Just got a 2013 jaguar XK

I hear these cars have some issues if the battery is removed or dies . Any suggestions? is a battery tender junior ok to use?

 

Grab a Ctek, set up the hard wire and call it a day.


Hard wire in the trunk. Easy and done.

 

I have 2 Deltan battery tenders and 1 Ctek. I would avoid the Battery tender junior, it has a plastic case and overheats (according to one of our members). The regular (non-junior) Battery tenders have a metal case and have caused me no issues (run cool) in 10 years of use.

 

Oh ok cool, I will pick one up...........safe to use it while it's still connected to the car?

 

Not exactly sure what you mean, but I often still have it connected when starting my wife’s car, no issues. (Her car sits outside in the snow and cold, so keeping the tender on it, makes sure that it will start on the coldest days.)

 

The Battery tender stays in the garage, and have about 60’ of SAE extension running out to the car.

 

Yeah i meant connecting the charger to the car while the battery is still connected to the car. But yeah, I understand and follow what you're saying, I Appreciate the advice.

 

That's me, and here's my experience with that company, copied from my review on Amazon

Warranty a Joke - BT Jr. Housing Melted Less Than 1 Year Old
Reviewed in the United States on October 20, 2011
I bought my first Battery Tender Jr. about 20 years ago (for an antique car that I drove infrequently) and it worked fine for over 15 years. I included it with that antique car when I sold it, and as far as I know, it still works.

Based on my prior experience, on November 4, 2010, I bought another Battery Tender Jr. from Amazon for another infrequently driven car. It is now less than 1 year later, and that Battery Tender Jr. got so hot that the plastic case buckled and separated at the seam. So, planning to return it under warranty, I read their terms. Not only do I have to pay to ship that defective unit back to Deltran (which I expected), they also charge a fee for "Warranty Evaluation, Shipping & Handling"! That is OUTRAGEOUS! Since I have my receipt, my fee would be only $7.95 (if no receipt, fee is $11.95). It would cost me $18.90 ($7.95 plus $10.95 USPS Flat Rate medium box) to return it (or $22.90 if I didn't have a receipt - which is more than the $21.39 cost of a new one from Amazon delivered!) Why bother with a warranty claim? If that was Deltran's plan from the outset - to discourage warranty claims - their so-called "warranty" is a fraudulent misrepresentation.

No doubt that my first, 20-year old Battery Tender Jr. was made in the USA. Not so with the second one - the label says "Made in China". A piece of Junk!
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I have 2 CTEK MUS4.3 battery maintainers, one for my XKR and the other for my XJ , and have never had any problems. Buy whichever CTEK model fits your needs. Buy a Battery Tender brand and worry about it. They're cheap for a reason.

 

Get a CTEK.

 

I have had this unit for about five years

BLACK+DECKER BM3B Fully Automatic 6V/12V Battery Charger/Maintainer with Cable Clamps and O-Ring Terminals, Multi, 1.5 Amp
Amazon has them for under 25 bucks.
The thing has been trouble free and has kept the battery on my S type in great shape.
Here is think below:

 

I have three CTEKs-one on a 78 MGB, 2007 XK and 14 F-type. No issues-ever.

 

Cool... and I have no maintainers. No issues.

 

I'm jealous...

 

like the op said. CTEK. Done.

 

I'll just go here so as not to start a new thread for a silly, but related question.

Y'all religious CTek users:
I have my CTek mounted on my garage wall and the quick connector hardwired in the trunk.
But I only use it if she isn't going to be driven for a few days or more.
Do you unplug the CTek when not in use?
I usually did, but the last time, I left it plugged in even though it wasn't hooked to the car.

Thanks!

 

Unplug...

Always best to be safe around electricity..

 

Unplug before connecting, unplug before disconnecting.

 

interesting…. Ok.

 

Mine is also mounted high on the wall and plugged into an outlet strip, also high mounted on the wall. So no, I do not unplug the Ctek, ever. No issues (other than I found it does not play nice with an 18 AWG SAE extension. After upgrading to a 12 AWG extension, I’ve had no problems).

 

LoL, mine is plugged into a 20y old household extension cord, which is plugged into an old power strip (alongside my tool batteries), which is plugged into a slightly thicker extension cord, which runs along the wall to the outlet 12’ away.
And that outlet has the garage fridge, irrigation, garage heater, a fan and my laptop plugged into it.
20A but at least the outlet is GFcI lol.