Xk battery
would anyone be kind enough to recommend a reasonable price battery for my early 2006 XK 4.2. Searched various forums and the net and just get more confused, “ Varta” battery for £500 + Bosch or similar ££90- £150 ???? I have a smart charger which is on the car most times when not being used, (covered 10,000 miles in 6 years.)
Many thanks in advance. Pat.

 

Just go to your local auto parts store (or dealer if you want to pay more) and get a battery that fits your car. They will look it up and provide options. The only option you should have to think about is the length of the battery warranty.

 

Pat,

I see you are in the UK which makes for a wider choice. I don't know where you found an OE Varta battery at £500 but it must be a record! The list from Jaguar is £186.17 for the 90aH battery.

Jaguar Dealers cycle batteries frequently and JLR put them out to a number of trade outlets when fresh stock goes into the Dealers. Most of these outlets list them on ebay.

Have a look at spareto.co.uk where the Varta is £90.

Graham

 

Also when you acquire your new battery make sure it is fully charged.

 

Try www.tayna.co.uk

 

Go to Batteries Plus. They might even install it for you and you get a good warranty. They will also have a good selection to chose from,
so you can pick your price or quality.

 

Shipping his XK across the Atlantic and then back to the UK for this could negate any saving for OP Pat Stclaire.

Graham

 

🤦🏻‍♂️

 

Methinks there's a theme going on in this forum...

 

In 2014, soon after I obtained my 2007 XKR, battery issues started. Had not yet discovered this forum. As I parked in the garage when not in use, I never bothered to lock it. I had a discussion with my local Jaguar mechanic from a nearby dealer and he's the one who told me about the external POS post behind the left rear wheel well and that some owners used the internal portion of this post to hook up a battery maintainer. Which I did. Since I didn't hook up the maintainer, except when I anticipated the car would sit idle for a week or more, I continued to have battery issues. Figuring I needed to replace the battery, I contacted a local specialty mechanic who was formally trained in the UK. That is when I learned about the security/anti-theft system and it's constant search for the key fob when not locked. Who knew? Now I lock it every time and have had no battery issues since.

A couple things I did learn lately in hooking up a set of DRLs, were a little surprising. First thing I did was look for a fuse that I could use that would only be powered on with the ignition on. First one I went to was the cigar lighter. According to the manual, this circuit only works when the ignition is on. Not so. From the moment you unlock the car, this circuit is powered. And, it stays powered for several minutes after shutting off the car and locking it. Hmm. Next one I tried was the throttle motor. This one does come on with ignition and goes off about 10 seconds after turning the car off -- except, if the electric cooling fans are running after shutting down, this fuse stays powered till they go off -- locked or not. Good thing is the DRLs don't pull hardly any power.

This really is a very complicated and highly engineered electrical system. I would love to have a conversation with the design team behind it.

 

I think that the issue is more to do with the fact that the car takes up to half an hour to go to sleep if you don't lock it so the nav disc keeps spinning and many of the modules are awake. The modules shut down a lot quicker when you lock the car and I do wonder how many of the battery issues reported would go away if people locked their car when not in use. I do the same with my '10 XKR and don't use a maintainer even though I mainly just drive it to work and back most days which is less than 5 miles from home.

You are correct about the lighter circuit powering on as soon as you open the door as the car goes in to convenience mode but I have a cigarette lighter powered voltage display and on both my old '07 and my current '10 XKR the voltage display goes off as soon as the car is locked.

 

Locking the car turns off Convenience Mode. Otherwise, it automatically shuts itself off after about 25 minutes, which can eventually drain the battery.

 

My plan was drive car into garage, open boot lid, plug in CTEK 10.
If plugging straight in, with convenience mode on for 25 mins am i right in thinking a CTEK 10 will overcome that 25 min drain?.Asking to avoid changing my set up with wiring

 

wsn03, just close the boot lid again. Several posts, and my own experience so far, show that this will not damage the CTEK cable and you don't have to fuss with a new wiring route - unless you really want to.

 

The quickest and easiest way to hook up a CTEK or other battery maintainer is to attach the pigtail with the alligator clips to the remote battery terminals in the trunk (boot). Leave that pigtail (attached to the remote battery terminals) in the trunk (boot) disconnected from the maintainer. When it's time to charge the battery, plug the quick connect plug from the CTEK into the matching pigtail socket in the boot, keep the CTEK and cable outside of the boot, and close the lid over the cable.

There's no need to permanently attach the eyelet pigtail directly to the positive battery terminal. I've never had a problem using the alligator clips and the remote battery terminals.

 

i actually just wanted you to agree with me to save me the effort of buying a CTEK extension! I've just ordered one, wasn't that difficult, i wonder why laziness sometimes overcomes logic?..

 

+1. The rubber seal around the boot / trunk lid is malleable enough to 'absorb' the thin wire from the CTEK with no resulting problems to either the seal or the wire. I have used my CTEK this way from Day One, which was a couple of years ago I think.

 

Same...

 

+1

 

m about to buy a o7 xkr , the owner told me he had a battery drainage problem , rhat he put a regulatior on the battery . Would that take care of the problem ? I dont have a garage so i dont jave the means to keep a charger on it . Will i really need to keep car on charger ?