I push down on both headlamps, otw I find the bonnet does not always go down evenly and one side latches while the other does not.

 

mine is always difficult to close too. its just a MINI quirk.

throw some muscle into it

 

I'm impressed. Mondsiu posted his question at 6:55, and was out motoring (or could have been) and a little over an hour (and few pictures) later. And... that was on-line, no telling who is or is not lurking around that might lend a hand.

You folks are good!!

Now a question for any grammarians that happen to be hanging around (and feeling helpful)....

When I start a sentence with the name of someone who chooses not to capitalize theirs, what am I supposed to do? Capitalize or not?

 

Your hood problem may be related to the way you use the release. After pulling the release lever inside the car do not push the lever closed. I found my hood didn't want to catch if I pushed the lever flush in the footwell. Worth a try!

 

When taking delivery of my Mini, my MA pointed out that the boot and bonnet require a little more force than I might be used to inorder to close properly. He said "don't be shy... give it a good solid push".

 

I've heard of some cars having the bonnet poorly aligned, couldn't hurt to check with the dealer on that. Enjoy your new Mini

(fwiw, our MCS closes pretty easily with an approx 2 foot drop)