Help! Bonnet shut for good ....

[rbss]

Hello! 

 

The bonnet lock in my wife's Octavia (17reg) was really sticky, sometimes I could not open it easily, sometimes it was difficult to actually get it closed...  Having some success with small jobs on my Kodiaq (discs/pads replacement, boot lock replacement) and being cash strapoedm, I thought I will just get the part from TPS and replace it myself.

 

I managed to take the old lock out, install the new one, I think I have connected the Bowden cable as it should be (, and connected cables in the little plastic box, then, being just too happy that the job goes well, I installed all screws back, and .... closed the bonnet, without actually trying first if it's going to open. As you've guessed, I cannot now open it at all... Using the door handle, the bonnet does not open, I don't want to pull it too much, I think the cable might be stretched slightly already, so I am trying to understand what needs to be done to open the bonnet if the cable is not attached, or snapped... 

 

Did anyone did this before? 

 

I was thinking how the lock looked like when I was changing it, and the only thing that crosses my mind is that the front grille might need to be broken to get an access to the lock (even then it won't be easy, at it was hidden it it's own plastic box...  

 

 

[rbss]

Ok, trip to the garage, 2hrs of work, and bonnet is now open. All done under £100 and no damage done (I think they have taken out the bottom grille and worked their way up to the lock), but it's going to be the lesson I'll remember till the rest of my life

[varaderoguy]

One thing that is really important.  Keep the catch lubricated and also try to lubricate the catch wire going back to the pull handle if you can.

[3rdoctavia]

I had a similar thing on my mk2, I think the cable broke or disconnected and it was a dealer job 😕

[paulski]

As mentioned greasing/lubricating these sorts of points on your car would prevent a repeat expense. 

 

White lithium grease is recommended as it does not drip and repels water. £5-7 depending where you buy. I do my cars twice a year or so, all the door hinges, locks and bonnet catch. 

Edited 13 February by paulski

[rbss]

Yes, I'd need to stress though it needs to be correct grease - I think previous owner of this car was lubricating the latch but with some very dense grease, which accumulated more and more dust/grit and in the end caused the failure of the latch ... 

[J.R.]

All comments correct about preventative maintenance but the issue here was that of "incorrect" fitting, that sounds far to harsh, what I mean to say is being able to fit the lock in such a way to avoid this situation.

 

It has caught me out several times and what I have learned to do is to look  very carefully at the alignment of the bonnet retaining loop and the jaw of the catch and also any up and down adjustment, I try to align it perfectly and adjust the up and down to leave an excessive amount of clearance such that when closed it would rattle and also only partially tighten the fixing bolts.

 

This way minimises the chances of the lock being closed under tension, most locks will not release if under tension aside from maglocks, even so its always a anxious moment when I first close the bonnet.

Once that is done and verified central then I gradually sneak up on the adjustments till the bonnet latches correctly but not too firmly.