Thanks for the advice all- the battery was "new" (he said the tires were and they were new - no reason to not believe him) according to the previous owner back when I bought it in the end of July. However following this cold blast, the battery level was all the way down to 0, they recharged it for free at auto zone and it has worked ever since, however it is also warmer since as well. The AAA guy said my alternator was ok however the auto zone guy told me to check the alternator.

One thing I have learned is that I really need to learn how to do a lot of this work on my own. Dealing with many others who will probably learn as they go (the dealership didn't have a XF mech) will just prove to be pretty costly. This forum has proved very helpful but without a proper workspace it becomes pretty difficult, however I am pretty resourceful.

So while I wouldn't mind changing the battery, it would seem odd to change a battery that is only 6 months old.