So I don’t have much more to add. I replaced the battery in June. Last week I had a couple slow starts but it eventually fired up and has been fine. I brushed it off to the cold spell we had. This morning my key fob wouldn’t unlock the doors, I used the key to manually unlock the door and the vehicle is dead. It wouldn’t even receive the fob.
it hasn’t been serviced by the dealership in a long long while and I’ve had fault lights on and off. My local service guy wasn’t too worried about it, as chalked it up to the computer not getting a reset. Though at 120k miles it’s maybe not nothing.
Is my best bet to get a multimeter & check the status of the battery? What’s next?
I’m 4 hours from a Rover or authorized service and an currently car shopping so not interested in investing too much in it. But it’s also my only set of wheels right now.
Thank You!

 

I'd say your battery is either dead or needs a recharge. You likely have a battery drain issue with an electrical component. If these vehicles aren't used regularly, they are notorious for killing batteries.

 

Disconnect the battery and check voltage first, then put a charger with the battery disconnected from the car. Finding out what could be draining the battery can be as simple as a GPS, phone, USB port on an aux power port, or something else, like the sat radio module needing to be reset or changed. You really need to put a scanner on it to read any fault codes.

 

Thank you! If I can get it to an AutoZone or similar they can scan it, correct?

 

Yes, and they usually do it for free.

 

If you own a vehcile with high mileage, you should own a multimeter (DMM) and OBD2 code scanner. Basic models are inexpensive. Even if someone else does the work, it's good to perform some basic diagnosis on your own and fix what you can DIY within your skill and comfort level.

When you are at Autozone, ask them if they can also do a parasitic drain test. It requires a clamp ammeter and will indicate if some electrical component is draining your battery when the vehicle is shut off. Allow the vehicle to rest at least 20 minutes before doing this test so all the modules complete their routine shutdown process.

I just tested the parasitic drain on my 2008 LR2 and it's about 17mA. The specs say it should be less than 24mA. My measurement is lower because I did it with the hood open and alarm off. If your measurement is much more than these figures, you have to start looking for the source of the draw.

Let us know how it goes.

 

Got a ride to Napa, it was closest and where I bought the battery in June, though at a different location. They swapped me their jump n carry for my id. I got it started pretty quickly, no fault lights were on. Took it to Napa for a scan, it came back clear, nothing. They were slammed and didn’t have time for the predatory sounding scan (it’s been a long day I forget what it’s called, sorry. But it sounded scary.) but said to come back. He tested the charge and it should be 6 something but it was 5 something and it shouldn’t be that. Said to drive it over the weekend and see how it acts, come back by Monday and test it again along with the other scan.
I ran a couple errands after and I haven’t had any trouble. We’ll see in the morning.

Thank you for your help.

 

Rarely are batteries fully charged when purchased.
also, just to be thorough, are you certain your alternator is sufficiently charging?
fwiw, my lr2 frequently sits for a couple of months , but starts right up.
(blame COVID)