I own a 2013 jaguar XKRS and have a few questions regarding winter care. I live in Columbus Ohio and I am concerned about the cold weather and not driving my jag in the snow and salt. I do not plan to drive this wonderful car when the weather is bad. Therefore I plan on keeping it garaged whenever it is raining or snowing which would basically be late fall through early spring. Questions for the most part that are stupid and I should already know but I am ignorant! :

1- Is it okay to start the car weekly and run it for 30 minutes at a time to charge the battery? Will that even charge the battery not driving it??? I'm so ignorant!!

2- Will starting the car and not actually running the car cause water to build up in the exhaust system and therefore allow rust? Is it bad or good for the engine in cold weather?

3- What is the Jaguar recommended battery tender for the XK, XKR and XKR-S? I know that that may be the easiest way to keep the battery from being drained but I just hate would hate messing with it....and would love to start up the jag if its not gonna damage it.

thoughts please and help this ignorant bafoon out

Lothar

 

The best thing you can do is to let your car slumber in peace. There is no need to start the engine once in a while and you are right that it will cause moisture (condensation) to built up and promote corrosion.

Any battery tender will be suitable and is the preferred way of keeping a battery at full charge.

 

Taking the battery out does not look very hard to do.

 

Lothar,

Fab car! I had the pleasure of recently driving one flat-out at the Jaguar Alive Driving Experience in Atlanta. Awesome!

My answers are in red after your questions :
1- Is it okay to start the car weekly and run it for 30 minutes at a time to charge the battery? Will that even charge the battery not driving it??? I'm so ignorant!! Better to charge the battery using a battery trickle charger. Less expensive and safer (no carbon monoxide). If you use synthetic oil, it adheres well to the cylinder walls and there's no need to run the engine until the weather warms up (unless you can't live without hearing that glorious sound).

2- Will starting the car and not actually running the car cause water to build up in the exhaust system and therefore allow rust? Is it bad or good for the engine in cold weather? Water is a product of internal combusion and can cause corrosion in the exhaust system, unless that system is warm enough to cause any remaining water to evaporate. More likely to be bad during lengthy cold weather.

3- What is the Jaguar recommended battery tender for the XK, XKR and XKR-S? I know that that may be the easiest way to keep the battery from being drained but I just hate would hate messing with it....and would love to start up the jag if its not gonna damage it. See links below. The remote battery terminals are easy to access and are safe to use.

thoughts please and help this ignorant bafoon out Ignorance is not a terminal illness; it is readily cured by seeking knowledge!

So, here's my :
To the best of my knowledge, Jaguar does not recommend any particular brand of battery charger. Many brands are available at varying prices; more expensive is not necessarily better. Battery Tender is a popular brand (I had problems with the Battery Tender Jr. model), and I currently use a Battery Minder Model# 12117 with no problems so far.

For an extensive discussion of battery chargers, see this thread: https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/x...lay-ups-73471/
and my posts ## 17, 19, and 21 (hookup photos).

Also, see this thread for some safety issues: https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/x...storage-85201/ and my posts ##15 and 17.

Before buying any charger, check the user reviews on Amazon. Here's mine: Amazon.com: Customer Reviews: Battery Tender 021-0123 Battery Tender Junior 12V Battery Charger Be sure to read the 9 comments.

Hope this helps,

Stuart

 

I use the Battery Tender Jr. Works perfectly.

 

Lothar52 ... we really need to get together! We probably only live 10 minutes from each other. I'm in Gahanna, 1 minute south of the intersection of Morse & Hamilton Rd. I have a 3-car attached garage that's gas heated, with wall-to-wall carpet, HDTV, stereo, 3 ceiling fans, a middle "detail bay" with track lighting front, rear & on both sides, and a refrige packed with anything & everything. Although I'm new to Jag ownership, I've had (and still have) an Acura NSX for almost 15 years and I'd be happy to show you what I've learned about the proper care, maintenance, detailing, winterizing, battery charging, etc. of speciality cars. Let's get together soon!

 

Lothar, I think you and Snide should put together a track day/Jaguar Mini-Meet at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course! Here's a schedule showing events. Anyone can join BMW-CCA to do their Driver Ed events, and PCA often allows BMW members to join their Driver ED events to help fill up the registration to make it viable. That makes 13 possible dates! Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course - Track Rental - Weekend Club Event Schedule

I would not needlessly run the car in winter at all. Maybe the Jag is different, but engine oil drains to the sump and takes a minute to be brought back up to perform lubrication, which is of greater importance when the engine is cold and tight.

Anything that gets heated will have a tendency to have condensation form on it as it cools.

I use a battery tender as well and it does the job.

Bruce