I’d like to trickle charge/tend the battery because it’s not my daily driver, although I do take it out for a good drive (at least an hour or so and some highway driving) each week. Have had the adaptive headlight error pop up twice, typically when the car had been sitting in the dealership for a few weeks, and then when I first got the car and couldn’t drive it due to registration issues for two weeks. Then I most recently got a dynamic mode error? Which concerns me, but I’d like to try out helping the battery before jumping to conclusions.

problem is my car is outside under a carport (solar trickle charger is no good in the car through window). I could run a long cable from my house outlet outside. But there’s mice issues and I’m concerned about popping the trunk or any opening to connect a trickle charger to the battery. Is there any way to somehow get a thin cable and “make it” fit when shutting the trunk/boot? Anyone tried this? I can’t be the only one who wants to trickle charge but wants to keep all doors and trunk shut.

 

I believe the X150 XK has charging points under the hood much the same as the F-Type.
Like you I connect a battery tender/maintainer to my F-Type almost every time I park in the garage so fortunately for me I need only a short extension lead.
I found a way to connect/disconnect the maintainer in 10 seconds flat without having to even unlock the car let alone open the hood, trunk or a door - I hard wired the maintainer connector pigtail to the under-hood charging posts, see this pic:

Just on the edge of the frame at the bottom of the pic you can see the negative/earth lead bolted under the car's earthing post, I simply unscrewed it, slipped the eyelet under and screwed it back down again. For the positive connection I drilled a small hole in the centre of the positive post and bolted the eyelet to the post with a short 10 mm nut, washer and bolt. When not in use the plug end of the connector tucks up under the edge of the hood, between the hood and the plastic lining piece underneath, then when I want to connect it up I simply flip it out using a finger. Dunno if you could do the same on an XK but as it has the same reverse opening clamshell style hood as an F-Type there is a good chance you can. The only hard part was cutting a slot in the small plastic cap (you can see it in the pic) so it clears the pigtail wire and closes over the charging post, that plastic is hard as a rock and it took a good 20 minutes of sawing away with a hacksaw blade! Of course you will need the same type of pigtail connector if you don't already have one.

 

You have two main alternatives with the X150. Both involve the remote +ve terminal which can be accessed through the hatch through which you access the left-hand side rear light cluster. The terminal is on the horizontal bodywork surface below the access to the hatch and is covered with a rubber boot. The terminal is a threaded pillar in a isolating sleeve and goes right through the body and can also the accessed from below the car. A rubber boot is also to be found on the lower terminal.

We use a pigtail connected to the upper remote terminal and a nearby -ve body connection which extends into the boot area such that the plastic access cover can be easily clipped back in place as you only need thin pigtail cables. The charger then sits in the boot with the end of the mains extension cable. The mains cable leaves the boot at one corner and there is plenty of give in the rubber boot seal to allow the boot to be shut without any difficulty. The car is then completely closed and can be locked as normal whilst on charge.

Richard

 

Terminology matters.

You don't want to use a trickle charger. That's a "dumb" device that charges constantly, with no electronics to determine the rate and level of charge. It can overcharge a battery and cause the electrolyte to boil out and destroy a battery.

You want to use a Battery Maintainer because it's a smart device that includes electronics that constantly monitors the battery to determine the rate and level of charge. When fully charged, it will go into "float mode" and deliver a "pulsed" charge to keep the battery topped off and fully charged. I recommend the CTEK brand of battery maintainer. I have two, and leave them connected to my XKR and XJ whenever parked in my garage.

Note that a battery maintainer won't jump start a dead battery because that's not what it was designed to do. Battery maintainers produce only around 4 amperes, and you'll need at least 10 amps to jump start a dead battery. For that you'll need a real Battery Charger.

Note that for 5.0L models, the negative battery maintainer pigtail MUST be connected to a chassis ground and not directly to the battery negative terminal. Otherwise, damage can occur to the Battery Monitoring Module that is attached to the negative battery terminal.

For more information, search this Forum. There are lots of threads, and many different ways to hook up a battery maintainer.

 

Like Stuart, my car is plugged in whenever it is in the garage. The CTEK cord is nicely thin and fits neatly through the natural gap on trunk. When it's time to drive, simply pop the trunk, unplug the cord, and off you go. Not much harder than unplugging an external cable.

I'd also note that having the plug connection in the trunk is weatherproof, no matter how hard the wind is driving the rain into the carport.

 

Hi there, New to the forums, hello

I have JUST bought a 2007 XKR 4.2 Portfolio and have seen and understand the need for a Battery Maintainer as opposed to battery charger.

Have seen that CTEK appears to be highly rated and went onto Amazon (Australia) and nearly fell over at the amount of CTEK maintainers and have no idea which model I should purchase.

Is there anything specific I should be looking for, or is there a recommended model?

Are there any other recommended brands?

Thanks in advance and hope this post pops up in the right place

 

I have a 3A charger, not Ctek and a 5A and 10A Ctek. I sometimes find the 3A charger a bit gutless so, unless you wish to spend more money, I would go with one of the Ctek 5.0 chargers (the MXS 5.0 is very popular for good reason) unless you are on a very tight budget and can pick up the 3.8A version at a much lower price. If I recall correctly, the 3.8 does not have a "Recondition" function whereas the 5.0 does which is a useful function, although not recommended for use on AGM batteries.

The main advantage with going for the 10A version is that you get a "Supply" function which can sometimes be used to revive a dead battery which will sometimes trip out the smart cycle. However, this is a double-edged sword because the revived battery is then likely to let you down when you most need it and, as our Jags are very critical with regard to battery condition, I would be cautious about using any battery which could not be charged on the smart cycle.

I hope this helps.

Richard

 

Richard - Thank you so much - very much appreciated

 

CTEK prices vary with the features and capabilities, and between markets. What's available in the USA may have a different model number in Australia. Compare the features and buy the least expensive model that meets your needs.

Note that you can't plug a battery maintainer into the cigarette lighter socket because that circuit is switched. After you shut off the engine, the electrical power will stay on for a short time while in Convenience Mode, which can make you believe that you can use that socket. But you can't, because Convenience Mode ends when you lock the car. If you don't lock the car, it will eventually power everything down, but it takes up to half an hour, and that sucks power from the battery.

I attached my CTEK to the remote battery terminals in the trunk (boot) using the alligator clips. See this old thread from 2012 and scroll down for photos:
https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/x...lay-ups-73471/

Stuart

 

Thank you Richard - that is helpful
I have now bought a 5A CTEK charger

 

Thanks Stuart
Have now bought a CTEK and will be connecting as you have outlined