sticking bonnet catch

[Hicks]

Has anyone had problems with the bonnet catch on their Leon? I mean the plastic tab that sticks out of the grille which you pull to release the bonnet. On mine it's not releasing. I've tried a screwdriver to make it release, but it's stuck solid.
I noticed it was sticking last time I opened it, but a bit of WD40 sorted it. Now I just can't get it open at all.
Any suggestions on how I can get this open? Is there any way of manually releasing it? I've always thought that plastic tab was pretty flimsy.

Thanks.

 

[DPJ]

Pull the plastic tab forward with a pair of pliers. Once you've got it open, the mechanism needs greasing so it works smoothly.

 

[Hicks]

Yeah I tried the pliers trick this morning. What happened was the tab got pulled forward, but didn't release the catch. And the bonnet wouldn't even close. We had a hell of a job getting it securely shut again.
Why they didn't design this with a catch release that you can get to with your fingers, like every other car, I'll never know.

 

[Hicks]

I've got it - just needed a bit more force on the tab. But it's still a stupid design if you have to use pliers on it.

 

[cstevens]

they greased mine at the service - obviously a common fault

 

[sjtscott]

I had a similar problem where the bonnet was a right c*** to release mechanism was solid and would not shift.. I ended up slicing my finger open on the plastic tab which seemed to have been fitted to the car by pedro with a nice sharp ridge moulded into the plastic.
Anyway after finally opening it was greased properly and hasn't been a problem since. I find pulling the tab and applying pressure upward on the bonnet with your free hand opens it a hell of a lot easier.