TheSamba.com :: View topic

Mon Aug 25, 2003 8:11 am

Hi, I'm new here, and I have a question.

My beetle's hood got jammed yesterday. It won't open, and seems to not seat properly. When I push the little button on the front nothing happens. Anyone got any ideas how to fix this without ripping the hood off?

Mon Aug 25, 2003 9:04 am

the cable on mine goes into the glove box, mine got jammed before and all i had to do was push the glove box to one side and get to that cable.. pulled on it with a pair of vice grips while a friend opened the trunk.. and viola.. or you could try one step back.. have someone push on the leve as hard as they can while the other tries to open it..

when you do, there is an adjustment just under where the hood latches on the body.. its kinda like adjusting a bicycles brakes.. there is a little hole so you can get to the screw/bolt and all..

Wed Aug 27, 2003 10:22 am

If that doesn't work.. get a grinder and cut the hood handle off and you can get it off like that..

Thu Aug 28, 2003 8:24 am

I had the same problem on my 73 Super. I pushed on the cable and pulled on the cable and couldn't open it. I took a hacksaw and cut my handle once in the middle then again at the top of the pushbutton. I was able to unscrew the handle. A grinder may have worked even better. What do you guys do after this happens? Most of my bugs don't even have the cable release anymore, but I've thought of replacing it with the kit from Real Source.

Thu Aug 28, 2003 8:02 pm

If you get the ajustment to far out.. the cable relese won't pop the hood up and its stuck.. (the ajustment is that screw thing with a spring) i one time put mine to far down.. but one day i was driving and had to stop fast and it poped open :)

Tue Sep 02, 2003 3:50 pm

once when we were welding up the trim holes near the trunk the heat melted the cable housing that holds that hood release cable, what a mess
i had to remove the glove box get ahold of the cable and yank hard with pliars, it did the trick no need to go cutting up the handles .
however you could always take a cuttoff wheel and hack the front of the car off

Tue Sep 02, 2003 7:29 pm

I'd rather replace the handel than the lid.. if all else fails i'd cut the handle off.. same with the door