Right after I read the original post, I lubed all the joints and contact points, but after a few release, the latch became sticky again. So I'm thinking about griding down the edges of the latch so that it's smoother.

 

One more item to lubricate with white grease is the "divider box" on the drivers side fender top. this is where the one cable turns into two cables to feed both latches. The lid pops off and it can be lubricated.

 

How do I get the lid off ?

 

pm sent

 

Dude, share the info with everyone here. It would benefit us all.

 

I was thinking the same thing.

 

+1 Put it up, please. BTW, since I've white greased and then re-white greased the edges of those fat latches in the top of the grill, my release works easier than ever. First time around I hit a few points with Break Free and it helped, but it's better than ever now. Those points are DRY from the factory; a failure waiting to happen. LUBE EM UP, FOLKS!

 

Quote:
Originally Posted by djam43
One more item to lubricate with white grease is the "divider box" on the drivers side fender top. this is where the one cable turns into two cables to feed both latches. The lid pops off and it can be lubricated.

How do I get the lid off ?
__________________A small flat head screwdriver will pry the lid off with little effort. . It then snaps back on. there are two small dimples on the side.
I tried but failed , seemed like it would break .

 

Dealer claims to have lubed mine after they replaced it (or fixed it, or who can really decipher the service notes), and it does open easier, but I'll definately have to hit it with some dry lube next time I'm under the bonnet.

 

Just thought I'd come back to this one since I'm eating my words... I have the Alta Unichip on the car and my latch release just broke. If I can't get it open to remove the unichip I'm going to be screwed!!!

 

I have had my MCS for about 16 hours . My bonnet will not release now. It worked once when I picked it up yesterday. The outside release feels like it is out of adjustment. I live 150 miles away from the dealer. I sure hope that a plastic part is not all the protection we get from grief? Again one successful opening in a row is my streak.

 

Sorry to say...I think YOU'VE WON!! Contact your Dealer on Mon. and tell them that they are sending either a mechanic or a Flatbed to pick up your car and fix it.

 

Has anyone tried taking the left front tire off and looking for release cable? I googled and found a repair hint that talked about the right front wheel. That sounds British to me. Things like breaking the grill do not give me a warm fuzzy feeling.

 

I just found this thread today. As a new MINI owner (2009 MCS), I'd like to ask a question regarding MINI owner behavior.

Is it considered okay to modify your MINI, then remove the modifications before taking it in for service during the warranty period? In that way, BMW/MINI will not know that you may have damaged the car and they will be forced to repair the vehicle at their cost. (Of course, their cost becomes our cost, since the only folks who give them money are the folks who buy MINIs and have them repaired at dealers.)

Sounds like pretty unethical behavior to me, but then again, maybe this is just the way MINI owners do things (I say that because I haven't noted anyone in these threads objecting to this practice).

Inquiring minds want to know...

 

I don't think this is just a Mini thing and I'm sure it's been going on for as long as there have been manufacture warranties. If I modified my car and damaged it I would bone up and admit it to my service dept but that's me. Especially if it'll help them figure out what went wrong.

 

You may want to pose this as a separate post as it's not keeping this on track about the broken hood release.

 

Ditto that!

I open my hood almost daily. The release has always felt kinda flimsy to me....... so far no problems, but I am going lube every point I can access! May as wll do all the hinges at the same time.

 

I also open my hood quite a few times a week in the first few months of ownership. I notice it is easier to unlatch when warm (right after driving) than cold (parked overnight). I also turned the rubber stoppers down couple of turns, and that seems to help the most. I also lubed the latching mechanism initially but that only helped the first few times.

 

to bump an old thread: barely 2 days after I get my 09 MCSa JCW back from the shop for a ruptured aux oil line (from the block to the turbo, and the tensioner fix 2 weeks earlier) I go to detail my car, attempt to open the bonnet to clean the motor, and >nothing<. seems the release cable snapped off from the pull latch, and I cannot find the end. The pull latch has a piece of metal no bigger than a large staple, and it clearly broke off from there. I reached in my my fingers and cannot find the cable here.

At only 10,700 miles

After all the problems with my 05 MCS, I am on a short tolerance leash with this car, which has been trouble-free until 10K. If this small-shitte annoyances keep up I can safely say I will no longer be part of the MINI community.

 

My 07 hood pull cable snapped at about 7,000 miles, had to take it in to fix it. My current 08 is going on 13,000 and haven't had problems with cable so far. Every time I open the bonnet I think it's going to snap...

 

my SA seemed perplexed this would happen. he has to order a couple parts, the latch proper and the cable that goes to the splitter, then he says it's about 2.5 hours to get repaired because the inside lower whole kick panel has to be removed.

So let's tally this up: 2.5 hours labor @ $110/hour: $275 plus the parts? good grief man. glad it's under warranty.

 

Man that stinks! What exactly is the problem? Crappy cable or too tight latch or ? Maybe the NAM community can source a solution that helps ALL of us! Seems a shame to give up on such a great car for what seems like a solvable problem.

thoughts?

 

1st gen MINIs had the release latch on the passenger side. for 2G cars it was moved to the driver's side, mostly as a safety issue for firefighters and rescue personnel. Story is that with the 1G cars some had trouble finding the latch in an emergency.

 

Flimsy latch connection, part of BMW's recent MO to lower production costs.
And i don't think any amount of white grease can check a flimsy, not-well-thought out bonnet release.

 

Hahahaha... I remember looking at a used 06 Mini at a Mercedes dealership and no one could figure out how to open the hood. I never got to see the engine and didn't get the car...