V6S convertible noob

[LordOxton]

Hi all, I thought I’d better start with a new member post before I dive onto the technical forum looking for help…so here goes…

After owning a 1972 V12 E-Type FHC for 20 years, then a 2006 XK 4.2, I promised myself (and my son) I’d get an F-Type at some point. So, just before Xmas ’20 I took the plunge and bought a 2015MY V6S convertible in shiny black.

The car had a full main dealer service with 57k on the clock when I took delivery.

Jobs done so far:

• Satnav update – hello new Runcorn bridge!
• New tyre sealant – does no-one check the expiry dates on these?
• Service - anti-freeze flush, oil/filter, new supercharger belt
• Treat the underneath with ACF50
• New disks/pads front & rear – general grot & old age
• Respray brake calipers – due to corrosion & change from red to graphite grey as I’m not 17!
• New main & stop/start batteries - not sure this was needed (more later)
• Gearbox oil/sump, diff oil & supercharger oil

The main battle I had initially was with the audio system. The previous owner had spent about £2.5k on a set of Audison upgrades, although you’d never guess. He wasn’t sure what had been fitted, the fitters claim to not keep any paperwork for long and my local car audio specialist didn’t want to know.

So, after watching several YouTube videos, I bought a car trim kit and dived in myself.

After removing the door trays and rear panels I was able to figure out which Audison components had been installed. I had a good play with the audio system via the USB interfaces. It’s a lot better now, and at least I know what’s in there. The Audison importers at Four Car Audio (https://www.fourcaraudio.co.uk) were very helpful and recommended who I should take it to for a proper fettle. That’s next.

As part of the Audison install the fitters had butchered the panels behind the seats. Being the lucky so-and-so that I am, there were a pair available on ebay for £50 each delivered. Happy days indeed! Having fitted the new panels I can now see that there was no need whatsoever for the old ones to be butchered. The Audison speakers fit just fine.

An ongoing issue seems to be the low battery warning message. I bought the recommended battery conditioner and have been using that quite a bit. The stop/start has never worked and the battery still keeps discharging. So, I replaced both the main and stop/start batteries. Predictably, the low battery warning still persists and the stop/start still doesn’t work!?!?!?!

That’s nothing compared to last weekend’s woes…over to the technical forum for that!

Cheers,

Paul J.

[Deleted User 1715]

Welcome to F Type ownership, obviously a long term Jaguar fan. I hope you get to enjoy driving it more than working on it!

I don’t find the standard Meridian audio too bad but rarely use it. Battery issues are fairly common but usually due to post OBD use as it doesn’t shut down properly. That’s unlikely to be the case for you as you’ve replaced the batteries and that action alone will have reset it. Another possibility is the battery management system deciding it’s flat when it isn’t - have you had the battery checked? Also, are you connecting the battery conditioner directly to the battery? Finally, I’ve read that new batteries need to be coded into the car when fitted but I’m not an expert on this, thankfully there are lots of more knowledgeable people here on the forum!