size, Johnson controls sold as Interstate Batteries and Duralast doesn't even list this group yet, and they say it should be substituted with a older group 49 battery. Exide does list a 93 group battery but only in standard lead acid type. Now my father sells Interstate batteries, yea we compete lol, and I just happen to have the Interstate (Johnson controls) battery guide right here next to my Exide guide.

First is the size difference. group 49 is 1/8 inch wider than 93 so no biggie, but a 49 is taller by 1/2 inch, but Johnson Controls say the group 49 will fit. I don't have your car in front of me and I can't guarantee anything, but if it was my car, I would try and use the group 49 as there are more brands and options in that size.


Interstate group 49 AGM battery part# MT5-49/H8
900cca reserve capacity 160 min. 30month free replacement warranty.

Exide group 49 AGM battery part# FP-AGML5/49
850cca reserve capacity 160 min. 48 month free replacement warranty plus 48 month free jump start assistance.

Your car should have a 800cca battery from the factory so both these batteries have a bit more power than you original, but don't worry, you can never have to much cca.

I am not allowed to tell you what we sell the batteries for I can tell you Exide is priced a fair bit less and has 18 month longer warranty.

OK and for your radio codes, IF your radio displays it needs a code after installing the battery, and you don't have a code anywhere for it, you HAVE to contact your dealership. You will need to take the radio out, and give that to your dealer and they should be able to give you a code. However, as your car is newer, they may not just give you the code. It is all about security and you could just steal someones radio and ask the dealer for the code to make it work again defeating the purpose of the security code. You may have to bring the car to the dealer where they take out the radio and get the serial number, and match it to your car, then enter the code. Your car being newer than most I have messed with, they may just enter the code thru the obdII port with diagnostic equipment. Either way, good luck man and enjoy that ride!!

 

Does that mean that I could legitimately replace the current lead/acid with an AGM?

I am familiar with the AGM as my VW Phaeton actually has two batteries, one for starting and one to drive the car electronics and all my chargers have AGM trickle charging capability.

 

Yes, you can change from lead acid battery to AGM without any problem. Only the inside "ingredients" are different. They function in the exact same manner, same voltage, same appearance.

I did look around and I am pretty sure you will need a radio code if the battery is replaced or goes dead. Only way to prevent this during battery replacement, if not already happened since you say the battery was dead, is to hook up a battery charger or jumper pack before disconnecting the battery. Of course you have to be extremely careful as the positive cable will still be charged when the original battery is taken out, and if the positive cable touches anything besides the new positive battery post in the process, you will have major problems.

Below is the radio card and instruction sheet from my car. I also forgot to mention, the dealer may have to take out the some of the dash to get the radio out to get the serial number which could get very very costly so I would do everything I could to prevent loss of power to the car.

 

Hi pcar00,

As I mentioned, I've disconnected the battery in our '04 XJR twice and didn't need the radio code afterward, I just needed to reset the EPB. I believe this information was in the owner's manual.

I wonder if there was a break in the '04 model year and a code was required either before or after a certain VIN? Our '93 XJ40 radio requires a code (which a dealer can usually provide from the VIN), but our '04 X350 apparently doesn't.

Cheers,

Don

 

Starting from X308, if the radio is configured for the U.S. it will not require a code.
If the radion is configured for Europe it will require a code. You can get a code from a dealer or there's a workaround - press, at the same time, 3 buttons: A.mem, PTY and >> and it will reset a code

 

Hello Don, my car is an 04 xjr and my car did require a radio code, those pics I posted are the code card and instructions out of my own car. I know they used a few different systems, mine is the touch screen with nav without rear entertaimment. As with any car, there are so many variables, early programing, late programing, software updates they do during a production run aka why there may be a vin cutoff. I just wanted to make they are aware that you MAY need a code, and to be careful because if it happened that it was needed, it could be expensive. I just as that instruction sheet showed, they need to remove the radio to get the serial# off it for a code. Vin doesn't do it. My radio amplifier has been replaced by the dealer and now has a different serial number on it.

This happened to a friends Mercedes, had to go to dealer, had to bring in title to car with his name on it and his drivers license before they would give him the code to the radio which he took out of the dash himself to get the serial numbers off of.

My dad has been burned several times when we replaced a battery in a Mercedes, BMW, Jaguar, and even a Chevy and the dreded CODE shows up on the radio. Then we have to call the customer and they never know it. Of course then the customer has to go to the dealer theself to get the radio code because we are just a shop working on the car and not the owner, they won't give us the code, only the owner with identification. This has cost us probably $1000 or more, not to mention super pissed off customers when the closest dealer is sometime 35 miles away. I just say better to be safe than sorry because we have been sorry so many times it hurts.

 

It's not an isssue for a Jag. Even if a head unit was changed - you can use 3 buttons method or use an SDD to configure a HU for a U.S. market and then revert it back to Europe. It will reset a code request too.

 

Hi pcar00,

That explains it - our car doesn't have nav. Before disconnecting our battery, I just consulted our owner's manual to see what I would have to know beforehand. Since our '93 does require a radio code, I was expecting to need one for our '04, but as it turns out, our non-nav North America model doesn't require one. As I mentioned, the only thing I had to know was how to reset the EPB (which I have since disabled using JLR SDD after hearing horror stories of the EPB failing in the ON position and requiring significant disassembly to release).

Cheers,

Don

 

That is a good trick, awesome information to have, and thanks a bunch !!

 

if the code reset is that easy, it is pointless having a coded radio.

 

Yes, it's that easy, but only a few peoples knows this trick

 

I'm sure it is best-known among the traders in stolen radios.

 

There's no use in our radios for them.
Our radio can't be used w/o D2B network.
And even if they are able to run it and reset a code, a code request will come back after a next batt. disconnection.

 

so the purpose of a coded radio is... er... umm......


oh, yes, I've got it.


To annoy owners.

 

Is to satisfy automotive regulations. Just like an immobilzers, the coded factory radios were mandatory for a vehicles.

 

I don't know about Russian regulations.


But the utility value of an immobiliser that all experienced car thieves can defeat in 5 seconds, but accidentally locks honest owners out of their cars after a flat battery, would be less than zero.