I see a lot of posts on recommending the CTEK charger. My car has 98,000 miles and it has never been on a charger ever and it starts/runs just fine and the battery is running 100%.

So the question is, rather than use the charger, why not fix whatever is causing your car to lose its battery power? I know of another xk that sits for weeks at a time and it starts/runs just fine without being on a charger as well. It just seems like using the charger is masking the real issue of something is draining your battery. I am new to the xk line, but not new to cars. I just never heard of any car in my life needing to be on a charger.

 

XK's, like a number of the newer cars, have a number of computers and such that draw FAR more power than earlier cars did. That being said unless you were a deep software programmer in the development stage of the program writing there's no way to "address" the underlying reason for the current draws... about the only way to stop the battery from draining would be to disconnect it which then you'd be forced to deal with resetting everything once again.

 

Yes you are new to XK Michael and you will find out sooner or later. It has nothing to do with a problem, though some people do mask a problem with a charger.
These cars do not like a drop in voltage. Your car may start but if you see certain things not working then it's a sure sign the battery is low and not indicative of a problem.
We'll keep an eye out for your first post relating to a electrical problem as the weather gets colder.

 

I bought my 07 XKR just over 3 years ago. I immediately saw issues with the freezing touch screen and a whole host of other random electrical glitches. I therefore bought a CTEK charger and although I would use it every few weekends I still saw occasional glitches, sometimes even immediately after taking the car off charge.

I then did what I would do with any normal car and changed the battery, for an AGM one. The CTEK has been in the cupboard for a year and a half now and the car is still glitch free.

The first owner of my car didn't have to resort to a battery charger and the car is still the same one he bought so I do agree with a lot of what MichaelO said.

If I had the luxury of a fleet of cars so didn't use the XKR for weeks on end then I would definitely leave it on a charger but unless I am abroad the most my XKR usually sits unused for is 3-4 days. I also don't bother locking it when it is in the garage so it sits in convenience mode for up to half an hour.

 

It has been freezing here for the last three weeks and so far all is good with the electrics.


While I do agree with Leaper that "XK's, like a number of the newer cars, have a number of computers and such that draw FAR more power than earlier cars" ...

What I don't agree is that they would drain the battery just because they have "more computers and draw FAR more power.."
These cars did not leave the factory with a charger and they ran fine for years without one. Why should it need one now?

All the new 2016 Jaguars on the road have a lot more technology and computers than my 2007 xk and they don't use a battery charger.

If the battery is not staying steady at 12v- then either the 1. the battery needs to be changed for a new or 2. the alternator is not up to snuff or 3. there is a component draining the battery after shut down / there are poor connections somewhere.


Now, if I find that the battery in my 2007 xk is not staying at 12v then I too will get a charger, but it will be with the understanding that something is wrong and this is my way of remedying the situation until I can find out what is causing the battery to not stay at 12volts.

 

Before I bought my XK, and I was shopping for a car in general, I stopped in to the local Jaguar dealer, just to see what was available.
Every Jaguar on the dealer's showroom floor had a wire coming out of the trunk.
Since I was new to this, I asked a salesman what was going on, to which he replied that the electronics on the cars sucked a lot of juice, and they kept them all on battery maintainers.
Now its true that cars on the showroom floor, don't get driven much, and will have battery drain when the doors are opened to show them to potential customers, but I didn't see this at any of the dealers of other brands I visited (or maybe they weren't as lazy, and charged their cars overnight, removing the cables in the morning before customers arrived ).

 

I can see that in the showroom where people are in and out all day and leaving the doors open for long periods of time and not starting the car. That would make sense for anybody selling cars within a showroom.

 

I'm sure if you use your car for a daily driver the need for a smart charger isn't necessary. Most people who own Jaguar sedans usually use them as a DD. If you use your XK ad a DD I don't think you would need to keep it on charger. Now in my case in the summer I'll maybe drive the car 3-4 times a week but in the winter it will be started maybe once a month so it will stay on the charger.

 

I put my XKR into hibernation mid November, I do not have it on a charger/conditioner, instead I start her up in the garage every now and again, as is sits idling I go through the menus on the touchscreen and two months down and not a glitch! This is the same as what I used to do with all my bikes when I put them away for the winter, I accept that the bikes are less power greedy! What I will say is that I have a mate who has a Merc and there is now way his Merc would last the winter without a battery conditioner, it sometimes struggles after a coule of days sitting!