I have a 2002 XK8 that will be stored for several months this winter. I would like to hook a battery tender to its battery (I do this every winter with my Harley). Has anyone done this and can I simply hook the tender leads to the battery terminals as I normally would with other cars?? The Jag's owner's manual is really paranoid about doing anything with the battery and gives no information regarding long-term battery charging. Thanks for any info.

 

The 'Battery Tender' is an intelligent charger that is designed to 'float' a battery long term. There is nothing mystical about the Jaguar electrical system. I would not have any questions about leaving it on my battery for six months.

 

I store my car for a minimum of 5 months a year with a battery tender. Make sure the one you use monitors for full charge and completely turns off its charging function when reached, otherwise you will slowly kill your battery.

I attach the positive clamp to the positive battery post and the negative clamp to the large screw holding down the spare tire.

 

Another "yea" vote; a battery tender would be fine. It is smart enough not to overcharge anything. Leaving the trunk open a bit just in case is a good idea (provided mice will not take up residence). Same with the doors; unlocked if conditions permit.

Best,

 

I ran a battery tender all last winter from Nov. to April with no problems I would highly recommend it. But I did start the car about every two weeks and let it warm up.
Doug
2001 XKR Silverstone

 

After living in Boston for 4 years my recommendation is move south and you don't have to worry about battery tenders. Just sayin.

 

Thanks, everyone, for the quick replies. That what I thought was the case, but still wanted to check, given that I'm a newbie Jag owner.

BTW -- the reason for the battery tender is that I spend the winter months in Mexico -- tequilla keeps my battery warm down there!

 

I've used a battery maintainer on multiple cars - jag included for about 4 years now. I used the deltran battery tender Jr. that can be had for around $30. It comes with alligator clamps to hook to positive and negative, and/or eyelets so you can attach it to your battery posts and then all you have to do is plug the tender into that. Very simple and works great.

 

I agree that a trickle or intelligent charger should not hurt anything but I disagree that there is nothing mystical about the Jaguar electrical system. Any system that results in random warning messages, warning lights, windows sometimes not assuming the correct position, and other weird things certainly must be mystical. Or maybe it is just that the system was designed by boneheads?

Doug

 

Another +1 for the battery tender, been using one for more than two years now with no problems, in fact it actually solved a few.
I went a step further and hardwired it to the battery terminals, its tucked away near the battery and stays connected 100% of the time. Anytime the car is going to sit for more than a week I just plug it in, haven't had a problem since.

 

Another vote for the battery tender jr. - it has ring terminals that attach to the battery full time. Then it's easy to just plug/unplug the charger whenever and the wire fits through the closed trunk rubber. My car has had no faults or weird ghosts since using it, and it's hooked up all the time unless I'm out driving. My neighbors think I have a hybrid plug-in.