Interesting idea!

Did using a battery maintainer solve the issue?

 

I don't have an outside power outlet - and if I fitted one, I'd probably drive off with the charger still plugged in

That's why I have a solar panel for any period when I'm going to leave the car undriven for a couple of weeks. Of course, most of you Muricans have garages, so that doesn't help you much, but it works even if you don't have direct sunlight.

 

Ngarara, is there any possibility of overcharging the battery with such a device?

 

I noticed that my USB stick for playing music was not always recognized. Re-seating/docking it did nit fix the issue most of the time. The USB stick was either recognized at ignition start up or not.
Replaced battery and so far the stick has been always recognized.

 

Well, mine doesn't generate a huge current, as you can imagine - it's a 4.8W panel, so only 0.4A maximum, about what the car's quiescent drain is anyway. And I imagine it only manages that output under ideal conditions, so it's going to be less on average. However, I did ask the question via the manufacturer's website (Ring Automotive), and was told:

 

Thanks, I added this to the list. Was this on your 2012 XKR-S?

 

Yes, 6,000 miles in two years was not enough. Battery would not hold a charge but was replaced under warranty.

 

That's a great idea for people who store their cars in under ground storage or where there is no access to wired power.

 

The electrical and computer network system in the XK is temperamental, probably based on 8 year old design standards. However, it is adequate, but not designed with state of the art components. Has this improved in the F-type? I've had the "R" logo stay on in my sold XKR 175 a few times. A quick restart solved the problem. I'm sure a low battery doesn't help the situation.


We need to maintain and take care of our batteries for the above reasons.

 

Owners of XKs must be aware of the importance of a fully charged battery in order to maintain basic electronics in their cars. If there is no convenient way to keep their batteries in this state, therein lies the conundrum. I purchased my car knowing this issue and am fortunate to have a garage with the CTEK doing it's thing. If I didn't, knowing what I do, I might not have purchased the car. Electrical gremlins are a pain, even though the car is so much fun. I hope you guys can work out these issues and get to enjoy the car.

 

I just ordered one of these solar battery maintainers. It says it is suitable for AGM batteries, and the reviews are good. Supposedly works well even with indirect sunlight.


I'll let you know how well it works on Monday!

 

My mother bought a new Toyota Camry a few years ago. She drives about 1,000 miles a year. She always had a problem starting her car (battery always dead). Toyota always said she had to drive it more. I bought her a remote starter when she got the car new which Toyota determined was part of the problem. So we hauled it out and the problem continued. Her battery would go dead after a week. One day I had to jump start her car and fried the fuse box. The fuse box was not fried by connecting the cables improperly because I was very careful and double checked my connections. Toyota again took no responsibility. The fuse box was replaced and the problem was solved. I also had a solar trickle charger installed on the back window directly wired in her Toyota. Toyota said to directly wire it in for better results. She has never had a problem starting her car since and it may stay parked over 4 weeks.


SoCalBabe posted a thread about adding extra heat shrink tubing protection to electrical connectors which is interesting. When I picked my car up from the auto transporter I took the opportunity to inspect the undercarriage to find many electrical wires unprotected from the elements. I'm sure these wires and connectors get a fear share of water exposure which most play havoc with our electrical system. Not only are the unprotected connectors and wires found on the cars undercarriage they are all over it installed in this manner. At least Jaguar could have taken better care of protecting the wiring in precarious areas. When we look at electrical gremlins we most consider the whole electrical design and system of the car. I attached a picture of my undercarriage showing unprotected wires and connectors. The undercarriage shows extensive heat protection from the exhaust tubing but no protection around the electrical connectors and wiring (upper right corner):

 

In my '05 VDP a weak battery triggers just about every fault code imaginable. I have experienced this twice now just driving home from work. The worst of it is that the CATS stops communicating and the suspension stiffens up. The alternator checks out, so i believe a new serpentine belt and tension pulley replacement should fix it all.

 

For the list...

My Bluetooth connection will disconnect and I have to reconnect at least a dozen times before it successfully docks.

 

Was this solved with a new battery? I believe I have had this issue, too, but never realized it could be battery-related.

 

I too was concerned when seeing those exposed connectors and wires on my undercarriage and would like to get them covered with some shrink tubing protection. Is it difficult to get done?

 

DGL.......Sorry to get off the topic for a second, but I noticed that you too have rust on your diff and rear half shafts. I was surprised that mine has the same rust with only 5,000 miles. Jaguar must do very little protection on those parts which probably had rust on them when the car was brand new.

 

Yes, they must all have this rust. The picture above is when the car only had 300 miles.

 

In a way, I'm somewhat relieved to see it is the norm as I originally thought my car might have been sitting near water. Again, I'd expect it on a GM product but not for a high end car.

 

Maybe it's self-weathering steel!