Well, last night I stepped into the garage and notice that the lights were on dimly and flickering. Got the key and tried to start, but no response.


So, I took the battery cables loose and hooked up the tender Jr. overnight. I notice that the battery (OEM) was only a 1 1/2 years old. Charged for 12 hours and started the car no problems. The car had only been sitting 4-5 days without starting.


Now, I'm wondering if I need to carry a battery charger or start booster with me if we travel and leave the car in a parking garage??


Anyone else had any issues like this?
It's a 2010 XK Coupe.

 

harleyglide01,

I've moved your question from X250 to XK/XKR forum.

All modern Jaguars are very sensitive to battery condition and charge but each model has its own peculiarities when it comes to drain.

There has been lengthy discussion on batteries and tenders in this forum. Members here with the same model as you will give relevant advice.

Graham

 

It ought to sit for much longer without trouble, if:
1. the battery is working and charged (don't assume yours is or is not)
2. the car has no drain beyond what a working car should have

#1 is the easy, cheap, DIY one. Troubleshooting #2 can be a pain (so be sure of #1). Measure current from battery after 40 mins of full shut-down and should be well under 100mA, hopefully around 30mA.

 

Thanks for the info guys. After thinking I had "Jett" back up and running, Wife and I went out to go for a spin and Jett wouldn't start! So I hooked up the battery tender and that's where it is currently..charging. Then I found the threads on the forum regarding battery issues and found that I have a lot to learn! I was surprised to find that I need to lock the car whenever it sits for a season and I have decided to follow one tip and connect a CTX battery minder for "extended" parking situations. My battery is OEM Jaguar and I noticed on the Car Fax that this is the second battery since going into service. This one is date code Sept. 2012, so it's only 1 1/2 year old. I also tried to boost the car with a 1000 amp booster box and it wouldn't turn the engine over. Lights, and radio screen seemed ok but couldn't start the car. Makes me suspect that the battery may be shot. Looking into battery replacements and my neighbor is an interstate Rep so asked him for a price. Also looking to see of I should check with Jaguar since this battery s only 1 1/2 year old.

 

Graham, thanks for re-locating my post. I have a lot to learn about this new Jag and Forums, obviously!

 

Walt,

My warranty document shows genuine Jaguar batteries are covered by a three year unlimited mileage warranty (see the section I've boxed in red):





I'd be straight back to the Jaguar Dealer with one that appears to be failing after 18 months.

Be very careful when boosting the vehicle and follow the instructions given in the Owner's Handbook. It's too easy to fry sensitive electronics on modern vehicles as some members with the earlier XK8/XKR have already discovered to their cost.

Graham

 

Throw away the battery tender....it charges way to slow.....

Buy a CTEK 3300 for under $60.00

And

Review this thread:

https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/x...lation-107738/

Your battery problems and starting the car will end. Then you and your wife can take a nice drive with no worries.

 

1st get the battery load tested to see if it is good or bad. If still good then you need to put it on a "battery charger" and not a battery maintainer. The Ctek and alike are minimum chargers and are designed to maintain the charge but are only rated to around 3-4 amps. You need to get 10-20 amp charger to bring it to life. Most batteries supply 400-700 cranking amps so to recharge a low battery you need to get a charger. Iuse both depending what is required. A float type charger like the Ctek is great for maintaining the battery level but for low or dead batteries I use a 200 amp charger. So check the battery 1st and if bad replace and if not put it on a charger.

 

Great suggestion.......

 

Ok, here's the latest. I bought a new battery charger and placed the charger on 10 amp setting and with battery cables disconnected, charged the battery until the charger indicated it had a full charge and started shutting down. Took about 2 1/2 hours after the tender had been on for 20 hours or so. I reconnected and Jett sprung to life.
I connected the leads from a new battery tender I have and have them ready for maintenance charging. I also took advice and ordered a ctek 3300 battery minder.
So far so good. I have locked the car inside the garage and connected the tender to see if the light will turn green! Hopefully all is well and I have gained some valuable experience. Thanks again for everyone's help!

 

Is it just me or are we seeing many more of these threads lately? I wonder why.

 

Because so many Jaguar owners are unaware of the excessive drain on the battery of these cars.

I am quite sure that many Jaguar dealers get cars in on a regular basis with problems related to battery drain and lack of battery power. Many Carfax reports also show battery replacement in servicing these cars.

The CTEK is the answer and while I have been a huge promoter of the CTEK unit, I have to thank another Jaguar owner who many months ago and right after I got my XKR delivered suggested that I buy the CTEK unit. I have not had any reported problems or attacks from the electrical gremlins.

That forum member is SOV211. I deem SOV211 (Gregory, Victoria, B.C.) as an expert on the Jaguar brand owning over 20+ Jags during his lifetime. He has provided expert advice both here on the forums and in private emails to me.

The CTEK as I have stated before is the best investment that any Jaguar owner can make for under $60 to $70.

It is a state-of-the-art, smart battery/powermaintainer, and far superior to the slow charging Battery Tender brand.

If more Jaguar owners joined this Jaguar Forums, many problems and issues of ownership could be easily resolved. There are so many members here that take ownership of the Jaguar brand seriously and are here to help each other, asking absolutely nothing in return for the knowledge and experiences owning this automotive brand. That's what makes these forums so special.

 

But hasn't that always been the case? As far as I know, these problems existed from new, especially in cars driven infrequently. Maybe it's becoming more commonplace now because more batteries are nearing the end of their lifespan.

 

You must be joking....

Buy a 2014 Jaguar buy a smart battery maintainer.
Buy a 2013 Jaguar buy a smart battery maintainer.
Buy a 2012 Jaguar buy a smart battery maintainer.
Buy a 2011 Jaguar buy a smart battery maintainer.
Buy a 2010 Jaguar buy a smart battery maintainer.
Buy a 2009 Jaguar buy a smart battery maintainer.
Buy a 2008 Jaguar buy a smart battery maintainer.

Now do you get the idea?

Take your pick....CTEK

Without Jaguar Logo....$70.00
With Jaguar Logo....$130.00

 

Are you some sort of bot? For every question that comes up about batteries, you respond with an advertisement for CTEK battery maintainers. Put it in your signature and save yourself some time!

I'm just trying to figure out why it seems like there's more of these threads lately than before. I spent several months reading threads before I bought my XK/XKR a couple years ago and I don't recall reading a thread about battery issues. I'm guessing that it's a combination of things:

1. It's winter in the US now. Cold weather exacerbates the battery issues. So does driving them less frequently due to the cold/nasty winter weather.
2. The cars are getting older, and if any still have the original battery or even are on their second battery and aren't on a battery maintainer, they are probably on their last legs.
3. There are more XK/XKRs on the road now with an additional 2 or so model years on here since I started following the X150 forum.

By the way, the CTEK will be the first thing I buy when I finally get a garage! For now I'll have to make due with my solar panel.

 

The Jaguar LOGO CTEK is a nice touch but not $60 worth!
Think I'll stick with the "cheap" model...
I think my problem came along so that I could get smarter and have all these great posts here on the forum. As far as our cars getting older, well they seem to match what's happening to me !

 

Getting older is better than the alternative.

Graham

 

Richard, while I'm sure that the C-Tek is a wonderful charger, I doubt that it is significantly different than many other modern chargers. The technology is relatively simple and any good quality charger will accomplish the desired result, which, after all, is what's important here. If someone already has a good charger like, say a Battery Tender Plus, suggesting they spend additional money on a C-Tek, is a bit of overkill. I would challenge your claim that the C-Tek charges faster than other chargers, however, the speed with which a battery maintainer charges has little significance if used on a regular basis.

Far more important than the brand of charger we use is why do we have to use one at all?

 

Syd, I have used my tender Jr. to keep my motorcycle battery and lawn tractor battery maintained as well as using it on other vehicles in my "Fleet". I currently have 3 in the garage and four in the yard! I ordered a CTEK after the post here and also reading reviews and finding other aficionado's recommending the product. Hey, I'm a gear nut anyway so what could it hurt to have one of each? I agree that we shouldn't have to trouble ourselves with the issue anyway, but hey our horses require lots of hay to keep 'em happy!

 

Coming from the Ferrari community we have the same issues with battery drain on stored or wintered cars. Although a lot of the older models did not have high draw electrical systems they did suffer from minor wiring issues which if not driven would drain the batteries. There also had been many suggestions of float type charger/maintainers which as we know are designed to sense voltage and apply charge as needed to maintain peak voltage. Smart chargers we have seen run from $10 up to $100 and depending on your like they all seemed to work OK. Most are in the 2,3 or 4 Amp versions so the Ctek seems to be in that group. Until I came to this site I was not aware of the Ctek design and have been using a Sears unit which fits the bill and it was $25. So I would suggest you new owners take the advice from the Jaguar community and get a smart charger . The one to buy is up to you but the Ctek seems as good as most of the others.