Welcome to the forum Matty,

I've copied you Intro post here for advice from members with the same model.

Graham

 

 

 

Any progress?

Water collecting in the trunk is definitely a problem. That could damage some of the electronics back there. Water in the trunk is a common problem. Several good threads on this. Let me look for one.

Check the output from your alternator. You may see up to 14.5v after starting, settling down to 13.5v or so. Could be your charging system is not up to snuff, so the battery is running down as you drive, setting you up for a parking brake fault at your next start. Keep in mind the battery often has enough muscle to start the engine, so don't mistake good cranking speed as adequate voltage to hold off the parking brake fault.

Also check the connection between the battery ground cable and the body. This is a known problem area so disassemble it and make sure you've got clean metal to metal contact.

 

 

 

Okay, killing a starter pack isn't necessarily the end of the world. A starter pack is just a small auxiliary battery that gives a little extra oomph to a main battery that has run down below the point of spinning the starter. Sounds like your battery ran down well below that point, so a starter pack can't do much.

Sounds like you're thinking of returning the car, so I don't know how interested you're are in troubleshooting. The situation may not be all that serious, so don't panic. If you've got a major drain running the battery down completely, it's going to be relatively easy to find. The tough ones to find are intermittent or slow. You're not looking for a needle in a haystack. This is more like a lone tree in the middle of a prairie.

At the moment, it doesn't seem like the seller's repair shop inspires much confidence. Any good electrical specialist should be able to figure out what is going on. However, if under warranty, you may be limited to the seller's choice of repair shop, which doesn't bode well.

The big question? Do you want us to help as you (or a competent specialist) dig deeper? Or do you want to wash your hands and walk away? If (big IF) water damaged some of the electronics in back, I'm not sure how expensive that could be. Or the problem could be as simple as a failed alternator or something like that, and the battery was running down as you drive.

Before deciding, at the very minimum, disconnect the battery and inspect/clean the connection between the ground cable and the body. Then put the battery on a charger overnight to bring it back up to a full charge. Don't use a trickle charger. You need a charger that puts out at least 10 amps. It's VERY important to always start any electrical troubleshooting with a fully charged battery. Don't rely on the alternator to bring a dead battery back to life. Once the battery is FULLY charged (notice I'm repeating myself), then reconnect it and start the engine. Put a voltmeter on the battery terminals. On a 2003+ car, You will usually see around 14.5v for a few minutes, settling down around 13.5v.

 

 

There are modules, relays, fuses, fuse box, etc all in the rear. Water is not allowed.

 

Check out this thread for more info and how to repair:

https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/s...ng-trunk-7798/


Specifically, see post #35 for Gus' experience with water leaking at the tail lights.

See post #42 for my experience with the trunk seal. I replaced that and didn't touch anything else. Voila, no more leaks.

The tail lights and the trunk seal appear to be the two main causes.

I'd suggest removing the spare tire and soaking up any remaining water with an old towel. Park the car in a garage or other dry spot so you can leave the trunk open and let everything dry out. Disconnect the battery, otherwise it may still run down. The trunk lights are supposed to shut off by a timer, but just in case the control module misbehaves, you can't go wrong with the battery disconnected. You may as well put the battery on a charger while waiting. You can speed the drying with a hair dryer, if desired.

Look for any evidence of how deep the water may have been. If the electronics were safely above that level, you dodged a bullet. If they got wet, there's no telling how they will react.

 

Great news, glad to hear it.

Insist on an OEM Jaguar alternator. Most aftermarket units will charge just fine, but the internal controller does not communicate properly with the rest of the car. You end up with the little red battery symbol illuminated at all times.

Some people have reported good results swapping the original Jaguar controller into the replacement alternator.

 

+1

and the non-OE kind won't do the same (somewhat) smart charging

 

 

Glad to hear you got this sorted out. And a big thank you for posting the follow-up.

 

 

Don't panic! Everything seemed to work, at least for nearly 2 weeks, right?

It's time to revisit some basic troubleshooting. For all we know, the new alternator failed. No assuming a part is good just because it is new! Or there could have been some external problem that affected the previous alternator, and that condition is still present with the new one. One example is a damaged wire harness at the alternator. Or maybe the new drive belt has stretched and the alternator pulley is slipping. Once again, don't despair. You've just got to run some basic diagnostics to figure out what is happening.

What is your experience level? Please let us know if you will be taking the car to a shop, or doing the work yourself.

At the very minimum, please see post #8 above:

"disconnect the battery and inspect/clean the connection between the ground cable and the body. Then put the battery on a charger overnight to bring it back up to a full charge. Don't use a trickle charger. You need a charger that puts out at least 10 amps. It's VERY important to always start any electrical troubleshooting with a fully charged battery. Don't rely on the alternator to bring a dead battery back to life. Once the battery is FULLY charged (notice I'm repeating myself), then reconnect it and start the engine. Put a voltmeter on the battery terminals. On a 2003+ car, You will usually see around 14.5v for a few minutes, settling down around 13.5v."

So do those three basic things:

1) Disassemble and clean the connection where the battery ground cable is bolted to the body.

2) Put the battery on a charger overnight.

3) Read the voltage at the battery with the engine running.

And finally:

4) Report back

 

When the battery is disconnected, the car may require a EPB reset/recalibration procedure. Something like you start car then press footbrake that engage parking brake, then release parking brake then release footbrake....chenk to made sure message in dashboard information center is not being displayed anymore. also need to let car reach operating temp before driving and drive at 30mph, 40, 50, 60, 70 each for three minutes and reprogram windows one touch up and down feature.