Bonnet Cable – ahhh!
 

Thought it’s about time I swapped the cars – get Gold SORN car back on the road and SORN my Green auto diesel for a while. So decided to check Gold car oil / water first – just needed to open the bonnet . Pull the lever and cable goes slack / floppy , bonnet stays shut and no way I can open it !!!. Do not know if it is a splitter box , bust cable or what. Meanwhile I think this is where I call for help – so HELP. I think this aspect may be seen as a security issue so a PM to me may be required.
Certainly do think I need to drop slam panels on each car and check out / clean / grease all bonnet grips and cables as a task for next year.
All the best.
:duh:

Has either side of the bonnet popped at all?

bonnet cable
 

when my cable stop working removed front o/s wheel and there is a small cover in the inner liner you can remove put your hand in and you can feel the cable pulled it with mole grips and the bonnet opened, look at the connecter block on inner wing if you can see the cables grease them and turn the block over so the cables are facing the wing

Thanks so far
 

Thanks for observations so far. Neither bonnet lock has opened , will try the access route mentioned. Presumably by 'small cover in the inner liner' this refers to the removable panel for access to lights changing? or is there another I have not seen. Of course , I suppose I could cut out a section of the wheel arch liner as a way UPwards ?Thanks. Any more observations welcome.

Yes, it's the small inspection hatch. If you can find the extra help heard of a lucky owner who got two friends to bounce the front of the car while he pulled on the release lever and on the upwards bounce managed to pull the bonnet free. Only worked once though.

Regards

bonnet cable
 

No not the cover for changing light bulbs there should be a cover just to right of suspension strut.

Success – with sore fingers
 

Earlier ref by Rovermech to a small cover in the inner liner got me thinking so I worked thus :-
• freed up and rolled back the front half of the wheel arch liner. There was no opening in this other than the usual lights access panel – I’ll continue to look for anything else.
• I could now see right up besides the windows wash water bottle and , towards the top and nearby is a very small gap - see with a torch.
• Pushed fingers up this gap and over a bit and located the cable splitter box
• With the torch I clearly saw the two plastic lugs holding this box so pushed them through to free up the box
• manoeuvred the box over the open area where had inserted fingers so I could see inside it – by no means easy!.
• Thrust upwards with a screw driver and pinned it to underside of bonnet
• I then positioned a second screw driver on the locks side of the cables block and forced it towards the single cable side ( imitating a pull on the bonnet release near driver feet)
• Pleasant pop as bonnet releases operated
I love these cars but I will say that the area of bonnet release and mechanisms location / access has not been properly designed from a maintenance point of view. There should / could have been provision for an alternative / emergency bonnet release mechanism. Anyway , I hope the detailed way I managed to resolve my problem may be of help to others in the future.
Thanks to everyone for help – much appreciated and an example of why we stay in this splendid club.

It's all here mate;):cool: https://www.the75andztclub.co.uk/for...d.php?t=274518
If you put your hand up inside the panel, you can squeeze the splitter box together to release it from the inner wing

Good read
 

Thanks for that - pretty much what I did with exception of water bottle removal which I had trouble with and left in place. Far better if can remove it.

E45 is good to soothe the cuts on your hands following this job....