I will be getting my new XKR probably in July. I sometimes leave in the winter for 3 or 4 months or longer. This would mean the XKR stays at home in the garage. I presume I must either disconnect the battery or use a trickle charger. Disconnecting the battery is probably not the best thing due to re-programming issues that might arise.

How do others handle this?

 

Check out "Battery Tender Jr." i bought mine from Amazon.

 

I use the Pulse Tech XC-100P Xtreme Charger. Works great.

 

I have 2 4 bank Battery Tenders for use on tractors, cars, bikes, etc. You'll easily recoup the costs of the tender with increased battery longevity.

Also, don't forget to 'lock' the Jag when you're not using it. It decreases the battery drain.

 

+1. I have several classic cars on BTJrs. Stay away from Sears Diehard brand chargers tho. An old near antique Diehard trickle charger I had was and still is great so I bought several more as my collection expanded. Two of the new ones failed and boiled batteries. If I hadn't been in the garage every day and say left town for a week, I'd have had a serious problem. If you're going to leave an expensive car plugged in with the battery installed, you want one of the best units that you can trust.

 

Thanks Guys, Great input, all noted. This is a concern and you all have made it easier to deal with. Sometime you feel that you are the only one with a specific problem, obviously, I'm not. Thanks.

 

I use individual Battery Tender Plus's for my bikes and they work flawlessly.

 

...as a matter of interest - how long can one leave an XKR standing without battery drain - 10/14 days ok?

Sorry to hi-jack the thread, it just seemed related to my query a bit.

 

I don't think it is any hi-jack, it is a great question which relates well. I don't know but hopefully someone will post their experience which may shine some light on this.

 

No experience (yet) with an XKR, but I have left my XJ for 2 - 3 weeks without starting while on vacation with no battery tender connected and it started right up.

 

Cheers - the only reason I ask - I had a Nissan Skyline GTR which used to be parked up and idle for 8 days at a time. In the summer it was fine - but it would be dead as in the winter - had to carry round a jump starter with me. No other cars I've had have been like that tho'.

 

Mine will sometimes go a week to a week and a half without running. No problems so far. I do lock it even though it's in the garage, and that seems to help because it shuts down more systems faster.

Interestingly enough, I got a recall notice today for 2010 to 2012 XK/XKRs to have the battery monitoring system replaced/checked plus a firmware update. Not sure what this is about yet though.

 

I was just coming in here to ask if anybody else had gotten that notice, Rahtok.

"Service Action K100: Battery Monitoring System Replacement and Software Enhancement Program". I wonder if that means we won't have to lock our cars in the garage anymore? I'll probably just wait until the first service to have this done, because my car never sits for more than 5 days or so and I've never had any trouble... but I'm curious about the details of what this entails.

 

Thank you for the suggestion by several members ...........
Lock your Jaguar while in the garage....... less battery drain.

I do not normally check the acid level..... Battery is not maintenance free
Battery went dead .. 3-4volt....... added water everything appears ok for the past month. ......... Jaguar battery is 3 years old .... normal end of life.

Good luck

 

Just replaced my battery today, and want to keep it in order.
Just read about the Ctek battery charger. Looks like this would be a good idea, since I drive this car mainly on weekends, and sometimes every other weekend. I also take a month long vacation yearly, so the car would be sitting for at least that long.
I do have a couple of questions abouth these chargers though:
1. How do you hook it up and lead a wire out the trunk? Will the trunk close over the wire?
2. Saw an optional Cigarette lighter adapter for this charger as well. Is that truly an option?
Thanks for all the help,
tnt10

 

This past winter I would hook up my trickle charger about every 30 days. It would take about 1 hour of trickle charge for every day since the last to bring it back to full charge, seemed to cause no problems this spring when I brought her back to life

 

tnt10,

I use a BatteryMinder Plus on my XKR, and recommend it. I bought it on Amazon after researching other brands. My Battery Tender Jr. overheated and melted and was replaced under warranty (for a small fee!). Because I don't trust that Battery Tender Jr., I use it on a car that is parked outside. I use the BatteryMinder Plus on my garaged XKR.

The BatteryMinder Plus charger has a long cable, and it came with another short cable to keep permanently attached to the car. I simply plug the 2 cable connectors together and close the trunk lid over the wire - no problems.

Connecting the short cable to the battery and ground is simple:
1. Remove the left-hand side luggage compartment trim panel cover to access the vehicle battery red positive (+) remote charge terminal. Remove the protective cap.

2. Lift the luggage compartment floor panel to reveal the spare wheel. Remove the protective cap from the black negative (-) terminal of the vehicle battery remote charge terminal that protrudes from the floor.

3. Attach (red alligator clip) the positive (+) short cable lead to the remote positive (+) charge terminal. Attach (black alligator clip) the negative (-) short cable lead to the remote negative (-) ground terminal in the trunk floor.

4. Connect the leads, plug in the charger and you're done!

One more thing: be sure to lock your car, even if it is in your garage, since doing so causes the computer to shut down certain systems that would otherwise continue to run and drain the battery, even though you have it hooked up to a trickle charger/battery maintainer. Your battery will reach a full charge faster with the doors locked.

Also, don't forget to unplug the charger after you have disconnected the leads in the trunk. And don't forget to unplug the leads in the trunk before you drive off!

The cigarette lighter adapter won't work in my 2009 XKR because that socket circuit is switched with the ignition. That is, the socket is "off" (open circuit) when the ignition is off. You have to turn the ignition "on" to activate the cigarette lighter socket circuit and thereby allow current to flow from the charger adapter plug through the socket and then proceed to charge the battery. Turning the ignition "on" defeats the purpose since doing so activates other electronic systems that draw current. Cigarette lighter adapters work only if the socket is "on" or "hot" (closed circuit) when the ignition is off.

Keeping the battery fully charged can avoid a multitude of problems.

Hope this helps,

Stuart
.

 

Stuart,
Thanks for the detailed reply. I trult appreciate it!
Another question, and I hope it's not stupid:
Does the Battery Minder need to be disconnected from their attachments to the + and - connections in the luggage area before starting the car? Would it damage something in the electrical sysyem to leave it connected to the car, but disconnected fron the electrical source in the garage? (Hope this question makes sense).
tnt10

 

tnt10,
There are no stupid questions; just stupid answers. Your question makes perfect sense.

Leaving the quick connect cable attached to the remote */- battery terminals in the trunk will not affect the car's electrical system because that circuit remains open. But if the copper wires inside the insulation were to somehow contact each other, that short circuit could damage the car's electronics. But that's highly unlikely to happen.

I leave my quick connect leads (alligator clips) connected to the remote */- battery terminals. After the luggage compartment floor panel is put back in place, the (-) end is hidden under that panel and the (+) end and the quick connect plug are on top of that floor panel on the left side. It is a simple matter to disconnect/reconnect the quick connect plug in the trunk from the corresponding plug on the battery charger lead. I always unplug the charger from the wall socket if I'm not charging the battery. When I hook it back up again, I reconnect the quick connect plugs in the trunk first, and then plug the charger into the wall.

My trunk lid closes over the connected lead with no problems. Just be sure to leave a little slack in the trunk so it doesn't pull out when the lid is closed.

I don't know if damage will occur to either car or charger if you start the car while the charger is plugged in and connected to the battery. But why take the chance? I always disconnect the quick connect plug in the trunk from the charger before I start my car.

Sorry for the lengthy reply, but I wanted my answer to be clear, complete, and not stupid.

Let me know if you'd like me to post pictures of the connectors in my trunk.

Stuart
.

 

Stuart,
Once again thanks for the well detailed explanation.
A pic or 2 would be great also, but only if not too much trouble.
tnt10