Performance restricted and DSc not available

[Adrian Bevan]

Hey guys, new member and new owner here! I’ve just bought a 2010 Xkr and have been loving every moment of driving her until now.

Within the last week I randomly get a performance restricted message popping up, closely followed by DSc unavailable message. Sometimes the eml light comes on other times it doesn’t. Shutting the car down and restarting seems to clear it. I had this issue yesterday, getting a bit frustrated and with a clear road in front I floored the throttle and the error message went away!! 
Does anyone know what could be going on?

[N6 JMX]

Hi Adrian, welcome to the wonderful world of Jaguar XKR motoring.

As a new owner, do you know the age of your car's battery in the boot? The symptoms you are describing are what is expected with a battery that is not quite up to the task any more.

In today's modern vehicles with lots of electronics and computers involved, the battery voltage stability is ALL important. No longer is the ability of the battery to start the car the definitive sign that the battery is healthy. Voltage spikes below 12V are the likely cause of your spurious messages and warning lights. If you are unsure of the battery's provenance, then I would get it changed soonest as the frustration will only increase.

As a "rule of thumb", the battery is suspect after 5 years, so even if you have it tested at a garage and it indicates "green", if you don't know its age, go for a replacement.

N6 JMX

[Adrian Bevan]

Brilliant! Thanks for that, she’s booked in for a battery swap on Weds. Hopefully that will mean I’ll be able to just enjoy the drive against and rack up the smiles per miles!!