I drove the vehicle 2 hours to the destination yesterday, it's been standing there locked for 5 hours, then I drove it 2 hours back. Immediately put it on CTEK - 40-206 MXS 5.0 charger, it's been standing there for a few hours with three dots lighting up and staying there all this time.

Disconnected the charger, initiated the 4.5.0 update, locked the vehicle, went to sleep.

This morning, still at 4.4.1.

Update woes aside, about the battery level - what the actual hell? How long do they expect me to drive to charge the battery enough?

Yeah, the question rhetorical. Just needed to vent.

Destination photo, as an apology for lack of constructive content.

 

Are you having an issue with the battery going dead? Why are you hooking up a charger?

 

Maybe your battery has issues and not able to charge to full capacity. Very common so it seems. have your battery load tested as that will give you the true answer you seek.

 

These vehicles are power hogs. Even when parked and locked, all those sensors, communications, cellular connections, Wi-fi are never turned off, always searching, sensing, monitoring and the battery life is compromised. I’m on my third battery in just over four years. I’ve always been used to getting at least three but usually 4-6 years out of a battery , but those days are over with these new smart vehicles.

 

Side note: congratulations on your purchase
Now, "don't get scared" (maybe one day I'll tell you that story about how I met a moose in Alaska... but not today )

As noted above, these vehicles have a notoriously weak electrical system. As you will likely find elsewhere on the forum now that you know about this, connecting the vehicle to a trickle charger is a considered to be good habit to protect the battery. One other reason I do it is that my trips are extremely short (2.2 miles, 6 minutes) so had I not been doing that what the vehicle would've been doing all that time is charging the battery it just discharged while starting the engine, so the fuel economy would've been even worse than it currently is. Seems to be helping.

Not to get up twice, I never had a battery die in this vehicle (yet), but twice I had a "battery is low, start the engine" warning, both times during camping, roughly a night and half a day into it both times, even though I was trying to be very conservative opening the doors. Start the engine, let it run for 30 minutes, it'll automatically shut off, problem solved.

Nah, doesn't seem to be the case. It was doing just about this thing all the time since I started using the trickle charger. What got me peeved, though, is that 4.4.1 update installed without thinking twice and this one (which is supposed to "fix problems with update system itself") is as cantankerous as previous updates, case in point - right now the vehicle forgot about its existence altogether (I'm sure it'll remember when the battery gets low the next time).

Also, I think the charger would've told me if there was a problem with the battery. Googled a bit, it looks like there is a different version of the CTEK charger that has an active battery probe; usually I'd provide a link but this time it's not clear whether it is better or worse than what I already have and there may be some idiosyncrasies about UK vs. US version, so I'll leave it to those knowing it better than me to comment upon.

 

Could be time for a new battery. Or, try turning off cellular data and connect your Defender to your home WIFI network. I could never get software updates to download and install correctly using the poor cell service at my house. When connected to my home WIFI, software updates download and install quickly.

 

On my L663, after 4-5 years, on the original battery - CTEK would never go above maybe the 3rd dot (of 5?), no matter how long I left it on the charger. It never “died” per se but something was up. New battery last winter = Now 5 when I put it on the tenders.

To me, “notoriously weak electrical system” means something more like a 1980’s Audi like the dad drove in Ferris Bueller, a P38 Range Rover, a 1986 2.0 Saab 9000 Turbo with too small of an alternator, or certain 2000s/2010s BMW 7 series that ate batteries annually, or an 80’s Peugeot where the electrics were just garbage. Undercharging, dumb Bosch voltage regulators. Terrible fuse boxes. Eats batteries. The L663 is heavy electrical usage consumer vehicle, but in other words, I would not say that these vehicles have a “notoriously weak electrical system.”

Is your CTEK on an extension cord? I do keep five cars on CTEKs / battery tenders, and when I see one charge hold partway but not ever fully complete, it’s usually:
1 - the charger itself (they do get screwy)
2 - usage of an extension cord. I have one CTEK that does not tolerate anything other than its own cord, on any car, it’s weird. Another CTEK that’s the exact same, I can put on a 100’ extension cord without issue.
3 - the vehicle battery

 

16 months? That would be a record even for a JLR product. The shortest time I had a battery live here was a bit over two years, but that was quite a while ago - the last AGM battery I had to replace was *seven* years old.

It is a matter of experiment, of course, but if the messages on the console are to mean anything, it has already downloaded the update but for whatever reason didn't complete the installation. I already ranted on this topic - Pivi messaging regarding failure reasons (or progress status, for that matter) is non-existent - I vaguely remember seeing a message about battery status being the reason once a while ago, but I don't think I'd be able to find that message if my life depended on it.

I agree, it's a matter of wording, but I have to admit I'm spoiled with rock solid and apparently bottomless batteries on some other European manufacturers' cars that can run for hours playing music while I work on them or am waiting for family members to finish the "lemme just grab that one thing quickly" shopping tours. Never in my life I saw a message "battery low, start the engine" on any other cars. And I'm sure you saw the posts about Pivi eating 10A just to boot when you open the door.

Granted, it may be good enough for a city commuter (though even city dwellers complain about the battery going dead about a few days of not driving the car). It is absolutely not enough for a vehicle advertised as a rugged offroad life saver. That' just my take, though, I'm not dying on this hill.

Yes, though a finger thick industrial extension cord normally used with power tools.

My peeve is more with the battery than the charger, I would totally expect it to be completely charged after a two hour drive, or after being completely charged with the CTEK (all LEDS on).

...or maybe it's the update system that is screwed up; let's see what they do with it in 4.5.0 - it's specifically intended to improve this process