X7 Suspension problem

[qprdude]

Oh Dear. Today of all days.
Car wouldn't start this morning even after trickle charging for an hour, then trying to jump start from the wife's Clio. Eventually went and bought a battery and fitted it. Car started fine, but when the battery was first connected, I heard the suspension motor whining for ages. It normally does this when I open the door but never for so long or so loud.
With the new battery installed and the engine running, I set the suspension to high. That worked fine, although there was a 15mm difference between N/S and O/S front. I then set the suspension to low and did a quick check. It seemed to be OK. I then tried to set it at normal but it wouldn't budge. The height settings didn't come up on the display. the service light appeared and the warning "Suspension fault, Max speed 55 mph" was displayed.
Biggest problem is, I have my daughter and two of her children arriving at the airport tomorrow morning, complete with push chairs and luggage, and the wife's Clio just isn't big enough for everything.
Any quick fixes?

[vborovic]

Didn't you replace the battery a month ago?

[qprdude]

Didn't you replace the battery a month ago?

No. The car has been starting not too bad as the weather has been reasonably mild (above freezing)

I put it in the garage for the first time ever, and the bloody thing just barely cranked enough to get going. I took it out side and phoned up to order a battery. At the appointed time to go and get the new battery fitted, the car wouldn't start.
I eventually went to the autoparts shop and picked up the battery in the wife's Clio.
The guy said that the C5 should have started from the Clio battery as it is 12V. The Renault battery is 40Ah and CCA of 300. I didn't really expect it to start the C5, but the guy seemed confident that it should have.
Anyhoo, back home. Removed the old battery and fitted the new one (10 minutes), gave it a couple of minutes then switched on the ignition, gave it another couple of minutes and fired her up.

Now here's the thing. I ran the car up the street a few times with the service light on and the car sitting very low. I then shut it off (and posted on here). I went out an hour later and drove up the street again, and when I got home, the suspension was back in the "normal" position, the service light was gone and the "Max 55mph" message was also gone.
Time will tell, but I think these cars need time after a battery change to remember all the settings, and maybe the suspension takes a bit longer. Who knows, but it's working for now.

I phoned the garage who provided the warranty and booked it in for 26th February, before it sorted it's self, so I will leave the appointment for the time being, in case it goes wrong, or flattens the new battery

[vborovic]

So, maybe there was a battery related problem, that the car didn't get "enough electricity" (don't know how to word this to be more exact) ... and with the fresh battery everything came back in place ...

[qprdude]

Yes, that's possible. As the front of the car dropped immediately the ignition was switched off and economy mode kicked in, I'm kind of hoping that the constant operation of the hydraulic motor might be a cause of battery failure. At least now I will be able to progress to other things if the battery fails again.

[Xantidote]

Here's hoping the glitch was the C5's reputation for requiring a well charged battery.

At least you got it sorted, and presumably were able to pick up daughter & family

Finger crossed to no more problems

[qprdude]

Here's hoping the glitch was the C5's reputation for requiring a well charged battery.

At least you got it sorted, and presumably were able to pick up daughter & family

Finger crossed to no more problems

Yes, all fine this morning. Started instantly, suspension didn't sink overnight and ........wait for it............. The dreaded "Economy mode " wasn't on when I switched the ignition on!!
Daughter and two girls collected and settled in. The Clio would have been as much use as a motor bike and sidecar for all the luggage and "transport systems" (pushchairs).