Jaguar XK Convertible electrical problems

stuartw

I own a 2007 XK Convertible that has been nothing but trouble. The car fails to start at least twice a month. In the first 10,000 miles I have had 2 battery replacements. I have been afraid to drive it a long distance from my house and really havent gotten much use out of it. The Jaguar service department where I bought the car cannot find the problem. When I complained to corporate headquarters they said they could do nothing for me. In fact when I told Jaguar Credit I was thinking about withholding a lease payment because they could not fix the problem, the response was that they would damage my credit rating. I spent a lot of money for a poor quality vehicle and an organization that simply doesnt care. Has anyone else had this problem?

windscreens1

Hello Stuartw,I also have a XK Convertible and have just 9k miles on a 3 year old car owned from new by myself.I have had a lot of battery issues with the car and have had to replace the battery twice.The car has also been to the dealer many times for electrical problems and its just out from a service.The garage tried to solve a radio problem as follows,the sound level set at say 10 declines over about 5mins to nothing for no reason or if you switch on the heated windscreen it also declines faster.The technician in the Jag dealer has told me that the car is currently reading dozens of fault codes on the computer and he has never seeing the like before.He suggests to leave the car with them and they will start swoping parts for a garage car to try to eliminate them.The car is currently driving ok on the road.So much for Jaguar getting to grips with what has always being an age old problem with the brand.

fjmxk

I am very interested in finding out about the probelms you have experienced with your XK. I have been experiencing electrical probelms with my 2007 xk since I purchased it in Nove 2007. I have had battery issues, and display issues. It seem that my display ( audio, nav, phone, climate, etc gos completely black or only displays the jag logo - and nothing else will work. This has happened over 20 times and it has been back to the dealership many times. On the last occasion we had a jag engineer come out and look at the car for 4 days. He finally told me that the probelm is that I do not drive the car enough. With that statement I decided to file a lemon law suit and we are about to go to court on it. So any infomration you have provide me concerning this might help my case against jag.

windscreens1

The issues that you describe are similar to what I have seeing.I was also told that the small amount of driving I do in the car is a major cause of the electrical issues that I have experienced on the car.There is no doubt that this car is a power hungry machine and as such short trips are useless to help recharge the battery.Now my car has gone out of warranty I am terrified to leave it to a main dealer to sort out all the gliches as the time for a tech guy is unknown in advance.....so I feel that the guy will almost be training on my car and me paying for it.Pls feel free to contact me if I can be of assistance to you.Seems we have a lot in common.

stuartw

I have had the exact same problem. I am on my 4th battery in 2.5 years. Jaguar's repsonse was also that I dont drive the care enough. What B.S. I have been too afraid to take it on long trips, because the battery dies. But, if I don't drive it enough...the battery dies. Seems circular to me. I would join a class action suit or testify for anyone filing a lemon law complaint. I have had my car too long to file a lemon law suit.

fjmxk

Thanks for the information. We have not filed a class action suit. It is good to know that other people are having the same problem. I will let you know the outcome. Our case has been back and forth for over 15 months - I suppose it is going to take a bit longer.

jagchik

Have had no issues with the roof to date but it suddenly just stopped working today - as it rained of course. How do I get the top back up and what needs to be checked to fix this?

I have had issues with ASC Not Avail and Engine Fail Safe messages as well as all my rear lights going oiut sporadically. Possibly an electrical short?

windscreens1

My Jag also gave problems with the operation of the roof and had to be returned to a dealer to be sorted,it also has many many faults, when the garage runs the engine management report that the dealer finds very difficult to sort out.Seems like Jaguar have put too much electronics in this vehicle that are not tried and tested.

fjmxk

Fellows - all I can say is to take action on the electrical issues you have. In my case, we settled for a good amount of $. It took some time but in the end I was satisfied. While I can not give legal advise and most states have different consumer protection laws - but if you are still in warranty, you may be able to take legal action. Good luck.

nshariff

I have 2007 XK and having the same issue, my engine lights goes on
and off all the time. The dealer is saying I am not driving my car as required.
My answer maybe you should have had a disclaimer that if there is less ,mileage in your car you will have engine light problems

I have driven lots of jaguar with low mileage but never had any problems
The records are with dealer

The car has been to Canada - Edmonton dealer last year for 3 months
costing over $4500 and is back to the dealer - will keep you posted

nshariff

09xk

I own a 2009 XK convertible. The battery was replaced at 3 1/2 years by the dealer, that was 8 months ago. Yesterday the battery was dead after I used the call multiple times over the weekend. After doing research, I find that the electronics in the car drain the battery fairly heavily for an hour after turning off the car, unless you lock the doors, then it drains for 15 mins. I will begin locking the doors every time I shut the car off, even in my garage, and see it that helps. I wonder if the alternator is not high enough output in this car. Clearly, a larger battery would only prolong the issue, not fix it.

sov211

ALL of the problems complained about here are the result of low battery voltage - and yes, if you do not drive the car daily, this will happen. This is NOT a "Jaguar problem" - it happens frequently will all modern computer-laden cars. When the battery voltage drops you will get random electronic symptoms: warning lights, window, seat, convertible top, SatNav problems, etc. ALL of which are caused by battery issues. If your battery is more than 3 years old - replace it. But the very BEST thing you can do, which will permanently eliminate any electrical issues is to keep the Jag on a "battery minder", permanently attached, and plugged in when the car is not actually in use. The new version XK (2007 on) is a superb car. But if you think it has the same electrical demands as a 1995 car, you are very much mistaken. It needs full voltage, all the time.

laurasdada

I was the second owner of an '09 XK coupe. It was my regular driver for 2.5 years, I locked it every time I parked it, no matter where. Luckily, I had none of the issues noted in this forum. I just traded it on a '13 XF, the XK had the original battery, ~4.5 years old. Had I kept the XK, I would have put a new battery in before it was 5 y.o. Great car, I miss it...

falkie

I have an XKR 2009 the new 5 litre engine model. It has behaved perfectly from new until now (2014) when electrical problems have started. Battery not charging light (on for a couple of milliseconds on start-up) Then smart key not found (despite new batteries) so had to insert key in slot. Then adaptive headlights warning, then the alarm went off for no apparant reason. Dealer reckons it may be the earth "node" that is faulty and corroded. This is inside the vehicle it seems. New earth node to be replaced this week which will take at least four hours as body panels need to be removed. Hmmmm......sounds expensive. Anyone had similar probems with the 2009 model ??

Mr_Shiftright

A well known issue with these cars:

http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/forum/post/?t=91121

sue118

I am not sure if I am in the right spot but does anyone have an idea what I should ask for my 1997 jag xk8 58,000 miles - pristine inside and out?