Hi I am taking delivery of a 2014 TD4 XS this week, it has very low miles 14000 and I guess not much use, it will be fully serviced and MOT'd before I collect it, however I wondered as after reading the threads here some say the battery doesn't last long (4 years?) If the battery is replaced in time do you have to re code the radio etc?? Many thanks Tony

There’s no recoding to be done just windows etc resetting. Make sure the battery is correct for your car it gets muddy with stop start and gel batteries. I got a good deal on mine online from the battery guys a Duracell heavy duty it’s a good battery.

They will last longer than 4 years but prudence by year 5 may be better so as not to upset that on board computer that then sulks with not getting its daily fix of big amps. FL2 MY10 TD4 GS traded in at 2 years
FL2 MY13 TD4 GS Current

I was sitting in my 14 plate XS the other day with the ignition on but with engine off playing with the satnav and after about 10 mins a message came up saying that the battery was getting low and advised starting up. I don't know if that's a sign of problems ahead? I have had a number of FL2s a lot older than this one and never had a battery problem and for what it's worth my wife has just had the first new battery in her 56 plate Peugeot 207 at 11 years !

I bought one of these which gives you a handy readout of battery voltage when stopped or running. Seems fairly accurate when compared with a proper voltmeter.
https://www.ebay.co.uk/p/Car-4-in-1-Charge...0005.m1851 3 x FL1 2 manual + 1 auto
5 x FL2 4 manual + 1 auto
Now Discovery Sport P250 MHEV SE

I think that on the later MY13+ FL2 the battery management system is a bit over zealous and starts shutting down the auxiliary power quite early. I have to keep switching on my radio every 10 in or so if I am sitting waiting with no engine going.

It all jumps back into life if a door is opened. FL2 XS SD4 Auto 2010 2012-2017 (21k - 91k miles) (MY2011)
FL2 Metropolis SD4 Auto 2014 2017- (16k - 76k+ miles) (MY2015)

Thanks for the replies, much appreciated and nice to know I dont need to worry about a radio code when the inevitable happens

Just replaced the battery on my 2014 Freelander auto as the original one struggled in the very cold weather in March. If you do decide to replace, do the research and don’t rely on “enter the registration in the search engine “. As other posters have pointed out, there are different types of battery depending on whether you have stop/start.
From what I found out, it would appear that the OEM battery fitted new is what you would buy now as a 3 year warranty battery. 2014 Freelander 2 TD4 GS Auto

Tony
Read my thread on battery fault.
I had a warning come up on my 63 FL2 at 19000 miles saying GEARBOX FAULT TRANSMISSION REDUCED.

It turned out that the stop start drains the battery, so now on every trip I have to turn off the stop start since doing that no warnings on the dash and the battery is fine.

Richard

Colsay. Are you saying that your 2014 auto had stop start? My 2014 SD4 auto doesn’t. 3 x FL1 2 manual + 1 auto
5 x FL2 4 manual + 1 auto
Now Discovery Sport P250 MHEV SE

In another thread I stated that my battery didn't actually need replacing yet, but I had noticed that the car was a touch slower to start.

I replaced the battery last year as we were travelling for a few months over Christmas & as we did not want to be stuck anywhere. We ended up at some pretty remote places where we did not see another person for the entire time in the area. I would not want the car to brake down hundreds of km from help in 45+C temperatures!

If the car brakes down, & at the most inconvenient time, like my neighbour being pregnant & can't wait too long to get to hospital, but if this doesn't bother you or other half, then leave the battery in!

On the other hand the cost of a new battery amortised over 4 years is not expensive. Probably it is far cheaper than the inconvenience of braking down! Probably also not worth the comments from SWMBO!

Not to forget that the battery could also be a year older than when the car was first sold. Batteries start aging from their first day of manufacture. Not the day you bought the new car out of the show room.

Low mileage cars possibly have a lot of short trips, so a lot of engine starts & not a lot of time for the battery to fully recover. Lead acid batteries have a better life if not stressed too much & if they are kept topped up. Procrastination, mankind's greatest labour saving device!

Acoustic insulation ARB TPMS 3xARB air compressors After cooler Air tank On-board OCD pressure air/water cleaning Additional 50L fuel Carpet in doors ABE 2x1kg Waeco 28L modified fridge Battery 4x26ah Solar 120w Victron MPPT 100/20 DC-DC 18amps 175amp jumper plug Awning 6x255/60R18

dorsetfreelander wrote:

Colsay. Are you saying that your 2014 auto had stop start? My 2014 SD4 auto doesn’t.

No mines a manual with stop/start I think you are better off without it, my car is now on 31000 and the battery is fine its starts first time even through winter. I took it to Halfords and they did a test on the battery and said it was fine.
They have a tester that is electronic and does not harm the battery and its free.
Richard

Plenty of information here to make your head spin.

https://batteryuniversity.com/index.php/le...id_battery

How Heat and Loading affect Battery Life
https://batteryuniversity.com/index.php/le...ttery_life


Cooling the car down for the night so we could sleep in it. Let alone the excessive heat shortening the life of the car battery.

Click image to enlarge

Click image to enlarge