Bonnet Cable Snapped

[WadGTI]

Hi Guys,

Apologies for my first post to be on an issue, but I am hoping may be you can help.

MY wife drives a seat ibiza 52 plate (standard) and the bonnent cable has snapped. However, I have stripped the dash and got the cable but their is no tension wire inside of the cable.

The cable make up is a white plastic tube, then wrapped in a silver metal coil which has a black plastic coating..


I have stripped about 5+ inches of the cable and the tension wire is no where to be seen. i mean at first I thgouht the white plastic tube was the cable its self but after a tug with the plyers if just sapped off.

The problem is the battery is dead, so i cant even get it to my mates garage.

I have done some searching on the subject and on this forum but their is nothing relating to the above specifically.

Any advice would be apprciated. I am thing now taking the angle grinder to the bonnent.

My only other idea was getting underneath, but if I can reacall seat have bedded the bonnet catch with platic trim which would prove near impossible to get to.

Many thanks

 

[benny12357]

If you need to get it to a garage you could bump start it? then leave them to sort it, it would at least get it to a garage

 

[WadGTI]

Afirad not, my driveway aint long enought and you need to quickly turn as you get off the driveway. Without power to the steering it would be a night mare. What makes it worse is my driveway aint lowered.

I am wondering if anyone has had sucess to getting to the latch from underneath. Again, I can picture the chasis surround in my head, it thinks its enclosed in plastic.

Thanks

 

[Edward9th]

How about charging the battery (gently!) through the cigar lighter socket? This should help you get to someone who knows!

 

[WadGTI]

How about charging the battery (gently!) through the cigar lighter socket? This should help you get to someone who knows!

Ahh...good idea. I will look at this.

I tihnk the ciggy socket doesnt work (probs a bust fuse).

Everything imaginable has went wrong with this car - timing chain slipping, window reg snapping, bonnet cable going, downpipe falling of, bushes, etc..

They don't make cars like they used to!.

 

[Slimy]

It's going to be better to cut into the plastic trim under the bonnet than cutting into the bonnet itself. However, you may be able to get somewhere without cutting. When you pop the bonnet, the secondary release catch should pop out. Can you get to anything through that hole?

If you can get a screwdriver to it, you might be able to pop the catch. But get someone to push down on the bonnet to relieve a bit of tension.

 

[Slimy]

And you should be able to get some charge into the battery, something like this will charge through the socket;

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/130543581857

It doesn't even need to be the cigarette lighter, any positive and negative you can get to will charge the battery as long as it's normally live.

 

[Edward9th]

Up-date: I don't know about your model, but I've just had a look at mine (petrol FR), and I don't think my arm, thin though it is, would reach from underneath. There is one bright spot - the bottom of the plastic casing is open, so if you can get up there with a suitable lever, you might just manage it.
Good luck!

 

[John11367]

This happened to me a few years ago, well, a d*ckhead mate disconnected it from the catch while drunk.. I got something and was able to lever the catch under the bonnet but still couldn't get it to lift.

As luck would have it the car had been in a couple of weeks previous for accident repair and was going back for them to sort the air con, and when I'd got it back they had it sorted.

No idea how they did it unfortunately, but it must be doable somehow! Hope you get it sorted.

 

[speedfreak123]

Had this a few times in work, get underneath the car, take undertray off if you have one, try and get your arm up from underneath and release the catch with a small screwdriver or if the bonnet cable splits into 2 which I think it does I guarantee it's snapped at the join so tugging on the cable underneath the car might do it. It might be a pain in the bum to be honest but persevere

 

[speedfreak123]

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Wtf? Lol

 

[WadGTI]

Thanks for the suggestions guys. I am going to remove the undertray, jack it up and see what I can do.

I thought about phoning seat and ask if they have suggestions but I will get a response i.e. bring the car in.

I will let you know what happens.

Just on an other note, can any advise of how the cable is made. i.e. should there be a tension wire inside of the white plastic tube?

Thanks
Again.

 

[Edward9th]

Yes.
I've been thinking about your problem, and it seems to me that if the cable broke near the catch, then you should have most of it in the outer cable, but useless. If not, there should still be some visible, (and pullable!). I think you said you'd already stripped back some of the outer, so it's ruined, so why not go the whole whog (!) and strip it back to the bulkhead. If it's there, pull it. Old army motto:- 'If it moves, shoot it, if not, paint it'!!! (sorry)

 

[speedfreak123]

Don't strip the bulkhead down lol if it's snapped ur gonna have to pop the catch so get underneath it pull on the cable if it's snapped at the bonnet catch itself then this won't work but if it joins into 2 pieces and has snapped at the join it might. Failing that ul have to pop the catch with a small screwdriver either from underneath (awkward) or rip the front grills out and try and get to it that way