Bonnet release????

Guest · Jan 13, 2005

Hi.. Can anyone help me get out of the following situation??

Today I packed some kit under the bonnet of my 1990 Carrera 2 only to find that when I arrived at my destination the bonnet release handle failed!!!

As I was visiting a client in Swindon I popped into the OPC who kindly took a look for me. Alas they were unable to gain entry and wanted to charge me a whooping £90 per hour labour charge to investigate further!!!

On my journey home I popped into PorscheTech of Meriden (Highly recommended) and got Martin to take a look for me. He had come accross this situation once before and found that if the inner cable was pulled against the outher shield of the bonnet release mech and someone pressed down on the bonnet, the bonnet should in theory pop open. This method almost worked as I could hear the hinge catching underneath the bonnet and trying to move the lock but alas didn't work. We popped the headlights off the car in a vain attempt to expose a secondary release mech but this was not fitted to my car.

If anyone has any ideas on how to pop the bonnet open once more so I can retrieve the contents I would be very appreciative.

Regards

Mike

bones · Jan 13, 2005

Mike that's a pain and that OPC sucks I would name and shame, when you need them in an emergency they should be there for us especially when we spend so much money with them. Anyone who has a problem with that and has a management manual stuck up there ... email me!

If you have a pair of thin nosed pliers insert them in the cable holder in the cokpit and see if you can get hold of the cable, if you can squeeze hard and pull steadily you might get lucky.
If that fails push down on the bonnet in the middle and at either side it should spring open.
Finally' this is the last option, unscrew the front bumper, drill a hole in the chassis (see Haynes manual for location) and unlock manually with a hook or screwdriver. Hope you never get to option three. Perseverence is the key, be patient and take it slow as you pull on the cable and get someone to push down on the bonnet.
Good luck.

Guest · Jan 13, 2005

Thanks for the advice....I really appreciate it.
I'm tempted to get outside right now, dig out some thin nosed pliers and get to work only I don't have a garage and it's freezing outside so I will wait until tomorrow. Rest assured I will keep you posted as to how I get on.

Thanks again..

Regards

Mike

RichardLW · Jan 13, 2005

Absolutely agree with bones (??) about the OPC. A few years ago the cable snapped on my 944T boot release during the Le Mans week. Took the car to the agents at Arnage who had a look and said they couldn't do it for a week with much shrugging. Then the service manager asked were we here for the 24 Hours - yes I said and it was fixed the next morning. And it costs b****r all - hourly rate was about £22.00.

Richard

Keith Calder · Jan 14, 2005

when i had the n/s wheel arch liner off my car last year i found a second wire for the bonnet release, although i dont know what year they added this, might be worth a look though..........