Well, as life would have it, I disconnected the battery in our 2000 VDP and, thinking like an American car owner, closed the trunk as I walked around the car. As the lid closed past me, I realized what I had done and tried to stop it. But, no. The latch had caught!! How do I get this trunk open?

Please snicker. I deserve it.

And thanks!!

Brad

Two 2000 Vanden Plas sedans

 

Congratulations you are now a Jaguar owner . Key in the right badge keyhole will sometimes be bound up . Other trick after that .

 

Look at the badging on the right rear side. You will find a key hole that you can use to unlock the trunk with the ignition key. The key has to turn a full 90 degrees to release. Since most owners don't know it's there and seldom use it it has a tendency to stick.
If yours is stuck spray a little WD-40 in it and work the key back and forth until it opens the trunk.

 

Congratulations you are now a Jaguar owner . Key in the right badge keyhole will sometimes be bound up . Other trick after that .

 

And again, as life would have it, avern1 and Lady Penelope have patiently and without judgement advised me to the correct course. How did they know I was afraid to turn that key for fear of breaking something else (like the key blade) ?

You'll have to ask them.

A little dextral nudge of the key to the 90 degree position was all it took. Ah! The sweet sound of an opening latch!!

Thank you, friends.

Brad

 

For future reference, there are two other options if your key ever doesn't work. You can try a reverse jump from under the hood, using the positive terminal post on the fender wall and a ground, and then use your key fob or trunk release button in the car.

The second, is near-centered behind the license plate, you can drill a small hole in which to insert a flat blade screwdriver to manually release the latch. Then paint the hole to protect it, and ideally put a plug in the hole afterwards, but know it'll be there forever after.

 

Reverse jumping works if the battery is connected. In his case he had disconnected the battery. Being disconnected it becomes a dangerous option unless you are absolutely positive the cables are not touching metal.

 

I never understood why engine starter jump starting from the engine compartment is not a good idea even if the battery post are hooked up .

A round shaft cross point screwdriver lets you drill a smaller hole if you don't have a large enough drill bit . Been there .

 

I don't understand it either. On my Mercedes ML 320 CDI, jump starting using the engine compartment positive terminal (and a ground) is the only method to jump the car according to the manual. Access to the starter batteries requires the removal of the passenger seat and cutting through the carpeting. Battery replacement is a dealer function for the ML series!

Also, to avoid losing the memory settings, I connect a lithium battery charger to the engine compartment positive terminal (and a ground) before removing the cables from the terminals of the battery when I changed batteries on the Jag recently, and have used the same technique on both a 5 Series and 7 Series BMW with the engine compartment positive terminal.

 

Jaguars with the trunk mounted battery use two heavy gauge cables to run to the front of the vehicle. One is direct battery to starter. The other is direct battery to the engine compartment fuse box. Both are protected by the High Power fuse in the boot.
The stud you see under the engine cover is not connected to the heavy cable nor the high power fuse. It is connected via a smaller cable to the engine compartment fuse box. If you introduce enough amperage to jump start you burn the cable and blow the fuse box fuses or really unlucky start cooking modules.

 

That's what I thought months earlier but didn't verified on the wiring guide , but the firewall center terminal post ?

 

The bulkhead connector would probably work since it is direct connected to the battery. I have never tried. If battery goes flat I always recommend disconnecting and charging then reconnecting.

 

Well, that underhood terminal looks like it is connected to a 250 amp fuse. The battery is connected to 2 x 250 amp fuses. At moderate temps, a starter on a small V8 like the Jag's shouldn't draw more than 250 amps. If you are in an emergency situation, and can't get to the battery terminals for whatever reason the worst that would happen using the underhood terminal is that you would blow the 250 amp fuse. You won't burn out the cable or fuse box. Plus if the battery is connected and has some juice in it, the starter will draw less than 250 amps from the underhood terminal. Again, this is in an emergency situation. Otherwise the underhood terminal can safely be used for charging and for maintaining memory when disconnecting the battery