LR4 car camping / dead battery

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BznLR4

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Regarding 2011 LR4 HSE Lux

Leaving the vehicle parked and in/out for 6 hours or so drains my battery, even with a new battery!

I haven't actually hooked up a meter to measure current pull (that isn't so easy with DC current - or maybe there is a trick that I don't know?).

At bike races and similar events this has been annoying, but manageable. However, one of the reasons for purchasing was car camping. Is there some way to turn off all the damn computers etc and put it into some sort of "conserve" mode?

What do others do when car camping? Will simply hiding the key fob somewhere out of range (or wrapped in tin foil) solve the problem?
 

goblue95

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I've been car camping (3-6 days each time) a few times with my 2011 LR4, and never had an issue with a dead battery. I didn't hide either key fob (I typically travel with both of them on longer trips), and I'm sure one of them was either near or maybe in a bag inside the car. Maybe I just got lucky, although I'm going again in a few weeks so maybe I need to be more careful about where I place the fobs. Whenever I need to plug in a charger or air pump, I do start the engine, since I find the car only allows a short window of use on the reserve power.

I'm curious, though, are you already on your second battery with a 2011? I just had mine in for its 3 year/45k service, and didn't even consider replacing the battery nor did the service adviser suggest it. Does anyone know what the typical battery life is on the LR4?
 

BznLR4

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I've been car camping (3-6 days each time) a few times with my 2011 LR4, and never had an issue with a dead battery. I didn't hide either key fob...

I'm curious, though, are you already on your second battery with a 2011? ...Does anyone know what the typical battery life is on the LR4?

Searching the forum you will see a lot of reports of OEM battery failing at 2..3 years (replaced under warranty). Nearest dealer for me is ~6 hours so I just paid for a new battery. Of course not all fail - hopefully you are one of the lucky people with a good original battery.

Do you have the keyless ignition? The issue seems to be that, with keyless ignition, anytime the key is within range the LR4 is wasting battery with systems ready to start the engine.
 

BznLR4

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Dual battery setup?

Sure dual-battery is an option, but seems like an expensive solution to what should be a simple problem. With any other vehicle, I've only had such a problem if I left headlights on.

With "normal" beach/campsite/field use (occasional interior light, maybe even music for a while) it seems like a heavy duty battery should be fine. My Toyota Tacoma (for example) handles such loads just fine without a second battery, as has any number of other vehicles I've had. It seems strange that for similar purposes the LR4 would need a second battery.
 

goblue95

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Do you have the keyless ignition? The issue seems to be that, with keyless ignition, anytime the key is within range the LR4 is wasting battery with systems ready to start the engine.

Yes, I have the keyless ignition, but I don't have the Lux, which I think also has the buttons on the door handles for the keyless entry (I have to press the buttons on the key fob to lock and unlock the doors). Not sure if that would have any effect on it. Another thought - maybe with one of the key fobs constantly nearby, I don't re-activate the car into some sort of 'welcome' mode each time the car re-connects with it. Or, like I said earlier, maybe I've just been lucky.
 

mbw

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Sure dual-battery is an option, but seems like an expensive solution to what should be a simple problem. With any other vehicle, I've only had such a problem if I left headlights on.

With "normal" beach/campsite/field use (occasional interior light, maybe even music for a while) it seems like a heavy duty battery should be fine. My Toyota Tacoma (for example) handles such loads just fine without a second battery, as has any number of other vehicles I've had. It seems strange that for similar purposes the LR4 would need a second battery.

Yes, I agree. Should be able to get by. I would like a dual system myself, as I hope to start camping in more remote places at some point. That or carry a jumper battery thing. I've seen a few people do that. Would prefer hardwired dual batts though so I can just run a fridge/lights/pumps or whatever off the car.
 

umbertob

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After almost 9 years of Land Rover ownership, I have come to the conclusion that the Varta / non-AGM batteries installed in these cars are of very questionable quality. They seem engineered to fail a split second after your warranty is up, but they often don't make it if you put a lot of miles on your car and/or regularly drive in hot climates. The battery on my 2013 failed about 6 months ago at 30K miles. That was despite me installing a Traxide dual battery with a capable Optima Yellowtop as auxiliary, the main one simply stopped taking a charge. The OEM battery installed on my 2006 Sport - same exact cell from what I could tell - suffered a similar fate about 18 months into ownership, with just over 50K miles (I drive 30-35K miles per year.)

One problem in my opinion is that the battery is too small for the load demanded by this vehicle. Land Rover fits a size H7 at the factory, but they could easily fit a H8 on that tray, yielding some much needed extra juice. If you are going to replace battery on your dime, I'd look for a good quality AGM battery in group size 49/H8 over the stock flooded size 94R/H7. It will be about 1.5" longer and maybe 10-15 lbs heavier, but otherwise identical and will provide the extra CCA, reserve capacity and fast recharge that the standard battery lacks, for just a few dollars more. And, you will minimize the chances of an acid spill with an AGM, which can spell disaster on a car such as the LR4 where the battery is surrounded by a bunch of expensive electrical and electronic modules.

Also, don't forget Land Rover recommends you reset the BMS - Battery Mgmt System - module (via compatible diagnostics) when installing a new battery in the LR4. If they neglected to run that routine upon replacing your original battery, that may be part of the problem. In a worst case scenario, the BMS may be feeding the wrong data about your new battery to the ECM (thinking it's still dealing with your older, failing unit), causing the alternator to overcharge it with related premature wear. BMS is becoming standard technology on many newer cars, not just Land Rover, a necessary evil of today's highly sophisticated and sensitive electronic components and systems controlling just about everything in the car, which require plenty of smooth flowing power to initialize and operate properly. When in doubt, BMS may actually prevent the engine from cranking, even though your battery may be OK.

PS: I can't speak for the 2014s, as those vehicles come with Intelligent Stop/Start technology and, I assume, beefier batteries as a result.
 
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michal

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Hi - was it difficult to instal the dual battery system? I have a 2011 LR4 and I am thinking of National Luna but heard that (a) it is a bit if a pain to install as the second battery compartment is partially taken by other stuff and you need to reroute them and (b) if you drive less than 5 miles daily the system does not really work as the second battery is not charging. Is that correct or some bs on the forums. Thanks!


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umbertob

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Hi - was it difficult to instal the dual battery system?

Greg made it look easy: http://www.landroverworld.org/forums/showthread.php?t=23254

As far as (b), sounds like forum BS (it's actually hard to properly recharge ANY car battery if you really drive less than 5 miles each day, no matter how many of them you have installed... a battery tender may be in order!) and either way that's not a problem for me since my commute to work alone is about 50 miles roundtrip. :smile:
 
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