Battery low and battery maintenance

Technical Advice, Faults and How-To Information.
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Rivendell
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Post by Rivendell »

Battery low. After a service in a dealership, my battery low caption illuminated. Jaguar Assist arrived quickly and fixed it: some software had to be re-loaded that had been keeping bits of the car ‘alive’ when it was shut down (apparently it’s not uncommon after a service?).

Battery maintenance. So, kind of related, I’ve decided to buy a charger/maintainer. The CTEK MXS 5.0 gets rave reviews, but has anyone used the ABSAAR Pro 8.0 as an alternative? I’ve nothing against the CTEK, but have used ABSAAR chargers in the past and found them to be excellent. The ABSAAR is an 8A charger with a digital display and is about the same price.

Secondly, I have heard that you can close the boot and keep the battery ticking over through the winter. Instinctively this seems to either risk the charger cable, the boot waterproofing (or both) while also risking increased temperatures during charging. I’m a complete novice so have no evidence to support my ‘common sense thoughts’. If I’m leaving the car for a period where battery maintenance is a good idea, how should it best be done?

Thank you.
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mickjaguar
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Post by mickjaguar »

You'll find previous posts that mention dealers not disconnecting from the OBD port property, which leaves processes running and flattens the battery. I think the answer was to disconnect the battery briefly.

I have had my ctek connected through the boot seal for 4 winters,. It's flexible enough and the cable us quite thin. I don't envisage it being a problem. Loads of owners doing it, I expect we'd have heard something by now if it was.
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DaddyDarren
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Post by DaddyDarren »

Have used the CTEK for a few years now. Great bit of kit. Just keep cable loose as tailgate closes to ensure no snagging.

No issues with overheating. Highly recommended to keep sensitive batteries & electrics satisfied 👍
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MikeF
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Post by MikeF »

That is very interesting Rivendell. I had my car serviced last week and immediately the battery warning message came up. Phoned the dealer but they did not mention software, just suggested it might be the battery. I booked it in but could not get a date before the dealership closed due to Covid19.
Now the battery is completely flat and I cannot get in the car even with the emergency key ( my post is below yours).
I should be very grateful if you could give me any more detail you have about the issue and what causes it before I do battle with the dealership when they reopen.
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mickjaguar
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Post by mickjaguar »

Here's one of the posts

viewtopic.php?t=3832
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MikeF
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Post by MikeF »

Thanks Mick. I will be prepared when I eventually get the car into the dealership.
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Rivendell
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Post by Rivendell »

Mike, the Jaguar Assist technician said he had attended other F types with identical issues specifically after servicing. Mine went the same way as yours – I got the caption on the day I picked the car up from the service, drove the car over quite a distance then turned off the engine without the caption illuminating. I thought I’d fixed it. When I returned to the car two days later to start it, it was flat as a dab and I needed to break in with my emergency key. The technician who attended my car said that it was software related and that he had found two different bits of software that were preventing the car from shutting down fully electrically. He didn’t mention the OBD issue, but it might be related. He reloaded both bits of software and then turned the car on and off a few times and was able to check through his laptop that the car was fully dead. The problem is now fixed. I leave my car for long periods without it being started or used (hence the query on on the charger), so I did wonder whether my battery would be a bit iffy. However the technician told me it was still in excellent condition (my car is MY 16).
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MikeF
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Post by MikeF »

Thanks very much Rivendell. That is very useful and I will be sure to go through this with my dealer when they eventually reopen. I had to replace the battery last year so I was very surprised when I saw the error message.
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Rivendell
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Post by Rivendell »

mickjaguar wrote: Fri Mar 27, 2020 9:00 am You'll find previous posts that mention dealers not disconnecting from the OBD port property, which leaves processes running and flattens the battery. I think the answer was to disconnect the battery briefly.

I have had my ctek connected through the boot seal for 4 winters,. It's flexible enough and the cable us quite thin. I don't envisage it being a problem. Loads of owners doing it, I expect we'd have heard something by now if it was.
Thank you. Very helpful.
BRG V6 with 20 inch alloys and the Exhaust switch!
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Rivendell
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Post by Rivendell »

DaddyDarren wrote: Fri Mar 27, 2020 9:32 am Have used the CTEK for a few years now. Great bit of kit. Just keep cable loose as tailgate closes to ensure no snagging.

No issues with overheating. Highly recommended to keep sensitive batteries & electrics satisfied 👍
Really helpful. Thanks.
BRG V6 with 20 inch alloys and the Exhaust switch!
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