My 2006 XJR has what looks like a Jaguar supplied battery. I do not see a manufactured date on the top. Before I go through the trouble to pull it to look at the sides and end, is there a date usually on the battery?

 

Generally, no. However, if you are looking for a good deal on a Calcium battery, with 1080ca @ 32, 900cca @ 0, 185 reserve minutes, 4 year free replacement, 4 year free jump, 9 year prorate at around $110 (plus a $10 rebate from Exide) I recommend you visit Home Depot for an Exide L5/49X

Exide Extreme L5/49 Auto Battery-L5/49X - The Home Depot

 

There is a code on my original battery which is labelled Jaguar but was made by Varta.

It is a four digit code on top of one of the posts which refer to the month and year of

manufacture I assume.

eg mine is 38 above 03 which is November 2003.

Do not be surprised if the date is over 10 years old and the battery is still good!

My battery is not still on the Jag but it could probably work ok.

 

Mine was the same; big letters saying Jaguar, but also says Varta. As Meirion says the date was stamped into the top of one of the battery posts (can't remember which one); it's 'Week Number' above, 'Year' (2 digits) below.

I replaced mine a year ago with a 100Ah Silver Varta because I thought it was causing low voltage problems for the EPB; it wasn't, I really had a faulty EPB

 

Varta is the OE for Jaguar. Can't buy them in the US though.

 

Ah, Bosch ... ?

 

You can get Bosch. S5 are Calcium. I use Exide Global Extreme as they are Calcium and for reasons of specs and warrantee. (plus about half the price of Bosch)

 

Found it on the top of the positive battery post. 14 over 05, so I am guessing 14th week of 2005.

I am surprised that it is the original battery.

I am not familiar with the calcium battery. Is that something like an AGM?

 

No, it's not, google it.
Calcium batteries deliver a slightly higher voltage (that is required by our X350's), which is not the case of AGM's, hence issues when using AGM's.

 

So, is the Varta OEM a Calcium Battery?

 

The Varta OEM which was put originally in a X350 should be a calcium one.

 

I ran a search as paydase suggested.

According to Wikipedia, the waffle grids used as the plates in the battery are made from lead-calcium-silver alloy rather than lead antimony alloy used in traditional lead acid batteries.

There is increased resistance to corrosion and longer life of use based on 6 years as the "mean" according to the write-up. So, the battery is likely on borrowed time.

I looked at the Home Depot website as Box recommended. The Exide Global Extreme is described as calcium, but I am only seeing the Exide Edge listed, which is described as AGM. I will look some more.

 

Finding a replacement calcium battery in the southern US is proving to be difficult. Product descriptions on various battery websites do not clearly identify any batteries as silver calcium. Several are Absorbed Glass Mat (AGM).

Bosch S5 do not appear to be available stateside. Bosch S6588B (which are AGM) are.

Two types of Exide are available. Exide Edge appear to be AGM as far as I can tell. Exide Global Extreme are available but are not clearly described as to what type battery it is.

Duracell Ultra Gold SL149 H8M has 990 CCA and is available through Home Depot, but it is not clear what type of battery it is. Duracell Ultra Platinum is AGM.

Sears Diehard Gold 49 is AGM.

Duralast Platinum is AGM from Autozone.

Everstart Maxx Lead Acid H8 has 900 CCA from Interstate.

Somewhere during the course of the search I read that Ford introduced the Silver Calcium batteries in Europe in 1997. I looked at a couple of local Ford dealer sites, but silver calcium batteries do not seem to be available through Ford dealers.

There are also sealed lead acid (SLA) and Enhanced Flooded Batteries (EFB)

So, what is everyone using as replacements stateside in the US?

 

Mike, the Exide Global Extreme is a Calcium/Tin composition, and meets the requirements. I have contacted Exide in order to verify this information, and was designed for this application for Jaguar, as well as many other European brands that require Calcium replacements. The biggest issue with standard antimony lead-acid chemistry, is the low charging voltage required to not overheat or gas off. (14.2 max) AGM's no more than 14.4, and really should be around 14.2. Calcium chemistry batteries can float at 14.6~14.8 all day long. Interstate used to have a Silver/Calcium grid, as was the US recommended replacement brand from Jaguar, but after Johnson Controls purchased Interstate, they stopped producing that grid design here in the US, and is no longer available.

I use the Exide Global Extreme. And if you can find one with as good a warrantee, or as reasonably priced, buy it.

 

My VDP had a replacement battery from Jaguar Canada in July 2014,part#H890J. It is made in Germany by Varta. Not sure if this is still what is supplied by Jaguar Canada.

 

The one thing about dealer stock, is the shelf life. Every six months they should be conditioned. And 2~3 years on the shelf without conditioning can decrease lifespan due to sulfating. Just be aware.

 

+1
Much safer to buy directly from suppliers (Varta in Europe), the turnover is quite quick.

 

Different countries - different rules.

UK Jaguar Dealers can send batteries back to Jaguar for replacement after three months. Jaguar then push these out to a limited number of aftermarket vendors. That's why ebay is rife with Varta batteries over here!

Graham

 

Yes, I'm certainly jealous at times... VARTA can't and won't distribute in the US.

 

PepBoys still sells Bosch S5.

900CCA/1080CA - RESERVE MIN = 185 - REPLACEMENT BATT CCA: 900 - S5 PREMIUM - BATT IS VENTED TO OUTSIDE OF THE VEHICLE - OE CCA: 750

https://www.pepboys.com/product/deta...04.2L%2520DOHC