Thank you WhiteXKR!
It's all we need to know I presume.

 

I contacted Jaguar for a bat charger...110£ for a c-TEK branded 'jag' with a cigar-lighter-12v connector.2 hours work to plug it (?)...Total 299£ ...I know...Ok,I am not going that way but before I can put a hand on one of them,would anyone have an idea of why would you need to work on the car a single minute for 'installing' a battery charger connection?Thank you!

 

I believe it's because they install a 12V accessory socket in the boot to plug the CTEK unit into. The wiring's there, but the socket isn't. However, if you look on the forum, there are loads of threads on installing various CTEK options, including extensions that make it easier to connect up the charger.

 

2 things
1. you can ruin the capacity of a new battery by letting it go flat.
2. Not all new batteries are good, I have had plenty of new SLA batteries that had t be returned.
Admittedly these are AGM.

So it may not be a drain issue at all, rather a dealer that allowed it to go flat- by doing nothing.

 

Thank you both for your prompt answer!
Super to know Ngarara!Perhaps worth the money then if it is to install a 12v plug...that I have from factory on my 12years old Passat.Good to connect a fridge f.i!
And thank you Queen and Country:my bat went flat once but my fault:1/let the car in the garage too long 2/ left the car unlocked allowing the car 'searching for the fob' and therefore draining the bat!Just want now to keep the bat mint with a charger....

 

Oh Phil, just one other thing. An all black XKR Dynamic with 540hp a Lady?
You may as well hang one of these from it and call it what it is.
(but get a black one- so as to make sense)

 

Not of my taste...Q.

 

There still seem to be people on this forum who will not accept the fact that all luxury brands (Audi, Mercedes, BMW, Range Rover, Maserati, Jaguar...) have exactly the same battery issue and that for this reason every one of these brands sells the CTEK charger (the most basic model, which is all that is needed) under their own brand names at double the price. It is useless to blame the problems of infrequent use, short trips, and batteries simply past their prime on Jaguar...perhaps a solution will be found but it will have to be found by all these manufacturers. Meanwhile, do yourselves the favour of either using the XK more regularly and for longer trips, or getting a proper battery maintainer (and yes, the CTEK brand is preferred for good reasons).
My 07 XK has not had a single electrical issue - why? It is on the CTEK charger when not being driven. Any, absolutely any electronic glitch, warning light, module failure, screen being frozen, top not latching...any of these can be signs of low battery voltage. And every one is cured instantly by a new battery or simply bringing the existing battery up to proper voltage...but unless it is maintained at that level problems will recur.

 

There does seem to be a tendency to overestimate the capacity and resilience of a standard battery and to under estimate the impact of no use periods, short usage cycles and/or recovery from a discharge event.

If the car is more than 3 years old there is probably no better protection than the best battery you can afford and a quality trickle charger/maintainer, especially for you northern hemisphere types. I am probably excessive in this area , I generally replace my batteries after about 4 full years of use and use a maintainer on all cars not driven daily.

 

As mentioned before I had loads of issues before I changed my battery but have had none in the year and a half since I changed it. If it starts playing up again I will give the battery a good charge and if that doesn't work I will change it again. For the price of a couple of tanks of fuel I would rather change the battery every two or three years than have to plug the car in every night!

My wife has an Audi S4 which has twice as many electrical gizmos as my XKR and she doesn't have any issues either. If I told her she had to plug her car in every night she would tell me to change it for something more reliable (or get it a new battery). Most people in the real world haven't heard of battery maintainers and don't use them.

Judging by the attached list, althought the starting requirements of modern cars seems to be higher now, the quiescent drain has actually improved over the years.

 

Interesting chart , does it come from somewhere credible? The difference of 30 to 20mA over the years and downwards is hard to make sense of e.g. the standby current on my XJ is the clock and whatever it takes to retain the radio memory.

All the time, possibilities and what someone elses car does really dont have much to do with what your car does given how often and how long you use it for. I routinely chewed batteries in my cars until I started my current program, but that is probably more about conditions and usage than anything else. Both factors have improved and I am probably overkilling it now.

 

I know that kind of info has come on the forum but-hoping for more details-could anyone confirm me which c-tek is sold by Jaguar and if anyone had a 12v plug in the booot fitted?i rather not use the 'crocodile' way but the 'cigar lighter' way and if it is to have a neat installation,i rather ask Jaguar to do it.
Thanyou all!

Phil

 

believe there was an option where there was a socket acc. in the rear boot on the right side. This requires you to open the boot to plug it in. Some of us have installed a socket outside and under the rear of the car.

 

Thank you Jagtoes.Looked at it...no 12v plug.Phone Jaguar:they confirm and thats why they invite me to book a 2 hours slot that they can fit one.Perhaps an option on purchase?Many thanks though,very helpful of yours...

 

The battery section in the more recent workshop manuals on Jaguar's Topix website so it should be credible.

 

Phil, you'd be better off following one of the various installation options in posts on the forum, which will probably give you a cheaper and better solution. The Jaguar-branded CTEK is overpriced, and there are better ways to connect the charger than plugging it into a 12v accessory socket.

 

I have used the eyelets rather than the alligator clips for a permanent hookup for my CTek 3000. I have also attached their four foot comfort cable and leave that laying in the boot. I have the charger itself attached to a work bench near the XKR. I plug the two cords in every night (which requires opening the boot) and then unplug it (also opening and closing the boot) when I go to use the car. total elapsed time for plugging in or unplugging including placing or removing a reminder on the steering wheel, no more than 15 -20 seconds. Not a big deal.

 

No reason a battery maintainer should not be wireless, aka, inductive charging like a cell or toothbrush. The voltages are low and you have all the time in the word. Plus you can accidentally drive away while half asleep and cause zero damage. Bet you money its coming. Or they at least owe me for the idea.

 

It's a simple 15 minute job to fit a battery tender. Probably the easiest DIY task possible on these cars.

There's no need to plug the car in every night. A battery in good condition has enough charge for several weeks if not a month of sitting idle. Of course, the car does need to be taken out for a good drive to allow the alternator to do it's job.

 

But the problem with the 5.0 XKR is that on short trips- which is reality for a lot of people, you are taking more out of the battery than putting back in.

Also why put miles on it to charge it, the battery charger also conditions the battery.