URGENT HELP needed ..... Bonnet release cable snapped - Facelift

[ian260970]

This worked for me but I used a really long flat head screwdriver - many thanks Stradivarius

Hi,
The bonnet release on my 2006 Facelift Signum failed today - the cable had sliiped out of the lever. I read all the posts - all looked rather tricky or worse - then my daughter found a piece on You Tube where the reccomendation (for a '96 Saturn!!) was to undo the end of the latch spring rather than try to replicate what the original cable was supposed to do.

I studied the photos of the How To on front bumper removal just to see the latch mechanisim and came up with a method that worked without grille damage!
http://www.vectra-c.com/forum/showth...84#post1277584

1. Obtain a pice of stiff wire about 3mm diameter and 300mm long - I used the wire handle off a £1.40 Wickes builders bucket - a coathanger will not be stiff enough.
2. Bend this into a shallow curve - like the curve where the top of the door meets the roof - and form a loop as a hand grip on one end.
3. Look under the front edge of the bonnet and spot the small square gap between black plastic shoulders where the safety catch is. Also look at a picture of the bonnet catch and how the end of the spring is tucked into a hole in the radiator shroud. It is this spring end you need to free from its hole.
4. Lift the bonnet safety catch (to make some working space) and insert the piece of bent wire at 45 degrees under the safety catch in the direction of the drivers side wiper arm (but not that far!!) Try to skim across the top of the flat metal where the latch spring is located.
5. Aim to push the end of the spring rearwards and towards the drivers side to unlatch the spring from its hole. After three goes on mine the bonnert catch released. The only damage was three scratches across the metal work where the spring was hooked into its locating hole.

With the bonnet open I reset the bonnet release cable into the other end of the spring and adjusted to free play with the single torx screw that holds th ecable outer.
Finally I put the bent wire in the boot for next time.

[welshhuw]

I have a preface and for the life of me cannot get the bonnet open!!

I've read through the posts in this thread but with no luck in getting it open. I've ripped the grill off so will need a new one of those! But still cannot figure out where the spring is that I need to push in order to release the bonnet. I can see the in the middle the bolt with the coiled spring and to the right I can see the bonnet catch/lock which I can move using the metal rod you can see in the picture.

Any help with where I need to poking my screwdriver is most appreciated!!

IMG_4447.jpg

I've attached a pic of the front of my car.

[welshhuw]

*bump* anyone !

(I didn't want to start a new thread)

[welshhuw]

Resolved:

I cut away the plastic strip behind the grill (towards the drivers side) and also cut a hole in the plastic panel behind that. I could then see where the cable had come out and used a flat head screwdriver to push the spring back. This popped the bonnet open.
I pushed from the drivers side towards the passenger side of the car, towards the wiper I guess.

Hope that helps someone.

[Z80]

Sorry, I can hardly help you, I never had the problem (left hand drive car have a shorter cable with less curves and is then much less prone to snapping), but from what I'm noticing about your pictures, you've kept the deflector in front of the airbox duct entrance, and it's covering the bonnet mechanism as well.

Try rummaging from the black plastic mask side towards the centre top until you get the latch...

[pipl]

Happy New Year all, Being a complete car biff I'm trying to open my CDTI detached cable bonnet. I have read the forums, managed to removed the lower grill but cannot fathom where I need to go from there having poked and prodded to no avail. Any real idiot guide instructions out there, or better still somebody local to assist!

Cheers.

**Thanks, sorted courtesy of neighbour.