I hardly drive my 2001 VDP, so the battery goes dead every few days sitting in my very hot (110 degrees or so during the day) garage. Is this likely because I'm not driving much (once every 2 weeks or so)... or it's simply time to replace the battery? (Should a good battery hold a charge for much longer if not driven?)

Can anyone suggest the best deals online for a replacement? Any recommended brands, types?

Thank you!

SirJag

 

www.autoanything.com

For brands , I am using Varta the best brand imo . I have heard of good things on Optima batteries as well .

Hey , I am uploading a file which I thought would be useful for you .It's from Thermo's message , he is a very knowledgeable person

 

Hi SirJag
I purchased a Walmart's EverStart MAXX 49N (850cca) battery in Nov 2009 ($80 plus sales tax) when our battery died. No problems so far. The 49N is for northern weather climate (cold weather). They also sell EverStart MAXX 49S for the warmer weather climate regions.

Here are some reviews (other forums' postings such as BMW forum) I found on the internet.

As far as choices, you might want to consider Walmart's EverStart MAXX 49N battery. From what I understand, most of the batteries we can buy - Duralast and EverStart included - are all made by one. They're simply rebranded and sold under different names. Going with the EverStart will save you a few bucks plus you get a better warranty than some of the comparable "name brands". Other brand name batteries will cost anywhere from $120 to $$$ at the ***********...the EverStart costs $77 at Walmart. In addition, Walmart will give you $9 back if you bring them your old battery so they can dispose of it properly.

I took out the Interstate battery that was in my car when it died and replaced it with the Walmart battery ($79!). Both batteries are made by Johnson Controls. Side-by-side it is obvious they come from the same mold. Some of the "5 year warranty" but the last few years are pro-rated. Walmart battery has 3 year replacement warranty, and since Walmart isn't the most sophisticated place when they replace the battery 3 year warranty starts again!


The model I bought was the Ever Start Maxx 49 (according to the battery computer and handbook at Walmart).
930 cranking amps / 850 cold cranking amps.
The new battery works great, and it fits well in the tray.
The price was $77 (Oct 2010).

Go to your Walmart in your part of sunny California and check it out.

I kept the original Jaguar battery. I may have it reconditioned when the EverStart battery starts to die. I am trying to locate a Battery Doctor franchise near me.

Jim Lombardi

 

The battery should be fine for weeks with no problem.

I have a couple that are left sitting over the winter -- they are on battery maintainers. I leave them on the maintainers most of the time because when they do get driven it is often for multiple short trips.


You can get a quality battery from your local auto store for $100.00. The only way to ship a battery is to do it dry and then add the acid.

The OE battery from Jaguar is a very high quality battery - mine lasted 7 years -- it looks exactly like the Mercedes Benz batteries made in Spain.

 

Hi
The original OE battery is part number LRA1250AA. Gaudin Jaguar Parts website has it listed for $158.44.
The JEPC catalog also lists a dry battery - part# LRA1250AA1 (now superceded by C2Z1141) Gaudin lists it for $199.46.

Call your local Jaguar dealership parts department and ask for a matching price.
Our original Jaguar battery lasted over 8 years.

Jim Lombardi

 

Motorcarman supplied a Jaguar Administrative Bulletin stating that the Jaguar replacement battery was an interstate brand.

https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/x...30/#post360673

I am a big fan of Advance Auto Parts from a price standpoint. Check out Advance Auto Parts Coupon Codes - all coupons, discounts and promo codes for advanceautoparts.com

They always have an online 20% or better coupon code and you can pick up the item at the local store without shipping charges.

 

Hi

Here is an update - This is an battery review article on the Walmart EverStart Maxx battery:
http://www.americascheapestfamily.co...l-wow-warranty


Interstate battery is a Mega-Tron Plus MTP-49/H8 (Prorated 85 MONTHS with 30 months free replacement- 720 CCA) for your 2001 XJ VDP -Sugg Retail price is $173.95 Interstate dealers pricing may vary.

The OEM battery from Gaudin Jaguar Parts.com seems like a better deal at $158.44

I have only purchased 2 batteries in the last 12 years for my 1990 Acura Legend.
The original battery lasted from 1990 to 1999 (10 years).

In Nov 1999 I bought a new one at our local AutoZone store for $70.
It lasted for 7 years.

In Oct 2006 I bought one from Walmart for $65. No problems so far, very powerful, Acura always starts immediately.

The Walmart brand battery we purchased for our 2001 XJ8 is performing very well (Nov 2009 for $80). It is not an exact fit as the Original battery, but it does fit into the battery tray ok.

Advance Auto Parts has AutoCraft Gold Battery, Group Size 94R, 730 CCA Part No: 94RH7 (prorated 84 months with 36 months free replacement) for $159.99 (plus $12 core charge) less a $50 promo discount code (VISA) and no shipping charges (net total after core refund would be $109.99 plus sales tax) if you order online and pickup at local store.

Jim Lombardi

 

Thanks to all for your very helpful replies.

I went to Pep Boys for a new battery and they wanted to check it first to make sure it needed replacing.

I was skeptical of this, thinking, "Oh yeah... they hope something else is wrong so they can make more money on some repair."

Well, I'm very happy to report that they said the battery was fine, just had a low charge.

This made perfect sense, since every time it died and I jumped it with my wife's car, I then idled it for about 20 mins and drove only 2 miles or so... turned it off... then 2 miles back home.

In other words, the car never got a FULL charge from this short distance driving.

They also informed me that today's computers draw current simply to keep their settings, so the car was sucking up what little power the battery had.

Bottom-line: Pep-Boys said, "We don't want to sell you something you don't need"... and i was impressed. They simply recommended a charger... and since I drive only once every week or so (we usually use my wife's car), it made good sense.

I got the $40 charger and it's boosting on the battery now.

So thanks for all your great replies--and thanks to Jim L for his typically super-high-content and very helpful details. This forum will be a good resource for those who DO need a new battery.

You guys are the best!

SirJAg

 

I am glad namely our dear friends help you . I do have a booster , not to make you upset but I gotta tell you . In past months , I got a weak battery and posted this on the General Tech Help Forums . In my case, booster didn't work but jump starter cables .This is still funny to me because that very same booster was working help other cars start instantly even when their batteries were literally dead lol
Kudos to the Pep Shop Boys as well

 

Thats nice to know I can just get a new battery from walmart.

How can I tell if the bat I have in there is the original?

I have a 2003.

tia

 

The original battery was white -- some used to say "Jaguar"

They looked exactly like the ones MB still uses.


I have not seen a factory recently -- so I don't know what is used. I found the service action interesting -- that they replace them with interstate units.


The "Bosch" battery that Pep Boys sells is a perfect fit -- it's not made by Bosch.

 

Why not use a battery tender to keep it charged?
The XJ8 has a big battery. If it goes dead after two days then you might have a parasitic load.
Check the boards to see how much current should be flowing when the ignition is off.

 

So here's an update.

I was all excited to hook the battery up to the new charger, thinking my problem was solved.

Unfortunately, it took FOREVER and only got to 50% charged. I called the manufacturer and spoke to a woman--slightly on the annoying side. Here's how it went:

ME: "Hello... I'm using your x model charger and my car's been on it for 15 hours and it won't go above a 50% charge. What's wrong?"

HER: "Yeah... it should take no more than 3 hours to fully charge your battery. What setting is the charger set for?"

ME: "6 amps... the max"

HER: "Yeah... something's wrong with your battery."

ME: "How do I know if it might be the charger, not my battery. Seems to me that if it can charge from almost dead to 50%, it *IS* accepting a charge."

HER: "Do you have another battery you can charge?"

ME: "Another dead battery? One that needs a charge?" (Like how many batteries do people keep around the house that need charging?) No."

HER: "Yeah... it's your battery."

ME: "I think I'll return this charger."

HER: "That's your prerogative."

Anyway... does this make sense to anyone? Why would the battery charge to 50% (took forever) but not any more?

Also... I never noticed it before, but I assume that my battery is a no-maintenance type. But I see that there are 6 caps that have a big "+" sign for a special tool to unscrew. I used a regular screwdriver and was able to see fluid. Do all "sealed" batteries have these screw caps? I suppose I never looked that close. I assume that no battery for a VDP is going to require you add water.

Oh... and let me reiterate that when Pep-Boys hooked the battery up to their computer, the printout said it was good and simply needed charging. It was a printout from something apparently exclusively used for battery testing. It did load testing and other tests. The slip of paper showed graphs, etc. It's not like some guy just wrote "It's OK" on a slip of paper.

Thanks, all...

SirJag

 

I got a battery charger as well . A similar thing happened a few years ago and not using that buster since . I picked up 6 V and waited almost 24 Hours , no good and then switch back to 12 V ,again nothing .

 

meaning... when you replace the battery, are all the memory functions (seat, etc) saved somehow... or do you lose them all? Is there a time limit within which you must get the new battery hooked up?

Thanks,

SirJag

 

I don't know if this helps but I had a Varta that was dead from being left for over 6 months, knowing it was good the last time I used it, I made up a rig with two wires, croc clips and a headlamp bulb and hooked it up to the battery. I made sure it was completely dead by running it down with the bulb attached.
Then I trickle charged it right up. Hooked my drain rig back onto it and repeated the exercise 3-4 times, running it down to dead then charging back up. This got the battery 100% fit again and no issues.

 

When I did the hard reset on mine, I thought those functions would go.

They didn't. Even the radio stations were still there.

 

That there is something draining your battery. In my first XJ8 it was shorting out where the wires entered the firewall on the passenger's side of the car.

 

Thank you Blackbeard.

I found a great article on this topic:

http://www.aa1car.com/library/battery_runs_down.htm

I will check this next. Thanks for the tip!

Many thanks...

SirJag

 

i got mine at pepboys a year ago and it has been working fine!