Just turned in my 2011 and picked up my 2013 xj. Test drove the car before I got it just to see if any major differences. Got my vehicle and I am driving and car shuts off at a stoplight. Starts again when I take my foot off brake. The ECO (instant on off) did not come on during my test drive but seems to come on when it wants in my vehicle. Really annoying. Seems like car stalls, a/c lowers and then rumble when you lift foot off brake and vehicle is on again. Yes you can turn it off, but then you have an idiot light shining in your face on dashboard. And you have to do it each time you get in vehicle. Anyone know if it can be turned off permanently?

 

My friend's BMW has the feature and i find it annoying as well. Actually, can be quite dangerous at times when you need instant power to get yourself out of situations.

To answer your question, it can be disabled, as the system in the car is controlled by a software program. But, i am not sure whether or not, it's a DOT requirement to have that on the newer cars.

 

XJCat - I agree that the stop-start feature must be annoying. I would look to permanently disable it, if possible, at all.

Could you do me a favor, please? Could you give your opinion on the ride quality/handling differences, if any, between the 2011 and your new 2013?

Jaguar supposedly updated the springs and dampers and I would like to hear if you can detect the difference. Also, is your new car a V8 or V6?

Good luck with the car and hope you can do something about that annoying feature.

Thanks,

Albert

 

It is a requirement by law to have an ECO mode. When I discussed this with the dealer I was told that it *cannot* be permanently disabled. Obviously you can turn it off manually each time you start the car.

Perhaps in the near future we will get someone like ECG Tuning group to come up with a software fix to permanently disable the feature. If the dealer does it they are violating Federal law.

Just like with the mandated 6 cylinder version of the car, the ECO mode is stupid in my opinion. And on this kind of car???

 

I don't know that I believe it is required by law. For 2013, Mercedes offers ECO mode on MLs outside of the US but disables ECO mode on US models (except for the ML63 which does have it...). Sounds like something the dealer made up, IMO.

More likely is that Jaguar enabled ECO mode to increase average mileage. I haven't looked to see if the mileage claims differ between 2011/2012 and the 2013 models.

 

I went with the V6 supercharged this time. I previously has the V8 non supercharged. Small difference in pick up and this is a little noiser on acceleration. Suspension set up seems pretty much exactly the same. Right now the new one is riding a bit smoother but I attribute that to the 45k miles I had on the old one.

 

I do not like the ECO feature, but it can be turned off. What's much worse is a yellow warning light on the dash when the feature is off. That is a warning light that you cannot get rid of and it is so annoying. I had to put electrical tape on my new dash to cover it up. How ridiculous is that? On a Mercedes S550 the ECO light (green) is on when the feature is on and the light goes off when the feature is off, and the light is between the seats on the floor console so you don't see it. Jag has to give you the option to turn off the feature and turn off the annoying yellow light! Other than this annoying light, the car is great! Please help Jag factory!!!!!!!!

 

I'm lucky I bought a used 2011 5.0L N/A XJL. Why would I want a 2014 less powerful, nosier, supercharged 6 Cylinder XJL that cycles off and on, both of which assure shorter engine life and higher maintenance/repair costs?
Nancy Pelosi needn't be concerned because she fly's around in her private jet, polluting the atmosphere and contributing to global warming 1000 times more than my Jag, but she is still trying to dictate what I need to drive to save the earth. I don't think so.

 

Jaguar Blog - SAVING FUEL AND REDUCING EMISSIONS WITH INTELLIGENT STOP/START

 

All this technology, sometime it feels its gone to far.
Half the 'stuff' I have I don't use and most likely never will.

 

Well Bill, it's true some of this technology stuff has proven counterproductive. For instance self-starters, automatic chokes, automatic transmissions, power assisted steering and brakes, and all kinds of automatic warning signals, have enabled the weaker sex to drive cars, and now our roads are clogged with women drivers who still have never mastered driving a car, and never will. Today, however, we now have the technology to enable them to parallel park, not run into the car ahead of them when looking at their cell phones, or into the rear view mirror to apply make-up or fluff their hair, and to keep a proper distance between their car and the car ahead of them. No, you can't fix stupid, but you can mitigate some of the consequences of it, with intelligent technology.

 

Just my 2 cents, but I find this board is a great place to enjoy our shared enjoyment of these cars without bringing in outside matters that only serve to divide. There are better fora for such discussions.

 

YES, and my Jaguar mechanic has told me that the stop/start circuit has a separate small battery (at least on the F type R ) and all I need to do is disconnect the negative and tape it off. He has done this with others and I will do the same at my next opportunity.
This simply disables the system to default, to NOT shut the engine down when stopped, which is my preference.
Lawrence.

 

Not going to mention anything about the smaller start/stop battery ; ; ; ; ; as I'm a dealer ; ; ; ;

You cannot disable the start/stop ; ; ; feature using software...

 

I don't know where you are in Florida, but when I purchased my 2013 XJ from a dealer in Florida, they permanently disabled it.


From an earlier post I wrote, "At first I thought I could "disable" the feature by pushing the button; but of course, that won't permanently disable it. The solution was to have the dealer do it. It didn't take him 15 minutes and was identified on the shop invoice as "A customer requests to have ECO Start/Stop System disabled". And, yes, the warning light remains illuminated!


Luck
King Fala

 

If the ECO battery is disconnected will the ECO function stop working and will the light also be off?

 

For the technically interested:

Electrical Load Management
The electrical load management is controlled by the GWM and the BMS control module.
The GWM will monitor the vehicle system power loads before and during an ECO engine stop.
Before an ECO engine stop, the GWM will transmit a signal to system control modules on the CAN bus to request a power save on all electrical loads and set a minimum electrical value override. The GWM monitors the vehicle electrical loads and will inhibit a ECO engine stop until the load current is at a value low enough to be supported by the secondary battery.
If the electrical loads cannot be reduced sufficiently, the GWM will inhibit the ECO engine stop.
When the engine is stopped after an ECO engine stop, the GWM will continue to monitor the primary battery state of charge. If the primary or secondary battery voltage falls below 11.0V, a level which will result in degraded starting performance or possible primary battery damage, the GWM will initiate an engine start.
System Inhibits
The ECO stop/start system is inhibited if the dual battery system is not be capable of preventing electrical loads on the vehicle being subject to unacceptably low voltage levels during ECO stop/start operations due to a fault.
ECO stop/start inhibit monitoring of the primary battery is performed by the BMS control module. If the primary battery voltage is too low to support an ECO stop/start, then the BMS control module will send a message to the GWM on the LIN bus to suspend ECO stop/start.
The GWM monitors the secondary battery and the dual battery system components. Any fault found will cause the GWM to inhibit ECO stop/start and the GWM will record a DTC (diagnostic trouble code).


In short, most likely. I have not personally tried it, but I have a client that told me it worked. From the previous paragraph, I have to acknowledge that it may trip the MIL, but the client that did it did not mention that, and I didn't ask. The last paragraph is why I'm not sure how it will handle the fault. I'm guessing it will just log a DTC historically, but not turn on the MIL. I would be interested to hear back after trying it. It would help to have a friend that's able to reset the MIL if it gets tripped.

 

Thank you for this information. I will let you know if i do it. Thanks again.