Has anyone had experience of releasing a Ford Fusion 2 bonnet (53 - 2003 model), given that the stupid plastic lever in the car is doing nothing other than threatening to break off?
I've had a quick look under the front of the car, and there seems to be some space to get an arm up and fiddle around, but I'm wondering if I've got any chance of success.
Fallback is take it to the dealers as a warranty repair, but that will cost me a lot of time and inconvenience, hence having a go myself!
Biggles
A quick question. All the other fords I've driven (Mondeo & Focus) of that age have had the bonnet release behind the badge on the grille.
The lever under the steering wheel is the steering wheel adjust.
I realise the Fusion may be different though. If it's under warranty, just take it to Ford!
Pete.
Which is why I said "Fallback is take it to the dealers as a warranty repair, but that will cost me a lot of time and inconvenience, hence having a go myself!"
I don't know why I bothered.........
The lever has a picture of a car with an open bonnet on it, and the handbook says that it is the bonnet release. Any other suggestions please?
Biggles
Get someone to push down on the bonnet while you pull the realease lever. After it's open then you can adjust it.
Trevor Smith
They could probably fix it in 15 minutes. Phone up the warranty line, explain you've got to go on a long journey, but you can't check the fluid levels. Ask them very nicely if they could squeeze you in ASAP.
I'm sure they'd oblige (if you've got a good dealer).
Well that's always a good sign it's the bonnet release :-)
I can't tell you what to do, but I can tell you what *not* to do.
ISTR AstraVanMan ended up cutting a hole in the bonnet, or something similar, before realising there was an easier way to do it.
Pete.
Yup. You (directed at the OP) paid a reasonable sum of money for a (relatively) new car, so use the fact that it's relatively new and stupid little things like that shouldn't be breaking to your advantage.
Bloody hell - someone actually attentively reads my posts?
Yup, the car was a Carlton, and the bonnet release lever inside the driver's footwell was a bit knackered - the cable just kept on slipping out of the little notch in the plastic release lever. So to start with I got a mole wrench and put it tightly on the end of the release cable, and somehow attached it to a tow-rope, and used another car to pull on it. Didn't work, and ISTR it removed the little nobbly bit on the end, so I ended up ripping off the grille so I could pull the cable through.and try tugging on it from the front. In the end I gave up and used my breaker bar to try and lever the front of the bonnet up, and use brute force to pop it out of the catch (possibly damaging the catch - I didn't care by then!). Anyway, after an age of trying, and completely crumpling the front of the bonnet, I tied the end of the cable in a loop, through the bit where the end bit (the 1/2" drive bit that sticks in the socket) of the breaker bar pivots, made sure it wouldn't slip out and come ondone, leant back, took the strain, and gave it a good hard yank, and it released it.
But don't piss about doing that on a 2 year old car - get the dealer to sort it out! At minimum it'll involve purposefully wrecking the grille, and you really don't want to start deliberately wrecking things on such a new car.
They probably could, but I would have to take half a day off work to get it there, hence me asking the group for tips. If it was a Vauxhall, I would take it to the dealers 30 secs down the road. With a few ideas from the group, I may be able to do it in 15 mins myself and save the half day off work.
Biggles
That's useful advice - if it will involve wrecking the grille then I won't bother trying and it's off to the dealers (at considerable inconvenience due to it's location).
Biggles
That I will try!
Biggles
MotorsForum website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.