Few queries about C5 tourer excl. 2009

[rmunns]

I've had this car for 2½ years now, with no serious problems. Mileage now 139 000 miles (equiv., it is LHD).
A couple of queries; if I want to remove a wheel, what do I do with the suspension before jacking the car up?Can I do the same trick as I did with a Xantia - i.e. suspension to high, block under body, suspension to low?
I would like to swap front and rear wheels/tyres (because of wear) but my local garage said no, because of tyre pressure sensors. Is that right?
When I have been driving for (say) 10 mins or more and then stop, I sometimes smell a faint odour, a bit like paraffin? Might this be a leak of suspension fluid onto something hot? It doesn't worry me mucjh, 'cos it's just a suggestion of a smell and it only happens occasionally. How do I check for the correct level of fluid? Do I have to set the suspension to high or low before checking?
I do raise/lower the car using the suspension - maybe once a month - but noticed last time that it rises and falls much slower than before.

[Hell Razor5543]

If the car has the TPMS it is told where each sensor is, as part of the configuration routine. Therefore, if you DID swap the wheels around the car would 'think' that the left rear wheel is in the left rear position, as opposed to the left front position.

[GiveMeABreak]

if I want to remove a wheel, what do I do with the suspension before jacking the car up?Can I do the same trick as I did with a Xantia - i.e. suspension to high, block under body, suspension to low?

No, you can damage the system doing this. Remember the X7 has an electronic pump and doing this,
you will be forcing the pump to compensate as the weight of the wheel will be pulling down against the pump that is trying to keep the fluid back in the tank causing unnecessary wear.

I would like to swap front and rear wheels/tyres (because of wear) but my local garage said no, because of tyre pressure sensors. Is that right?

Well you can - but of course if you get a warning - you'll have to compensate for the location of the correct sensor - so write down the locations of the original and new tyres. They can easily be coded though with the appropriate diagnostic tool - The system is designed to allow coding for another set of tyres (like winter tyres) - so in that case, they would just go on their correct locations and nothing more needs to be done - in summer swap the others back to the same locations.

How do I check for the correct level of fluid? Do I have to set the suspension to high or low before checking?
I do raise/lower the car using the suspension - maybe once a month - but noticed last time that it rises and falls much slower than before.

To check the levels - suspension on low, leave for 2 minutes and then check the tank - level should be between the a and b mark as shown below

[rmunns]

Thanks for these replies - very useful.

[Paul-R]

I swapped the fronts for the rears on my 2013 X7 last year and there haven't been any error messages or warning lights. And this model definitely has TPMS valves and not the later passive wheel speed monitoring system.

[GiveMeABreak]

Each Sensor of course has a specific identifier, and I’ve just relayed what it mentioned in the docs, having said that , I would not think it too difficult for the receiver to identify which sensor is where within a certain range.

I can’t recall the tyre fitters ever ordering the wheels when I have had my tyres replaced unless they have a secret layout!