2007 XKR, 42k milies, owned since Jan 2014.

I've read a lot about the electrical gremlins that can be symptomatic of a dying battery, but RARELY experienced any in the last 8 month. I've never changed or charged the battery, car has always started well every morning b/c it's my daily driver. Had a couple screen freezes here and there, and had to do a couple hard battery resets in the past, but 98% of the time there are no issues.

Used the car at midnight Saturday night. Everything normal, shut it down, and locked as always. Headlights off and no interior lights left on.

Sat all day Sunday unused. Monday morning the car was completely dead. No alarm light, no interior lights, car would not unlock. Had to use physical key. Dead. Roadside assist jumped it in 5 seconds, started right up and I drove immediately to get a new battery (die-hard AGM). Previous battery was AC Delco profesional, non AGM. Don't know how old. Everything is now just as it was, but I am worried now.

What in gods name would cause a complete depletion of the battery essentially overnight??

Not looking for recos on battery chargers, etc. as I live in a building and park in a parking garage. Really hoping somebody has experienced this before and was alerted to some weird gremlin that could hog all the juice from a battery. Have read a couple horror stories already about malfunctioning seat sensors hogging power overnight??

Recently the car sat for a week at the airport (garage) and started up fine when I got back. Going for days without use has NEVER been an issue before since I've owned it.

Any thoughts from you veterans would be greatly appreciated!

 

You obviously missed my post from earlier today about the very same issue. In my case the dead battery happened twice in 6 months. There was a TSB out for the issue where the problem was that the info/entertainment system was not shutting down properly and kept drawing current even as the car was shut down and locked. A software update was supposed to fix it but, it just occured again yesterday.

According to the description of the issue if that circuit remains active it will draw the battery down in about 2-3 days completely. But, it is an intermittent issue, not happening every time. The strange thing about the Jag electrical system that when you shut off the engine and lock the doors, various components are still drawing considerable currents. Most shuts off in a few minutes in stages... except when one fails to shut off.

My '10 XKR is going back to the dealer this Friday to see what they can find that might fix the issue. Certainly not reassuring to know that if you go on a multi-day trip your car may not start one morning...

Good luck with yours, be sure to post if you find a solution.

 

Not sure this would be the issue, however I have had a car (not a Jag) suddenly fail to start and no juice whatsoever as well a few years ago. Turned out I had a dead cell or bad cell in the battery and was told it can happen intermittently at first... brand new battery solved the issue. My original battery was not all that old either.
Lawrence

 

I had read your post but did not actually consider it relevant as your vehicle is 3 years newer. Jag undoubtedly makes numerous software updates with each model year, and you did not provide details about the tsb (date).

I suppose it wouldn't hurt to call the dealer in the morning to check.

Thanks.

 

Chater210,

Before calling the dealer, I would eliminate the most obvious possibility first, namely, a bad battery. If it's bad, replace the battery (AGM, preferably) and hopefully you've solved the problem. But you'll need to take the battery out of the car (not difficult) to test it since your car won't start. You can take it to any national chain auto parts store (Pep Boys, AutoZone, NAPA, etc.) to be load tested, usually for free.

Or you can do a basic test yourself using an inexpensive battery hydrometer, which will tell you if you have a bad cell but not much more. Quick and easy to do. Alternatively, you can DIY using a more sophisticated testing device, such as the Solar brand testers as described in this recent thread: https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/x...tester-123603/ You probably don't need to go to this expense.

The quickest, easiest and least expensive way to check for a bad cell in your battery is with a hydrometer. It's old school, but still works to identify a bad cell or if one or more cells are low on electrolyte. If low, you need to refill with distilled water, not tap water. Here's a good primer on basic battery care: Basic Battery Care - Popular Mechanics

Let us know what you find out.

 

Had the exact same situation with my 2007 XKR. Daily driver, never an issue until suddenly one day it was completely dead. Got a new battery and never had the battery problem again. Also had problems with my 2012 but so far it seems to be fine since the dealer reprogrammed the batter charging module (not present on the '07).

 

The TSB that axr6 mentioned in his post #2 is #338553, which applies to 2010-up models (5.0L) with the new battery monitoring system. See: Service Bulletin 338553 for Jaguar ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | AutoMD

Previous 4.2L models (2007-2009) did not have that system and, therefore, are not subject to that TSB. I didn't find any battery-related TSBs for 4.2L models.

 

Thanks Stuart.
I swear by my maintenance approach to all of this... the result has been no issues as of yet (gremlins, battery faults, etc):
1. I lock the car every evening and ensure the key is well outside of range of the car.
2. Every few months or so (Very technically accurate, I know) I disconnect the battery, slow charge it over night, and reconnect in the morning following purposely 'de'charging' the car.

I learned this approach with the XJR...

 

I have a 2010. I've found that if I open a car door in the garage to get something and don't relock it that the touchscreen stays lit up and runs down the battery. I now always lock the car and have never had a problem since doing that. I have the TSB software installed.

 

I just looked up the work order that was done following my first dead battery on my '10 XKR. They performed TSB JTB00213 and not 338553. I'll check with them tomorrow when I take the car back to the dealer to see if 338553 is the one to fix this issue.

 

I almost don't have the energy to comment on this YET AGAIN. But I will rouse myself: The XK has huge power requirements (like many modern cars); the battery must be at full voltage all the time: short runs, a battery older than 3 years, failure to lock the car *every time*, etc. will result in random apparently serious electronic "issues" - they can be in any system: touch screen, locks, windows, seats, convertible top, warning lights etc... the problem is always a battery problem. Cure: install a CTEK battery minder. Plug the car in when it is not in use. Result: ZERO electrical issues and your battery will last for years and years....

 

I have a 2007 XK also, and this has happened to me several times. I carry jumper cables all the time now. It's very frustrating, as the dealer always blames the battery, never the car system.

 

I am a belt and suspenders kind of guy... I have an AGM battery AND a CTEK battery maintainer!

 

I appreciate the advice on CTEK and the large current consumption BUT, there is a problem with our cars, other than those. The problem appears to be that the electrical system shuts down in phases and steps and when one step hangs up, for whatever unknown reasons, it drains the battery. It is unpredictable when it will occur, simply an electronic gremlin. That is why the dealer can not fix it; if you can not reproduce it, you can not fix it. The CTEK is really a band-aid. If the car shuts off completely it draws less than 40 mA and thus, the charge should last for weeks. It does, except when it does not.

Good luck, I am also carrying a jumper in all my Jags but, so far the car only died in my garage...

 

Agreed that it is a problem with the system and that the CTEK is a bandaid. But sometimes a bandaid is what works!

 

I have had this same problem with mine. It started having all the stupid little gremlins and I replaced the battery. Several months later, I went to the garage to start and it was fine. 10 minutes later it was dead and another battery was replaced. I don't lock my car in the garage. And I try to make sure the fob is in the house and away from the car. But I do notice that the screen will stay lit longer than I like sometimes. But if I notice this, I can open and close the door again and it will usually go to sleep. Mine has a tender on it as well like others have done.

 

axr6, I took the 2010 in a couple of months ago, had them check electric system and they also did TSB JTB00213, did not do the tsb mentioned in 338553. Today went out after no driving in 5 days and AGM battery was dead with only 7volts! What happened with your update, did you check with dealer about 338553? Checked out battery after charging it, no prob with battery or alternator. Have appt with dealer to check out as still under warranty. Should 338553 be mentioned? thnks

 

The 2010 does have a TSB to address battery issues. Mine was done prior to purchase one year ago. The car sat around a month or so without a battery maintainer and I was told there was never any starting issues. After purchasing the car, I purchased the CTEK but the car was fine for weeks without it. Of course it is always being charged now, but I could see how if someone was using the car on a regular basis and the battery went dead after being replaced recently, it could be a concern. I'm not sure if the pre 2010 models are more vulnerable as they don't have the TSB for the battery module.

 

The battery monitor module was introduced with the 5.0 model, hence any TSB relating to it doesn't apply to the 4.2.

 

NHTSA Item Number: 10045599 Service Bulletin Number: SB-3-287
Date of Bulletin: Apr 20, 2012 Component: Electrical System
this is the TSB for the 5.0 xks, apparently they did not do this on my car. Don't know why.