Hello - I'm getting a low battery warning when I start my 2013 Jaguar XF 3 liter on the dash display screen. The car starts and runs fine but the only issue seems to be that a) I get a warning display (ie. something like "the radio will shut off in 3 min if the car isn't started") if I turn on the radio when the car isn't started and b) when I turn the car off and restart it it doesn't remember that the Climate was on (ie. it is off when the car was started even if it was turned on when the car was previously running).
This sounds all every much like problem with the small auxiliary battery so I had it professionally load tested and it tested perfectly OK. I almost begged with the battery guy to sell me a new one but he kept insisting that the battery was OK and that a new one wouldn't solve my problem.,
I charged up the battery put it back in the car and had the same problems per above,
I measured the voltage on the aux battery (car not running) and it was about 12.8 Volts. I also measured the voltage of the main/big battery and it read about 12.0 volts (lower that I would have thought).
So - my question is - when you get the Low Battery display message, what battery is it referring to? It almost sounds to me like the big battery's voltage is maybe too low but it cranks over and starts the car very well even in the very recent cold weather.
Hope someone can help point me in the right direction for figuring out what's going on...
Many thanks and take care...

 

Hi again - made a bit of progress figuring this out so thought I'd post an update...

Did more voltage testing on the 2 batteries over a couple of days and the small battery continued to read almost 13 volts (so I came to a conclusion that it was not this battery that was causing the Low Battery warning msg -- even though in addn to the Low Bat warning, the radio would only run for about 3 mins with the car not started and the Climate would not hold its setings) - however on the big battery it was measuring near 12 volts, so I began to think it was this battery which was causing the Low Bat msg (even though the battery would perfectly start the car even in some cold weather after sitting outside all night).
On that basis I gave the big battery a thorough charge for a day and over night. The charge current started at about 8 amps and declined to a trickle charge of ~1 amp the next day. I took off the charger and the voltage read 13.8 volts and when I started the car I did NOT get the Low Bat msg. Furthermore I used the car the following day and once gain no Low Bat msg - so we'll see how this plays out but I'm hoping that the root cause was a low big/main battery, most likely caused by not using the car enough...

 

Lots of people use battery maintainers to keep the battery fully charged. When the main battery is fully charged & in good condition the radio will stay on for about 10mins. anything under 12.2v is too low to get all the systems running, some will start to close down to save power!

 

I'm gonna give you a battery nightmare story. 2009 XF 4.2 premium. Bought off used car lot about 3 years ago. After a few months of owning it, and without any low battery warnings, one day the car would barely crank and would not start. Obviously the battery was dead I presumed so I decided to replace the battery as I have done in cars and boats for 50 years. Nothing to it. Disconnect the battery cables, remove the old battery, drop in the new one and reconnect the cables. No brainer. EXCEPT....... when I tried to restart the car, I got nothing. but a message that key can not be found on display!!! WTF I thought. After calling around and consulting this forum, it seems there are times when the key loses communication with the car computer after replacing a battery. Again I say WTF. Huh? Never in 50 years have I encountered that. So now I have a car that could not even be started without reprogramming the key(s)!!!! But guess what.....only Jaguar dealers have the software to perform this reprogramming!!!!!!! That can not be true so I poked around and found an indy mechanic and a locksmith who both claimed they had the tool to reprogram the keys. Since the Jag dealer was 60 miles away and would require a tow (for the purpose of being able to start my car!!!) I decided to let the locksmith have a go at it. Well, he could not get the job done and said his tool was not establishing communication. Now, I had to tow the car to the dealer. Got it to the dealer and alas, they said I needed more electronic gizmos replaced than I can remember right now, but I remember a few....the instrument cluster, a cpu motherboard, both keys and one or two others to the tune of $5,000.00!!!!! AND.......THE DEALER WAS UNABLE TO GET THE NEW KEYS TO BE RECOGNIZED IN THE DOCKING PORT, DESPITE INTERVENTION FROM JAGUAR CORPORATE ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS.!! They basically said they got the car to start and keys be recognized for that purpose, but that they simply could not figure out how to get the keys to work if needed in the docking port.
All because I thought after 50 years, I was capable of changing a battery. I was a hostage. I paid the $5000.00 to get my car back and been driving it since, but this car has a mind of its own. We call it Christine. If we lock the car, the alarm will go off whenever it wants to, even sitting in my garage at 3 am. So we dont lock it.
Its a sexy car, but in hindsight I would never buy it again. Its a nightmare and not to be trusted. I've owned 5 jaguars btw and we are fans but Christine is frightful.

 

1) the secondary, smaller battery is related to the start/stop function only. It can be entirely disconnected (which simply eliminates the start/stop activation) with absolutely no effect on any other operation of the car. If you find the start/stop irritating in Toronto traffic (how could you not?) you simply disconnect one lead to the small battery. Result: no irritation, and no other effect on the car.

2) the low battery warning refers only to the main battery. If your battery is more than 4 years old, it is due for replacement. Please note: new batteries are almost NEVER fully charged at purchase, and if your travel is generally short runs, especially in city traffic, the battery may never reach full charge...and then you risk getting random electrical system glitches (which can be random warning lights, malfunction of the touch screen, door locks, seats, windows, anything...) - and finally, that low battery warning.
The cure: regular use of a permanently mounted battery maintainer like the CTEK units.

 

Many thanks to John Williams and jakesdad. Appreciate your comments. I've gotten fairly used to the stop/start, even in Toronto city traffic, and of course you can easily turn it off with the button. I appreciate the ecodrive in trying to help reduce carbon emissions and to help lower my fuel usage (considering Toronto's high gas prices!!).
My car usage and mileage is way down through the winter especially with our COVID lock down (so clearly the battery is not getting charged enough) - and I'm biding my time till Springtime when I can get back "on the road" again.
In the meantime I'll be topping up the battery charge with my trusty trickle charger.
Be well all and warmest regards.

 

I guess my contribution was unwelcome...😞

 

Hello sov211 - 10,000 and 1 apologies - either I regretfully overlooked your reply or I didn't see it when I replied - but nonetheless I respectfully kneel before you on sack cloth and ashes and beg your humble indulgence and forgiveness. Your input is most helpful and greatly appreciated.
May the world beyond COVID be a renewal and blessing to us all.

 

Grovelling happily accepted😊. But seriously, for any electrical malfunction on these cars the battery, however unlikely it may seem, is always the first suspect. The system is organised to leave engine starting as long as possible by disabling other features, so the fact that the engine fires does not eliminate the battery as a cause of problems. The importance of a fully charged battery is a constant for every modern luxury make - and for that very reason every single luxury brand markets the CTEK units (the most basic CTEK) under their own brand name (at twice and three times the price of the same unit marked "CTEK"): Mercedes, Bentley, Audi, Lexus, Bugatti, Jaguar, BMW, Rolls Royce, Land Rover, Alfa Romeo, Maserati... every one of them and more. And they all do so for exactly the same reason: the various electronic modules in the cars need full battery voltage all the time.
i have 3 Jags in the garage, every one on a CTEK unit when the cars are not in daily use. Result: no problems and no worries.

 

Thanks again Gregory - sage advice and I will heed it.

FYI - I'm looking at updating my Jag in 2021 and hoping to take a serious look at the XJ EV (assuming it makes an appearance in 2021) - which ironically makes battery maintenance even more important.

Be well and cheers.

 

QUOTE=I'm getting exactly the same problem. Had battery checked by Kwik Fit ans all ok! I'm not aware of the auxiliary battery, where is it located. I've only had the car for 3 days! X

 

The smaller battery (if you have the two battery system) was specifically for the stop/start ECO system. If this battery goes flat the only thing affected is the very annoying traffic light stop/start nonsense, nothing else.
The “battery low” warning on the dash applies ONLY to the main battery. If your main battery is not fully charged you will get all sorts of electrical gremlins, any sort of electrical gremlin. Very irritating but at least it will allow you to add to the myth of “Jaguar unreliability” that BMW owners love so much.

solution: have the battery fully charged. Keep it fully charged by using a good battery maintainer (CTEK being the favoured brand but there are others). This guarantees no issues. In case you think that this is a “Jaguar thing”….you can buy the CTEK battery maintainer at any Alfa Romeo, BMW, Mercedes, Bugatti, Bentley, Rolls Royce, Porsche or Maserati etc. dealer for three times the price because it will have that brand’s name on it. They sell them because their cars also need full battery voltage all the time to prevent electrical/electronic problems. So unreliable, those Bugattis!

 

Hi, thanks for the reply! Firstly I'm told that my battery is fully charged by Kwik fit. I had a Ctek charger when I had my previous motorhome but I'm wondering how to plug it in at home due to the battery being in the boot. If I leave the tailgate open on my Sportbrake I cannot lock the doors. How do you get around that?

 

So simple:
I have my F-Type on the CTEK unit all the time, that is, whenever it is not in use. The CTEK unit stays on the garage wall. The original CTEK ring connectors on the rather short lead connect to the battery management box ( +) and to a stud on the trunk floor (-).
(If the car is pre-2009 the connections can be made directly to the battery as the older cars do not have the battery management system).
So far, this is the permanent connection…but this lead is too short to reach outside the trunk. So, to the original ring connector lead I have attached the optional CTEK “comfort extension”. It is much more than long enough to reach outside the trunk, and * it permits the trunk to be closed and the car locked *. I leave just the waterproof connector at the outside edge of the trunk. There is no issue at all about closing the trunk on the wires.
So the connector of the comfort extension sits outside the trunk panel. And to this connector is connected the lead which comes from the CTEK unit itself.
This has taken longer to describe than to connect in the first place!
Once the ring connections are made and the comfort extension fitted, they are never touched again. The daily connection process takes approximately 3 seconds on a slow day. No issues ever…the battery is fully charged always, no electronic gremlins and no worries.

one more thing: the Sportbrake is a gorgeous car but unfortunately not sold in Canada…no matter, all of the above applies.

 

To clarify, a few photos of the CTEK permanent installation: This shows the end result. The CTEK unit remains outside the car (in this case, mounted on the wall). It connects to the "comfort extension" whose connector sits just at the outside edge of the trunk - and it stays there, protected by the weatherproof cover that comes with the connector. This way, the trunk never needs to be opened to connect or disconnect. You can, of course, leave the connector inside the trunk but then connection requires opening the trunk and pulling out the connector. In either case the trunk is closed on the wire and the car locked:


And here is the connector as it sits, on my F-Type, just at the edge of the trunk lid, disconnected but with the cover on it. Almost unnoticeable:


And the photo below (not mine) shows the permanent connection to the battery monitoring block. This block differs slightly from model to model but in any case it is found near the battery and it has a black cover on it. The + CTEK lead is connected to any point on this block - you can see the red + lead here.. The - lead is connected, as you can see, to a stud on the trunk floor. There is no need to disconnect the battery to install the CTEK leads - just do the + first, the - second: (in the photo the CTEK ring connectors are just placed over the connecting points - but of course they need to be fitted UNDER the securing nut at both points):