First of all, thanks to all the people that convinced me not to buy the 2011 jag xkr. here in Houston. Since it is owned by AutoNation every two weeks not sold, the price is reduced by $300.00. Price started at $23,951, now is $22,271 and dropping. One question. How long does a car dealer hold onto a car before it goes to auction?

Now, I have had a 1999 xk convertible and a 2005 xk convertible. I have never had any problems with the battery. Except I had to replace the battery every couple of years. In Texas that is standard with all the heat. I was told you need to have a trickle battery charger hooked to a newer xkr if I am not driving it daily. I never had to do that before. Is this something only in new xkr jags? Or should I have done this all along? I was told you need to keep your battery FULLY charged to keep warning lights from coming on. Is this correct? Or can someone explain this to me. Thanks for all your comments.


JDog

 

The X100s and X150s seem very sensitive to voltage. If the battery isn’t working well gremlins come out and play.

The battery tenders help help maintain the battery to provide full voltage and avoid these issues.

I use a ctek on all my cars when not driving them for a week.

 

JDog,

A "trickle charger" is not the same thing as a battery maintainer. A trickle charger is an old-school device that keeps a constant low charge rate, which can overcharge and cause the electrolyte to boil and damage the battery. Not so for a battery maintainer, which has circuitry that monitors the battery condition and varies the rate of charge accordingly. "Battery Tender" is the brand name of Chinese-made battery maintainers sold by Deltran Corporation and heavily advertised. I don't recommended that brand because of a bad experience. I have a battery maintainer manufactured by CTEK (Model MUS4.3) that I bought on Amazon and recommended. Many Forum members use CTEK battery maintainers and they're sold by Jaguar dealers as a factory authorized accessory including the Jaguar Leaper logo (at a higher price than the identical model 3300 sold on Amazon without the logo).

There are many threads on this Forum about battery maintainers. If you drive your XKR daily you probably won't need one, but I look at it as cheap insurance to minimize the risk of electrical gremlins and to possibly increase the life of my battery.

Stuart

 

Most luxury car dealers try to turn inventory within 60-90 days. Some are better than others at this. AutoNation has so many outlets all over the US that they can move old inventory around and the clock starts again each time it moves. Eventually they “retail out of a loss” or take a loss. Crazy business.

 

All Jaguar models beyond the XK8/XKR are best kept on a battery tender. The preferred make with the majority of members is one of the CTEK range. If you need a brand endorsement, Jaguar sell these with their own logo on or you can buy the same elsewhere for less than half the cost.

As later models load up with extra electrical functions and electronic toys, the battery struggles to maintain a full charge if the vehicle is not a daily driver. You can get away without using a tender but you are likely to get a better life from your battery if you choose to use one.

Graham

 

You don't need to maintain it but will regret it once the car goes nuts on power up. I haven't had mine on the plug for several months. It's also driven 40 miles daily for the most part. It's more of a use problem. Don't use the car, keep it plugged in.

 

And one quick observation on buying a used Jag: you can bet they don't keep those cars on tenders. You might be test driving a car that hasn't been started in weeks. Make sure the battery's checked or replaced.

 

I keep my 2010 XKR in my condo's highrise parking garage, hence no electric is available. It's been there for three years. I recently replaced a 5-year-old battery. The car is used lightly, about 150 miles a month, and often left for several weeks unused. I've had no problems.