E90 bonnect catch seized

Associate
Joined
30 Dec 2003
Posts
2,262
Location
West Byfleet, Surrey.
Hmm, this is annoying.
I've just been outside to top up the windscreen washer with fluid and the bonnet catch seems completely jammed.

The bonnet 'pops' correctly when I use the internal release, but the second release under the centre of the bonnet is just jammed solid and won't budge at all.

I've sprayed some WD40 and will leave that for a while, but short of visiting the the BMW garage, is there anything I can do?

*edit*, it's actually an E91, but brain fade made me put E90, I can't imagine there's any difference.
 
Caporegime
Joined
13 May 2003
Posts
33,939
Location
Warwickshire
Try adding some sound deadening. This will improve the build quality of your Bimmer and may well cause the spontaenous release of the catch.

Failing that ask someone with strength to help you.
 
Soldato
Joined
24 Feb 2003
Posts
8,681
That's what you get for having a car you don't need the bonnet up every 5 minutes on :D ...as for you predicament, well you could try fashion some sort of tool out of an old coat hangar or something to get it open, probably doable.
 
Associate
OP
Joined
30 Dec 2003
Posts
2,262
Location
West Byfleet, Surrey.
Try adding some sound deadening. This will improve the build quality of your Bimmer and may well cause the spontaenous release of the catch.

Failing that ask someone with strength to help you.

Don't bring your BMW hatred in here my friend. My gf has a Golf you know!

It's not about strength either, it's just solid and the inch or space doesn't exactly give a lot of wiggle room.

That's what you get for having a car you don't need the bonnet up every 5 minutes on

I agree. I was just thinking today that this has been the most reliable car that I've ever had, and then this silly thing happens. Of all the things that can fail, a bonnet catch should be something that's been perfected by now.
 
Associate
OP
Joined
30 Dec 2003
Posts
2,262
Location
West Byfleet, Surrey.
Hit it with a hammer? :D

I don't mean to sound insulting but are you sure you are trying to open it correctly?
You're right, I did question myself about this, but have opened the bonnet on numerous occaisions before and not had this problem.

As I look at the bonnet the secondary latch is directly under the BMW badge and is yellow in colour (and I can see a spring that's directly attached to the latch), but it doesn't have any play in it at all.

I would consider a hammer, but there's just not enough room and I don't want to damage anything.
 
Caporegime
Joined
18 Oct 2002
Posts
33,392
Location
West Yorks
Try adding some sound deadening. This will improve the build quality of your Bimmer and may well cause the spontaenous release of the catch.

Failing that ask someone with strength to help you.

If anybody wanted proof you are nothing more than a troll whose swallowed a thesaurus, here it is.

:rolleyes: just :rolleyes:
 
Associate
Joined
19 Jan 2010
Posts
582
Location
127.0.0.1
Whats the catch look like? I mean it's mechanisim? If we know that and a picture of the current "popped" up state of the bonnet we may be able to formulate a plan.
 
Soldato
Joined
18 Oct 2002
Posts
18,299
This happened on the e46, pulling the grille lever really really hard did the trick. That said, it did at least pop out, wasn't totally solid.
 
Man of Honour
Joined
9 Jan 2007
Posts
164,576
Location
Metropolis
The bonnet 'pops' correctly when I use the internal release, but the second release under the centre of the bonnet is just jammed solid and won't budge at all.

I've sprayed some WD40 and will leave that for a while, but short of visiting the the BMW garage, is there anything I can do?

Squirting some oil and shoving a screw driver in there did the trick on my old E61.
 
Caporegime
Joined
13 May 2003
Posts
33,939
Location
Warwickshire
That doesn’t work. :p

:(

If anybody wanted proof you are nothing more than a troll whose swallowed a thesaurus, here it is.

:rolleyes: just :rolleyes:

You take it far too much to heart MrLOL. You need to LOL some more!! :D
icon14.gif
 
Associate
OP
Joined
30 Dec 2003
Posts
2,262
Location
West Byfleet, Surrey.
The lever inside the car works perfectly - it's not loose and pops the bonnet up. The lever under the bonnet is simply jammed in it's 'up' state - that is that usually I would place my hand underneath the bonnet and pull upwards (it's a lever, not a pullable handle) to release the bonnet, but in its current state it won't lower.

I could try levering it down with a screwdriver to see if that frees it, and as its been soaked with penetrating fluid for a few hours I'm hoping that it will be fine in the morning. I really don't want to have to go to the garage with it .

*edit* further googling of 'e90 bonnet catch' has this very thread as the second hit - where it's now obvious that I've spelled 'bonnet' incorrectly in the title.

Doh.
 
Last edited:
Associate
OP
Joined
30 Dec 2003
Posts
2,262
Location
West Byfleet, Surrey.
Hmm, I'm not sure. I can pull the bonnet up a little bit (as you normally can when you've released it internally first) and all I can see is the main latch mechanism, and the yellow lever that I would usually push upwards towards the top of the bonnet. I can't see anything red.
It looks as if the yellow lever hasn't got any further to go up, so appears to be stuck in the upmost position. I'll see if some gentle levering will work in the morning.
 
Associate
Joined
13 Jan 2007
Posts
31
Send me your last 7 digits of your chassis number.
I think I have 2 new catches for E90 I could send you free but have to check fitting first.
 
Back
Top Bottom