Battery died after MOT from Jaguar

[Jackle14]

Hello everyone,

Last year when I had my MOT for my F-Type (my16) - it developed. “Please start engine low battery” when powering off. The Jaguar garage took car of this promptly and told me it was their issue.

Fast forward to the 09/09/24 and I have my MOT done.
The day later I have the same issue. I call them and they are very dismissive this time and had me booked in earliest 31/10/24.
I complained several times for my car to be seen asap but they never called me back.

Fast forward to Sunday and my car is as dead as a dodo. It won’t even open the door properly due to no residual power.

I had to physically turn up to the dealership this morning to be fobbed off by the manager claiming that the battery is my fault and they “Don’t use the equipment anymore to leave the session open” so the drain is not their cause.

I told them I know it’s their cause because it’s not coincidence that this happened directly after mot for the second time.

They are recovering the car tomorrow at my own cost and exclaimed they won’t be working on the car for weeks now due to a backlog they have.

Is there ANYWAY I can prove they’ve left the session open? I have a horrible feeling they know they’ve done this despite “changing equipment “ and will blame me/my battery for the fault.

I’m absolutely livid with the way they have treated me and I have complained to Jaguar customer care and they didn’t get very far when they phoned the dealer either.
Awful customer service…

Please can anyone advise how I can not be lied to when they eventually look at the car?

Kind regards,
Kyle

[simpleR]

Tis the season for battery related issues.

If the battery is completely flat then I guess little options exist unless there is enough charge to lock it and see if hazard warning light goes out or not.

I don't see the point of paying for recovery to garage that is being unhelpful and won't look at it for weeks. Do you have breakdown cover? Do you have the means to charge the battery? Or for the cost of recovery and Jaguar looking at it, then a new battery will probably be cheaper and a lot quicker!

[MikeM]

If it’s just a battery issue and that’s what it sounds like.. Just cancel their recovery, call your breakdown service (assuming you have home start?) They will fit a new battery. Alternatively use likes of Halfords mobile service to bring a battery out to you, or best and most economical option buy a replacement and fit it yourself.

[Jackle14]

Thanks guys -

@mikeM - replacement battery easy? I always thought this was complicated due to needing to have it talk to ecu for stop/start etc or am I being dumb? (My knowledge is low)

If I did get it replaced - would the phantom drain issue they caused with the open session after odb port mot - wouldn’t it happen again?

Cheers

[simpleR]

Disconnecting the battery for about 2 min will reset the OBD port.

[scm]

If I did get it replaced - would the phantom drain issue they caused with the open session after odb port mot - wouldn’t it happen again?

Why not take it to a decent place to get the MOT done, which doesn't require anything plugged into the OBD port?

And I doubt the battery needs to be replaced, just get a CTEK (or similar) battery maintainer, give it a good charge and recon and you're done!

[YorkshireSam]

If disconnecting/reconnecting doesn't work and you don't have breakdown cover, you could take the battery out and down to your local Halfords who will check it free of charge.

It'll tell you if the battery is expiring and needs replacing - if so, problem solved. On the other hand, if you get a good reading take a photo of the screen and you have some leverage if you need to progress things with the dealer.

Being made to wait a month in the circumstances you describe isn't good and I'd be voting with my feet, personally. From what you've said, it doesn't sound like they'll take any accountability even if they have dropped a knacker.

[Jackle14]

I’ll try the above guys - cheers.

Problem is though - the car is completely dead - no life - so the boot won’t open and I am guessing I need a jump start to try and get that open to access the battery?

If it’s in this state (no life) surely the battery is now gone?

[MikeM]

Thanks guys -

@mikeM - replacement battery easy? I always thought this was complicated due to needing to have it talk to ecu for stop/start etc or am I being dumb? (My knowledge is low)

If I did get it replaced - would the phantom drain issue they caused with the open session after odb port mot - wouldn’t it happen again?

Cheers

Lots of good advice here, most importantly “Cancel the dealer pick up” Changing the battery is straightforward and as already stated just disconnecting for 2 minutes will reset OBD port. The battery may be okay and just need recharging although if it’s the original possibly on its way out. Do you have home start cover? If so just call them they will jump start it from the engine compartment connection and can diagnose from there.

[NavigatorNI]

If you haven't breakdown cover, have you a mate with a set of jump leads? That at least would allow you to access the battery and proceed as above, ie. charge the battery, disconnect it for about a minute, then reconnect. Hopefully that should solve the issue.