On 26/10/2015 at 10:28, flybynite said:

If you have tried to get the bonnet release handle off with the door wide open you will know that it would be all but impossible to do it with the door closed

 

If they had just put a key lock on the passenger side - all 

Hi just had this problem. Managed to find how to open drivers door with help of a few sites. Eventually opened bonnet by pulling passenger bonnet leaver a little bit harder than you think bending it out ratger than normal pulling. (The speaker grill is soft enough to give slightly). Hope this helps but a stupid design that Skoda needs to fix. 

This might be a dumb question but can a left hand drive drivers' door handle and lock be fitted to a right hand drive vehicle's passenger door?

It is. The drivers door has the lock buy the bonnet realise is on passanger side and you cant easily open bonnet with passenger door closed.  And no key to open passenger lock.  Skoda needs to sort

  We did manage to open bonnet handle but gentle force was needed not the best. Definitely design fault by Skoda 

I wonder if one of each of these

 

https://www.maplin.co.uk/p/8-aa-battery-box-rk44x

 

https://www.maplin.co.uk/p/car-accessory-plug-unfused-bv63t

 

+ some flex and 8 AAs  would provide a backup for just opening the doors?  

 

 

I’ve had this problem recently and the AA man just pulled the bonnet release with the passenger door closed. Handles fine, I felt such an idiot as I could have done it 2 hours earlier and jumped the car myself!

As has been said before, put a manual lock on passengers door, PROBLEM SOLVED.

 

Had this problem this morning, phoned Skoda Assistance, AA were at the door within 10mins.

 

You can bend the bonnet release catch out and pull it towards you. AA tech said he's came across it 100's of times.

Bit old these posts but this is what happened to me. I was about to disembark from a ship on Tuesday morning. The battery on my 2017 Octavia was flat as a fart because I'd forgotten to disconnect the coolbox in the back which had Camembert in it. I can't say it was pleasant when I eventually got in the car.

 

Two guys from P&O used brute force and pulled the lever which opened the bonnet. I find it difficult to believe that a problem that occurs on earlier Mk III models is still occurring 3 years later.