W203 Bonnet Jammed Closed

[brucemillar]

Folks

Working on my W203 today and the bonnet slammed on my maintenance battery charger, which was sat just behind the slam panel. Disaster!!

Now the bonnet is completely closed and the release handle (inside the car) will not release it.

I have had my wife pulling the release handle inside the car, whilst I pull the handle under the bonnet - No effect - it is still jammed shut.

I am thinking, the charger cable is pushed down into the 'drivers side' bonnet catch. Pushing the bonnet down, till it can go no further, is not working. I'm now out of ideas.

Any clues as to how I can release this please? Or is it a call the AA?

My preference is NOT to have to break the grille!! It's an AMG and will not be cheap to replace :^(

 

[brucemillar]

Help?

 

[merc85]

I wish i had a useful suggestion Doh..... :/ Hope you get it sorted!

 

[brucemillar]

Still stuck guys.

 

[Smart320]

I feel for you but unfortunately cannot make any useful suggestions .

 

[Dec]

Have you tried pulling the bonnet upwards, perhaps it hasn’t fully latched, otherwise you will need to get underneath/up on a garage ramp.

Dec

 

[Trickythemerc]

The only thing I can think of, would be to try and get at the catch from under the car. I had a similar problem on my Jag when a cable snapped. Try and get hold of an exploded view of the cable and catches to see which way they operate and the try and release the catches independently of the cables with some sort of wire hook arrangement.

Hope this helps you Bruce.

 

[brucemillar]

Have you tried pulling the bonnet upwards, perhaps it hasn’t fully latched, otherwise you will need to get underneath/up on a garage ramp.

Dec

Dec

I think what has happened is that it has 'part latched' on the drivers side where it has landed on and sandwiched the battery charger on the slam panel.

Pulling on the bonnet release (inside the car) feels like it is doing nothing (and it is not releasing the bonnet).

Getting the wife to pull the lever while I try and push, pull, heave the bonnet and pull the under bonnet catch sees the bonnet move about an inch on the passenger side, with no movement on the drivers side.

I am now thinking: If I remove the drivers side wheel arch trim, with the steering on full lock? Can I get any access to that catch?

 

[Dec]

See… https://www.google.ie/imgres?imgurl...6mKHTAhVEIsAKHa8GDU0QMwhkKDgwOA&iact=c&ictx=1

Cables looks like… 2009 MERCEDES CL203 BONNET LOCK CATCH A 2198800160 CLC C CLASS W203 08-11 | eBay

 

[brucemillar]

Dec

In your bottom picture! The charger will be sat where the 'S' is to the left of the catch. There is also a possibility that the charger cable has been snagged in the actual catch. The end result is that the charger is stopping the bonnet from having any movement on that side (if that makes sense).

 

[Dec]

Are you able to pull on the cable at all if there is upward pull on the bonnet?

I think you will have to go in from below, can you drive it to a garage lift somewhere?

How high up is the bonnet compared to the wing?

Dec

 

[brucemillar]

The bonnet is level (closed position) with the wings. I think it is a garage job now.

 

[Dec]

In link below is a typical latch as seen from the underside, the cable pulls a lever to release the bonnet, the objective would be to move the lever towards or away the driver side with a screwdriver. Of course you don’t know what part the charger is playing in the situation.
https://www.google.ie/search?q=merc...UIBigB&biw=1311&bih=911#imgrc=YIx696DtByq8vM:

Dec

 

[wu56Shoozz]

Without denting the bonnet (and its easy to do ..ask me how I know) have you tried bouncing the bonnet at both the bonnet pins whilst someone pulls the lever?? I had this once on another vehicle..played around with it for ages until a mate came along and did this.. and *Pop* it opened.. don't know how or why, just grateful it did...

 

[Lit91]

I would cut off the charger cable and somehow try to pull it through into the bay, it must be jamming the latch somehow.

 

[brucemillar]

I would cut off the charger cable and somehow try to pull it through into the bay, it must be jamming the latch somehow.

The cable is unfortunately jammed solid. This makes me think it is caught in the latch.

A feeling of being really stoooooopid is now engulfing me. I mean, a car that you cannot open the bonnet on. Doh. All this after I successfully replaced the MAF to fix an idle problem. ARRRRGGGGHHHHHHH

 

[Lit91]

The cable is unfortunately jammed solid. This makes me think it is caught in the latch.

A feeling of being really stoooooopid is now engulfing me. I mean, a car that you cannot open the bonnet on. Doh. All this after I successfully replaced the MAF to fix an idle problem. ARRRRGGGGHHHHHHH

Don't know how safe this is, but you could cut it and split into the three or two cables that should be running inside, then continued splitting in the hope that it will release under the bonnet.

 

[brucemillar]

Don't know how safe this is, but you could cut it and split into the three or two cables that should be running inside, then continued splitting in the hope that it will release under the bonnet.

Thank you. I'm just about to go and try this now. Fingers crossed.

 

[Lit91]

Thank you. I'm just about to go and try this now. Fingers crossed.

Hope it works!

 

[brucemillar]

Fail.

The charger cable is now free(ish) I can pull either end about a foot before it gets jammed again, with each end moving the opposite end. I can also hear and feel the actual charger unit clonk under the bonnet when I pull the cable.

The bonnet release lever in the car is half cocked all the time. So the bonnet release cable must be snagged. Presumably around the charger cable or the latches are in a position that will not allow the release cable to fully return.

So I am stuck. Cutting the charger cable will buy me nothing as I can't pull the other end through with charger body still in situ.

I need to be able to access the bonnet catches? Any ideas how I can get up to them from underneath without destroying the car? Is it worth calling the AA?


Sorry meant to say. I had my neighbour helping me pulling the release and heaving the bonnet on either side etc. The actual bonnet is solid. I think that the pins must be caught tight in the latches.