I have a UK W (2000 - I think it’s the second version of the Punto) reg Fiat Punto. Whilst trying to refill the screen wash this morning, I’ve found out that the bonnet release mechanism has suddenly decided to stop working.
Whereas pulling the red lever near the driver’s seat would normally release the bonnet, so I can reach my fingers under to undo the latch, now it doesn’t seem to do anything.
Is there an easy fix for this? If not, is there an easy way to undo the bonnet in the meantime? My windscreen is getting so dirty my car is almost not roadworthy.
You may have tried this but if you have a helper one of you operate the release inside the car and the other try pulling gently on the bonnet to release it
That’s the way I managed to do it in the past (not a Punto though).
Alternatively, push on the bonnet to take some of the load off the catch - it all depends on the type of catch.
If it works use some lubrication to prevent it happening again.
If the cable is broken then it’s another whole ball game.
Does the red lever feel too loose, as if the cable is broken?
You might have too much slack in the cable. If so, reach above the lever, pull out the cable taking up some slack on it and then pull the lever all the way up with your other hand.
Use one hand to take up the slack, and the other to pull the lever. To get that bonnet open, you are gonna have to get down and get familiar with the area around the lever. Try too get that cable in hand.
You might have to try grabbing the cable with a tool, such as a pliers, with the red lever off.
As Vetch mentioned, if the cable is stretched or something has shifted a bit, thumping on the bonnet and/or having someone try to lift it while the release lever is held all the way out may get it open.
If the cable has separated from the release lever, grabbing the end of the cable (next to the lever) with pliers and pulling should do the trick. [I see **Philster** mentioned this.]
If the above doesn’t do it, the latch will have to be released without benefit of the cable. How easy this is depends upon access to some part of the latch from without, which varies considerably among different designs. If you don’t see an easy way to do it with torch (flashlight) and screwdriver, you’ll probably need to take it to a garage.
Its a mechanical device. It just pulls on the latch. In my cars I have had this problem with, I use a long screwdriver to flip the latch .It you can reach it ,you can flip it.
Most likely not. I just came back from Edinburgh and drove the coast to Newcastle and back. I had to use my wipers about every mile or so to wash off the dirty humid air the permeated the area (it wasn’t even raining). The car had a thick film of grime on it by the time I got halfway there. So no, I doubt if he would want to wash the window every mile or so.
A friend of mine just had this issue on his old Chevy Blazer. The cable had actually broken, and he couldn’t reach the latch with any tool he could find, and had no luck with a coat hanger. He ended up partially removing the front grill to get to it …
I had a Chrysler one time that the latch would bind up on. Going to the front of the hood and pressing it down hard and quickly would allow the hood release on the inside to work.
