Hi,

Would anyone know if leaving an IPod plugged into the USB port of a 2015 XF 3.0 SC AWD all the time (never removing even at night with car parked and not in use) could cause the main big battery to drain prematurely?

I am asking because I was having trouble with the Eco Start/Stop function where it would never turn the car engine off like it is supposed to do (not in love with this feature). This problem just appeared about two months ago and I bought the car new.

I took the car to dealer today who insisted that the big battery has nothing to do with start/stop and that it is the small battery that controls the start stop feature.

When they ran their diagnostics it resulted in showing that the small battery was fine but larger battery was not within range.

They replaced the larger battery (under warranty) and guess what? The start/stop feature started to work. (they initially told me that larger battery has nothing to do with start/stop feature.) I guess that they goofed when telling me that the larger of the two batteries has nothing to do with the start/stop function.

I then asked about why a battery with 17,000 miles on it would die so early on. They were stumped but ended up saying that my IPod which is plugged into center console USB port 24/7 may have contributed to the premature wearing out of battery. I drive this car very little and only put on around 6,000 miles per year.

Would any of you know if this is true about the need to unplug an IPod or USB device when not in use or that it will contribute to a car battery wearing out so early?

Thank you.

 

Not a total expert here, but I would not think it would be possible for an ipod battery to deplete a regular sized car battery. The new ipods have a battery that with only ~1000mAh and probably draw around .3a while charging. Once the device is charged it shouldn't draw any more current, even if still plugged in.
I have had my i-pod nano(6th gen old version) plugged in for over a year and haven't seen any issues yet. I usually forget it's there.

 

A few XFs have had issue that they don’t seem to 100pc shut down and that runs the main battery down. Typically if they are not locked and if the key fob is left too close. The center console power should shut off and iPod unlikely to be the issue
It could just be the battery aging. 3-4 years isn’t unusual on these batteries.
It could also be that you have some battery drain and don’t drive it enough for the alternator to recharge it.

Hopefully you’ll be ok with the new battery now. But a good tech can test for battery drain and ensure that’s not the issue

 

I plug in my smartphone (for waze and pandora) into the center cigarette lighter type port while driving. I notice that shutting off the car still shows the phone charging. I never leave it plugged in after parking.

 

BritCars,

I completely shut car down by pressing door button switch twice so I hear a beep and my key fob is at no where near the car (I learned of the key fob problem being left too close to car with a BMW I owned.) Also, since owning this car I plug it into a battery tender once every two weeks (also learned this from other previously owned cars BMW,Audi, etc.) I have 17,000 miles and this upcoming February will be 3 years since I own the car. I would think that a system battery drain would have showed up with additional electrical glitches which I have not experienced with the Jag. Perhaps I just had bad luck in getting a car with a battery that was defective? Today I used the car all morning and the start/stop system worked perfectly. Thanks for your advice.

 

Hi,

I contacted two different Jaguar dealers and asked their service departments if leaving an IPod plugged in all the time would (or could) cause the main large battery to wear down and malfunction as early as mine did with 17,000 on the car and less than 3 years old.

Both dealers said that they would need to check with their service managers and lead techs. Would you believe that when I called they both had the courtesy to call me back and say, "we do not know but will look into this further with Jaguar and get back to me."

I found it odd for the dealerships to not know. Especially, since so many people have been plugging various devices into their cars for years. Let's see if they actually get back to me with an answer.

 

i pluged my usb stick in car around 16 month before. no batery dran. but it always are on and light even car are locked. I also leave bluetooth obd scanner for a year or so. i highly doubt that normal battery can be drained with such devices

 

I've had my XFR since 2013 and have had an iPod classic and a OBD II scanner plugged almost continuously since then. Never had any battery drain issues from either.

My guess is you do a lot of short trips and it weakens the battery over time. I would HIGHLY suggest you get an AGM replacement for the standard lead cell battery. They are far more resistant to this type of usage. I have one in my motorcycle and can go about a month before it has any real noticeable lag. I also have them in all my cars. My XFR can sit weeks and no issues at all. And I only drive it about 8K miles per year.

And I really don't understand all the elaborate rituals to prevent battery drain. I put it in the garage, take the key upstairs and my battery lasts weeks and starts STRONG. No locking the doors, no trickle charger, nothing. I even left my trunk open all night a week or so ago. No issues.

 

2010 Kyanite XFR,

I looked at the invoice for the battery replacement done by dealer last week. It states that a new AGM battery was installed so I guess that I am OK in that area.

Also, it has been several days since the large battery was replaced and the Eco Start/Stop has been working flawlessly since then.

I know it is ridiculous with all of the locking and key fob recommendations made by dealers but I was given the same advice by a BMW dealer when my BMW was having battery issues.
1) hit the outside door button twice so that the car goes to sleep and all computers in car are actually turned off. On the second push of door lock you will hear a beep. This means that the car's various systems have been properly shut down.
2) make sure that the key fob is at least 5 feet away from car after shutting down.
3) keep car plugged into battery tender when not using for 2 days or more.

As a matter of habit I have been doing all of these steps with all of my cars and they did seem to help with other cars. Now I have to wait and see how the Jag will respond. I am not a very technical person so I can't provide an explanation about the above detailed description which outlines the "proper" way to shut down a car as per dealer. I appreciate your input and thank you for your insight. I know that this all sounds crazy but I assume that they have their reasons for instructing customers to follow these steps. Have a Happy Thanksgiving and thanks again.

 

Glad you got the AGM! I won't use lead cell anymore after using the AGM's. I think all of the rituals are to cover up for the poor lead cell performance of holding charge while sitting, which is compounded by short trips.

Since your battery is new with warranty, try not doing any of it (except taking the key away from the car) and see how it works over a month or two. I'm even skeptical about removing the key as I left mine in the car for two or three days and no issues, but it makes more sense not to do that one regularly.

 

Hi,

If interested in the Eco Start/Stop feature please see my initial posting at the top of the thread.

When I first brought the car to dealer because eco start was not shutting down the car anymore, my service advisor said that the starting and stopping of engine with eco start/stop is controlled by the smaller battery in the trunk and not by the larger battery.

When I told him that eco start stop works after I connect my battery to my battery tender for an overnight slow charge so how could it be that the smaller battery controls this feature since my battery tender is only connected to the large main battery. He said that he did not know but he was very sure of himself that it is the smaller battery that controls eco start/start.

After about an hour he approached me in the waiting area and said that I might be right since the smaller battery tested out fine but the larger one did not.
He said that they will replace the larger battery under warranty and we will wait and see if this corrects my problem. When I got home I saw that they replaced the larger battery with an InterState 900 CCA AGM battery. This was about two weeks ago and the start stop has worked perfectly after the battery was replaced. Keep in mind that I don't drive much and that my car is less than 3 years old with 17,000 miles on it.
So......for those of you who are having trouble with their eco start/stop function the first thing that I would recommend is to have your mechanic or indie check both batteries.

Why do they hire service advisors when they do not even know the basics of the cars that they are selling? Also, when the large battery was replaced the only memory feature that I lost was the pairing of my phone which I paired myself. No other memory settings were lost.

 

Good to know that the main battery can be the cause. But it’s a bit more complex than that. The service advisor is right that the small battery restarts the engine - that’s what it’s for. But the shut off is just controlled by the car while running and I guess that if main battery is too low voltage it doesn’t shut off as the engine runs the alternator to charge the battery. So most likely your main battery was low and the car is designed to avoid shutdown and instead tries to charge it
Sounds like your problem should be fixed now

 

I'm 99% sure the small battery does not restart the engine, that is still done by the big/main battery. The only function of the small battery is to power the peripherals - infotainment, lights, HVAC etc - once the stop/start system has shut the engine down. As you say, if the main battery is low on charge the stop/start system is disabled to avoid problems with restarting the car.

 

Thanks to all for your input.

After speaking with two other dealers, I was told the same thing that OzXFR posted about the smaller battery ONLY handling peripherals and NOT starting or stopping the car.

However, not one dealer that I have spoken with had a definitive answer about if leaving an IPod continually connected will affect the battery. Not One!!

In fact, since none of them knew, a couple advised to err on the side of caution and to only leave IPod plugged in to USB port when IPod is in use and to disconnect it when done which I do now that new battery was installed.

Is this really such a difficult question for dealer service departments to have a definitive answer to? Simply amazing!

One dealer told me that they will check with Jaguar and get back to me shortly. Guess what? I never heard from them ! Thanks again for everyone's input.