Low Battery, Please Start Engine SIGN

[Sheela]

hey guys, i'm new here and firstly just wanted to say thank you all for all the great work you do here to help us fellow jag owners out! that being said as per the title what can i do to get this fixed/ what are my options? some details for assitance; diesel xf portfolio, no other electrical or engine startin or computer issues, original battery from 2016 still being used so wondering if a charger will do the job or i need a new battery. thank you all in advance for your help and support 

[N6 JMX]

Hi Sheela, With an 8 year old battery it is simply waiting to fail. These modern cars have so many electronics going on in the background that the quiescent battery drain can be quite high and a car like yours left to sit around for a week or so will have a low battery - even when the battery is relatively new. The recommendation is typically to replace the battery in a Modern Jaguar at 5 years.

If I were in your position, I would be looking for a new battery replacement and ensure you get a premium battery for a premium car, AND from a reliable supplier. There have been a number of reports of batteries failing after only a few months, so you want the back-up of a premium supplier for a no quibble exchange.

Note that if you plan to change the battery yourself, then the car's ECU needs to be "informed" via a Jaguar diagnostics system that a new battery is in place in order that it can reset the charging rates,

N6 JMX

[DiasA]

I have the same issue.  I got the battery checked by Kwick Fit and they said the battery is fine

[Big John]

Hi Dias and Sheela.

Jim is absolutely correct. Your cars are very heavy battery users and at 5 years you should be looking at replacement as a precaution unless you are prepared for it to fail at the most inconvenient of times 🙂

If you are only doing short(ish) journeys the car will not have chance to fully charge the battery. Unless you are doing long runs every couple of days, I would be looking to use a battery maintainer once a week (I use a Ctek).

Only comment on Jims advice would be to add that if you don't "update" the car that a new battery has been added the car will eventually work it out for itself as it "checks" the battery every few months by discharging it down to 75% capacity by limiting charge voltage to 12.2v. This is another reason to use a maintainer, as if the car has just done a "check" when you park up for a few days your battery may well already be down to 75% of its potential capacity.

Another thing to look out for is if the Stop/Start works as the car will only Stop/Start when it is sure there is enough battery capacity to re-start.

Regards

John

[Sheela]

Jim thank you ever so much for sucn an informed response. it has been very insightful and for sure will help me determine next steps. very practical advice by the way. and thanks again for such a prompt response!

[Sheela]

John thank you very much as well for weighing in with your reply as well. its always reassuring to have more than 1 opinion be the same giving me the confidence its reliable information. in kind i'll let you guys know the outcome and hopefully this helps everyone else too should such an issure occure to them too. thanks again for your time and effort!