Scared to open car hood

[Rick]

@aceplace57

Every car that I’ve seen has safety springs on the hood hinges. Springs keeps the hood open. They also slow down how fast it will drop closed. It is possible to get hit by the hood if you’re careless. But the springs make it much safer.

My commercial van doesn’t. The hood will slam down on your head if that support rod slips.

Lots of cars don’t have safety springs. Just a hinge and a support rod.
Back to the OP
I’ve opened tens of thousands of hoods over the years, do allow me to share some of my experience.
The following won’t work on early Saabs, BMWs and Jag XKEs but for the rest you should be good to go.

1. Don’t open your hood in a high winds. It is possible for the wind to catch and either blow it shut or fold it over the roof of the car. This is bad.
2. Use the release then slide your fingers just under the edge of the hood (palm up) near the center of the hood and feel for the secondary catch. It is usually a flat horizontal piece (lift up) or a vertical piece (push to the side). Don’t feel bad if you can’t seem to find it, there are times I can’t find them either.
   If you have to bend down and look for it ( yes I’ve had to do this too) you may have to lift the hood slightly to reach the catch
3. Using both hands raise the hood and hold it open with both hands. Holding the hood with just your palms lower your hands a bit. Did the hood stay open? Congratulations you hood has built in supports. Didn’t stay open push it back open and just look for a bit. Look under the hood, along the inner fenders, across the top of the radiator and possibly diagonally across the engine for the hood support rod.
4. Once you spot the rod look for the receptacle that the rod fits in.
5. Unlatch the rod from its holder and insert the end in the receptacle
6. Fill washer fluid. (Put it in the correct place, usually located near a headlight with a blue cap. )

[cochrane]

The washer fluid cap isn’t blue in all cars. The cap in mine is black, but it is clearly marked “Washer” and has a graphic of a windshield with fluid spraying on it.

[kittenblue]

It’ll close completely if it has been raised up enough to fall with any force. The trick is to raise it with the fingers on top of the hood (use the heels of your hands) so that if it slips, your hands are nowhere near any danger. You obviously are not confident about your upper body strength and have been spooked by your klutzy friend. My biggest problem is finding the darned release latch…in my car it is painted bright yellow so if I can’t feel it quickly, I can see it if I crouch down and peek into the gap. I’ve found that the guys at auto places like AutoZone are really nice about changing lightbulbs (which I usually can do, but this last time my arthritis in my hands was making things difficult) so go to one of those places, grab a jug of wiper fluid and head to the counter and ask. Or ask any friend or family member.

[Kimballkid]

@aceplace57

Every car that I’ve seen has safety springs on the hood hinges. Springs keeps the hood open. They also slow down how fast it will drop closed. It is possible to get hit by the hood if you’re careless. But the springs make it much safer.

My commercial van doesn’t. The hood will slam down on your head if that support rod slips.

@Rick

Lots of cars don’t have safety springs. Just a hinge and a support rod.

I’d say the vast majority of cars these days don’t have safety springs and haven’t for a long time. My 1984 Buick has those struts that wear out very quickly. Then you have to find a prop rod/piece of wood/friend to help out.

6. Fill washer fluid. (Put it in the correct place, usually located near a headlight with a blue cap. )

Once again (with feeling) not all washer fluid caps are blue. My Buick’s is black and I think my Saturn’s is yellow. Also as stated by cochrane above.

[Rick]

@Kimballkid

Once again (with feeling) not all washer fluid caps are blue. My Buick’s is black and I think my Saturn’s is yellow. Also as stated by cochrane above.

Usual.
-Adjective
commonly met with or observed in experience; ordinary: the usual January weather.

Or in this case the cap is usually blue. It may not always be blue, but there is a better than even chance.

[Lorene89095]

@AnaMen

If a person is too scared to change their own washer fluid, does it really seem likely that they are capable of making the kind of quick life-or-death decisions driving occasionally demands?

Let’s say I ask you to go out to the lot and hook up Bess and Joe the Belgians to the spreader … Bess will kick,Joe likes to bite

[Dewey_Finn]

I’d be curious to hear what sara20 ended up doing. Any chance of an update?

[Frank]

@Dewey_Finn

I’d be curious to hear what sara20 ended up doing. Any chance of an update?

I’m also curious if she is leaning out the window with a bottle of Windex.

[AnaMen]

@Lorene89095

Let’s say I ask you to go out to the lot and hook up Bess and Joe the Belgians to the spreader … Bess will kick,Joe likes to bite

I’d decline. Not sure what your point is though.

The hood of a car is an inanimate object manipulated by a person. It doesn’t bite or kick. It isn’t unpredictable, moody, or vicious. There is literally nothing to fear about it unless you are from a planet with weaker gravity and haven’t quite gotten used to Earth conditions. It’s like fearing you’re going to cut yourself with scissors and refusing to touch them or hiding from an umbrella so you don’t poke out your own eye.