www.jec.org.uk

Hi,

My 4 year old XE has just 20,000 on the clock. Everything works perfectly and I've just returned from a 600 round trip to the south coast so the battery should be well topped up.

The stop/start feature doesn't work any more, not at all.

Is the battery likely to be the problem? The one in the car is the original.

The car is a portfolio model and is 'fully loaded', so it has a lot of extras.

Is it possible to get a better battery than the original one?

Thanks.

Martin Verdeyen.

Like you, in this instance, I'd make the battery the prime suspect. My own XE is largely a long distance car, yet has always been highly sensitive to battery condition, i.e stop/start only ever works when the battery is absolutely fully charged through continuous use. Presumably, Jaguar has set the system to cut-out at the most modest of voltage reductions. To be honest, I find the stop/start feature more annoying than useful. It always seems to decide to suddenly start working when I'm waiting for a gap at a busy roundabout! Hence, unless the car is displaying any spurious warning lamps and/or your normal use is low mileage/short journeys, I suggest you have the option of leaving battery replacement a little longer. Mike.

Hi Mike,

Thanks for your reply. My XE is a long distance car as well, we use it mainly to visit my daughter and her family on the south coast.

My son also has an XE Sport which he uses as a daily driver, the stop/start on his stopped working so he took it in under warranty. The dealership said it was the battery and just replaced it without any quibble. It has worked perfectly since.

I'm concerned that if my battery is getting weaker it may let me down when I'm a long way from home.

Martin.

Turn it off and leave it off. Save yourself a lot of money on future engine repairs.