New Battery Fitted

[snaefell]

Just fitted a new battery to my 3.5 X350,the old battery has been struggling this last week or so with the onset of cold weather & needed constant recharging,the battery I took out,I would be loath to believe it could be the origional as it has Jaguar labels on it,there is nothing in the vehicle service history to indicate the fitting of a new battery,but can it really have lasted since 2005?
Anyway my real question was the battery size,the replacement is smaller than the old one,doesn't reach the two securing bolts,not entirely happy with just one bracket holding it in place,any ideas for a solution please guys?

[J44EAG]

An 019 90ah is the minimum required. If you are lucky, you may find a 100ah capacity battery in the same size case which gives a useful bit of extra reserve capacity. The battery should be from premium ranges rather than cheapo budget types. Bosch or Varta Silver or Blue provide that stable battery platform. The battery should fully fit the battery tray. It may be you have an 069 fitted which is somewhat smaller and perhaps not up to the 90a sizing. Small batteries are unlikely to perform satisfactorily and budget types are unlikely to perform reliably for long. Their life will be short and you can expect to have to endure electrical malfunctions.

I`d have thought it unlikely that your battery would have lasted 12 years. 7 years or so would be a more realistic time span.

Double locking the car will help extend battery life. This puts the car into its lowest consumption state. This is important if the car is left standing for extended periods. With depressed winter temperatures, you can expect a dormant car to require a regular mains recharge to maintain peak battery condition which should be at around 12.8v at the battery terminals.The immobilization/security system is heavy on electrical consumption. 12.8v is a fully charged battery. 12.4v indicates a partially discharged battery with just 12v indicating a battery in discharged condition. Batteries below 12v may cause starting issues as electronic switch packs will be unable to fire fuel injectors.

Typical indicators that the battery is in a partially discharged condition manifest themselves as ABS/DSC faults, popped fuel filler flap, self opening boot lid, valet mode, consul light on and slow engine cranking. One cold start will need a half hour of engine running to restore the current consumed during that brief cold start. Short engine runs should be avoided to prevent gradual draining of the battery.

Hope that helps.

Mike

[Popsjag]

I fitted my XJR with this one from Eurocarparts:
Bosch S4 Car Battery 019 4 Year Guarantee
Bosch S4 car batteries are a high quality, premium replacement for you original car battery. The Bosch S4 range has up to 15% more 'Cold Cranking' power than the original equivalent, and up to 20% longer service life thanks to Bosch's innovative 'Power Frame' technology. All Bosch S4 batteries are maintance free meaning you do not need to top up, or change the water. Bosch S4 car batteries are ideal for modern vehicles which require a higher quality battery
Amp Hours: (Ah): 95Ah
Cold Cranking Amp: (CCA): 800cca
Length: 353mm
Width: 175mm
Height: 190mm

I also use an AA branded solar panel charger, placed on the top of the dashboard, that charges through the OBD port. I have no issues starting it up after 2 weeks of idleness (the car, not me!) - but I noticed it was a little laboured trying to start the engine (after 2 weeks) before using this charger.

[ptjs1]

Some X350s used 019 batteries and some used 096 batteries. I'm pretty sure that 3.5 V8s used 019 batteries. Perhaps you've bought the wrong size? Can you exchange it for an 019 battery?

Cheers

Paul

[snaefell]

Many thanks for taking time to reply guys,after checking around the local suppliers I ended up using Halfords,this was for 2 reasons,one was that I had a discount voucher from there & they offer to fit it,I know it isn't rocket science but with hands,wrists & fingers full of arthiritis just getting it off the shelf in the store was hard work,as it turned out they didn't have enough staff in store to do the fitting so I ended up doing it anyway!
The make I ended up buying was Yuasa,not the cheapest in any of the local stockists,in fact the dearest with a 5 year guarantee & promise of 50,000 starts,I have had the same make fitted to my other vehicle for some years,that vehicle is older than my Jaguar,again the newer battery is smaller than the previous/origional,I just assumed that as things have progressed over the years that was they way battery sizes had gone.
I guess only time will tell.

[ptjs1]

snaefell,

Although battery technology has changed, it's still better to use the correct physical-size battery which is defined using the standard industry code.

Halfords often seem to have the incorrect size quoted against certain car models. (Jaguar XJS being an annoying example!).

An 019 batter is approx. 353(l) x 175(w) x 190(h)

An 096 is approx. 278(l) x 175(w) x 175-190(h)

If your battery is too small for the fitting, I think they've given you an 096 instead of the 019 that I would expect in your car. I'd take it back and get them to exchange it.

Cheers

Paul

[J44EAG]

Agree totally with Paul.

Extra size implies extra battery plate area, more capacity, better winter starting and more cold cranking amps. On these cars, you really do need a high capacity battery.

Mike

[david-c432]

Just to add to the discussion, the battery in my 2006 Sovereign LWB was the original and only replaced in Sept 2021. It failed one evening (annoying but I was at home and I put on charge overnight). With a wedding weekend coming up, I had no option but to replace. My local specialist could not help in the timescale but Halfords could and fitted a Yuasa HSB019 Silver100Ah (with 5 Year Guarantee at £158.00 inc fitting.) It neatly fits the whole battery compartment. I have no knowledge of Yuasa but the reviews I have read seem favourable.
(Incidentally, I am pleased I went ahead with the battery; the Sovereign was enlisted at very short notice to take the bride and father to the church which of course she did in style....)
David