My Jaguar Won't Start

I did not start my (deployed) husband’s 2000 S-type Jag for about two weeks and now the car is completely dead. I can’t even pop the truck (where the battery is located) to jump start the car. What is the problem and how do I fix it? Absolutely nothing turns on when I turn the key.

Use your key in the lock on the trunk lid. It will open even without any battery power.

After you open the trunk, disconnect and clean the clamps and posts that connect the cables to the battery. A little corrosion in there will do what you describe. You can’t see it or feel it, but if you disconnect the cables, one at a time, and clean the contact surfaces with steel wool, the car will probably start right up.

There is no key hole for the trunk. Instead of a keyhole there is a button in its place, but it does nothing when I push it. There is also a trunk button by the driver’s side, but that, too, does nothing when I push it. Could it be an electrical problem?

The S-Type key hole is above the center of the license plate between the two plate light lenses. It almost looks like a screw head. You will have to angle the key upward to insert it into the lock.

Have someone jumper the battery to recharge it. Walmart and auto parts stores have battery trickle chargers which plug into the cigar lighter to keep the battery charged. Make sure that the cigar lighter socket works by pushing the lighter in until it heats.

Yes, there is, unless someone has modified this car. It came from the factory with a key lock in the trunk.