Bonnet Stuck

**suj786** · 28th November 2005, 01:05

help, my bonnet wont open. the lever under the steering wheel feels as though its not connected to the cable. its very loose and light. how do i get the bonnet opened ?

**Jamie** · 28th November 2005, 01:39

This happened on my astra G... I had to dismantle the release handle and pull the cable with a pair of mole grips, then replace the whole handle/cable assembly (came as one unit)... there may be a simpler way!

**suj786** · 28th November 2005, 01:42

Originally Posted by Jamie1979

This happened on my astra G... I had to dismantle the release handle and pull the cable with a pair of mole grips, then replace the whole handle/cable assembly (came as one unit)... there may be a simpler way!

i dont like that "dismantle" word. very soon i'll have seen nearly every part of me car, inside and out.

**suj786** · 28th November 2005, 11:17

jamie when u mentioned dismantling the lever, did you mean all the bits of trim around it to get to the cable.

**Jamie** · 28th November 2005, 14:48

Originally Posted by suj786

jamie when u mentioned dismantling the lever, did you mean all the bits of trim around it to get to the cable.

Yep, and unbolting the mechanism from the footwell, its a long time ago now!!

**suj786** · 30th November 2005, 02:27

had a fumble around under the steering wheel. noticed that the cable was still attached to the lever, this means its come loose somewhere else under the bonnet. bu99er. now what ?

taking it to a dealer is a last resort.

**Jamie** · 30th November 2005, 07:01

When it happened on my Astra G it was all still complete but the cable had stretched so it couldn't get enough pull on the release mechanism at the other end. I had a mate who was a VX apprentice and he said the only thing to do was take the release handle out and give the cable a hefty tug, then replace with a new cable and handle assembly... thats what I did and it was fine from then on. The new cable and handle was about £15 IIRC.

I don't remember exactly how it all worked, but there was a way of lifting the front end of the car and reaching the release catch from underneath.... wait til daylight and I'll go and try and figure out if you can do the same on the Vec!

**suj786** · 22nd December 2005, 12:43

Dismantled the bonnet release lever from under the dash board. pulled the cable really hard but still no bonnet release. I took of the grill on the bumper to see if I could get it opened from under the bonnet but still no luck. Finally had it put on a ramp but there is too many engine and electrical components to get under the bonnet properly.

Dealer has quoted £126 parts and labour to remove bumper and remove cable from assembly and refit new cable. I told them to leave it ( cos I'll try myself first cos the cable is only £9, of course I didnt tell them that

)

so I plan to now remove the bumper and hopefully find a way from there to get to the cable and if possible open the bonnet.

any warnings or suggestions folks ???

**AJA** · 22nd December 2005, 12:47

I haven't done it myself mate, but I believe the bumper removal is very easy. Check out the How 2 first in the 'How 2' section.

**Andy** · 22nd December 2005, 13:05

problem is you need to pop the bonnet to get to 2 of the screws that hold the bumper on.

The only way i can recommend is to undo the 4 or 5 screws that hold the plastic mud plate on underneath the engine (its part of the front bumper.).

You may be able to pull it back enough to get a hand all the way up to therelease mechanism, right in front of the radiator. using a pair of bullnose pliers you may be able to get hold of the cable and pull it.