FAQ 108

Question: Hi Tom,

Hope you can help, my Mum has a 1974 12 Beetle and the release lock inside the glove compartment will not open the bonnet (also know as the hood or luggage compartment lid). The compartment (glovebox) has come away from the body of the car and it's loose. She tells me the latch still has resistance, as I suggested a cable may have broken. In her manual it states that if the latch breaks the bonnet will not stay locked. However her boot is locked. Mum is 73 and has had the car since 1975, she is just about to have it resprayed and the MOT is due, It will fail the MOT if she cannot get it open. Can you help?

Answer: This is not a very detailed answer, but sketches out the solution.

Try to pull what part of the cable you can reach. Sometimes if a second person pushes down on the bonnet (hood) handle, the latch releases easier.

If the cable really has snapped, the only solution is to cut the handle on the bonnet (hood). It takes 3 cuts. The important cut is right along the release button. With some care and some gentle bending back and forth, the pieces of the handle can be removed, and with the button free, you can make the bonnet lid release.

The shop doing the respray may be familiar with the process.

Good luck with the MOT (British car inspection), and drop me a note if you have more questions.

By the way, if you don't have Muir's book, get it. Loads of useful info.

p.s. I think the manual means that if the bonnet (hood) locking mechanism breaks, the lid won't stay down. This is true, but rather rare. Usually the cable snaps where it meets the handle in the glove compartment. In this latter case, the lid is latched, and the handle has to be cut.

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