Hi all,

I have a 1995 Jaguar XJ6 that suffered some neglect as I went off to college this year. It had been left in the garage for about two or three months this winter without being driven or even started and when my mother went to start it sometime in March, it failed to respond. I figured the battery had simply gone dead so I told her not to worry about it and that I'd jump start the car when I got home in May.

Well, I've just tried jump starting the car with little success. I know I'm getting power because the seat automatically re-adjusts and the interior lights operate as they should once I stick the key in, but when I turn the ignition, I get a loud "click click click" sound from the engine and everything on the dashboard blinks. I have absolutely no idea what's going on. I called AAA to see if they could jump start the car, and they started it up fine with one of those suitcase jump start mechanisms. Just a few minutes after they left, however, the car shut off while it was idling and I was back to square one again.

So I suppose I have two questions here:

1. Does it sound like I'm performing the jump start incorrectly (I don't think I am) or perhaps my cables arefaulty, or does it sound like there's a bigger problem here than a dead battery?
2. I need this car operating again soon. I'm planning to call AAA and get them to tow the car to the nearest certified Jaguar dealership to see about repairs. Is a dealership the best place to go for maintenance? For the record, I'm in the Boston (02186) area.

Thanks,
Benedict

 

might be you positive post in the firewall of your car