How to hard wire a CTEC battery charger | Jaguar XK | advice and tips

[@davidg7624]

I have my CTEC charger hard wired to my battery exactly as you have. It makes for a quick, reliable and simple connect/disconnect. I do not, however, let the cable drape across the rear fender. Doing so will put very fine micro scratches in the finish. Instead, I have it come directly out of the trunk (boot) and across the back bumper over. But I also use a small piece of foam rubber underneath the cable so it doesn't scratch the finish on the bumper cover. It doesn't really add any inconvenience to the procedure. Great video. And more good tips. Keep up the good work.

[@steweavy]

Just bought an XKR and I'm working my way through your videos. Some great tips, very helpfull. Thanks!

[@life_on_cars]

Great to know thanks buddy

[@boyblunder8889]

I fitted the permanent comfort lead socket to my XKR , I extended the actual power cable for the Ctek , it’s quite thin , I then close the boot on the cable at the bottom of the boot lid , it doesn’t get trapped and doesn’t mark the rubber seal. One reason people say about finding a different earth for the Ctek is because of the BMS , battery monitoring system

[@philboyce1582]

Nice one👍 tip, if you have a 5.0L in the boot passenger side there is a vent, remove the cover and there is live wire to the battery and under the spare wheel cover there is a bolt for the negative, especially helpful on a convertible.

[@johnwilkinson4782]

Mines hard wired to the positive and negative connections behind the vent which is located at the back of the passenger rear light. That way when its not in use you can tuck the wire behind the vent cover so it's all out of sight

[@dstanners8443]

I just close the boot with the wires coming out below the number plate area. Never had a problem with snagging them. I fact with the boot closed the wires move fairly easily in and out protected by the soft boot seal I guess.

[@life_on_cars]

Should be OK it's only a small wire

[@Snoozzzzzze]

I leave the Ctek cable poking out of the bottom of the tailgate. The boot closes no problem and has been in use for years with no marking of the seals or paint. Car is secure and on charge 24 hours a day.

[@life_on_cars]

Good to know thanks

[@TX200AA]

Great tip about the boot lock!

[@SGK1324]

Off topic, on topic. As it’s difficult to find production numbers of the 2007 XK, even more so breaking it down to colours, I’ve finally found them. Eg: your one in black ebony is 1 of about 500 made in the XK in 2007. Combo with the Charcoal interior would made that figure slightly less again. Just FYI if you were curious.

[@life_on_cars]

That's great info thanks buddy.

[@SGK1324]

@@life_on_cars 👍

[@ronbladon7833]

Its a good idea to fit an inline fuse between the battery and first plug.If you trap a wire and short it it could catch fire.

[@life_on_cars]

That's a good idea for extra protection 👍

[@Jdjfbficjenenwk3736]

Nice video and shirt!

[@stevepitts7998]

I'm not 100% sure if the Jaguar branded battery conditioner is identical to the CTEK MSX 5.0 but it costs £152 🤔 vs £80 (or less) for the CTEK from Halfords or Amazon. I have seen a CTEK800 branded charger in Lidl for less than £30, but it's for lead acid batteries only and I have a feeling it might not have the full range of conditioning features that the MSX 5.0 has. Would be a good option though for someone needing a less technically demanding battery conditioner.

[@candycane5077]

Also he said to turn lights off , that the auto on the lights drain along with other things . Every time it’s cold and sits for 3 days my new battery dies , never had that issue in the first 4 years of owning the car

[@ianhortonplant]

Excellent video. Really clear. Keep it up.

[@Mortissss]

Just because I'm too lazy to go check the car ..... what size direct connector are you using? I see it comes in M6 or M8.

[@bryangreenwood8453]

Great Video, Some good tips.

[@JL-of3db]

Question to all watchers, where is a good place to pick up XK spares? I've just purchased one and keen to get familiar with it and start some DIY on it.... Thanks...

[@life_on_cars]

Where are you based?

[@JL-of3db]

@@life_on_cars Manchester

[@life_on_cars]

@JL-of3db I use a mix of genuine parts and aftermarket. Worth getting the Jaguar part number and then checking on line as some sellers have genuine parts cheaper than JLR.

[@kenbaustin4533]

Hard to believe that we buy these 100$K(originally) cars and then have to worry about plugging it in after every use like a damn Tesla! The electronics have always been the weak link on these XKs and it's a damn shame that the engineers didn't design these circuits to run efficiently on less than perfect voltage as the bad reputation would be replaced with glowing reviews for all of the rest of the fine attributes it possesses.

[@life_on_cars]

True . But common on a lot of cars

[@ianwalley6631]

Hello, my thanks for your excellent videos. Can I ask a basic question please. Regarding hardwiring the C TEC charger into the Jaguar. If I hardwired the C TEC charger to the battery, do I still have to remove both the battery terminals prior to charging or can I leave the battery terminals in place and charge the battery?

[@life_on_cars]

Hi. Just leave them connected 👍

[@ianwalley6631]

⁠​⁠@@life_on_cars Hi, many thanks for the reply so just to confirm i’ll leave the battery terminals in place ie connected to the car and just charge the battery through the hard wire C TEK cables. Sorry to be a bit thick but I just want to get it right

[@life_on_cars]

@ianwalley6631 yes that's right. No need to disconnect battery. Just connect the charger as per the video and plug in. Simples. 👍

[@ianwalley6631]

Great Many thanks keep the great videos coming👍👍

[@colinhutchinson5282]

Do your boot lights go out without fully closing lid ?

[@life_on_cars]

Yes because I close the catch with a screwdriver, it's on the video 👍

[@colinhutchinson5282]

@@life_on_cars thanks for reply, saw that on the video but thought the switch was more complex and deeper in the latch mechanism. Great help, again, with all your posts.

[@candycane5077]

I thought there was a charge area on the left side , little charge box made for trickle chargers ? I’ll have to look again it been awhile

[@life_on_cars]

It's a jump start point

[@candycane5077]

Oh ok. The tow guy told me to put the things on the bigger screws not the smaller ones and said I needed washers to hold them in ,I video taped his instructions , I’m double checking all so I don’t mess up my car the electrical is already whacky and I never know if it’s the boy calling wolf on this car

[@Fee.1]

Step 1: plug it in *job complete*

[@life_on_cars]

😄