A small victory!

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We’ve had all sorts of car-related problems but yesterday we had a new one. I got in the car for a short trip and found a bird had pooped on the windscreen (I suspect a pigeon – more about that later). So of course I just tapped the control to wash the windscreen, but no water came out. The wipers just smeared poo in an attractive arc over the windscreen instead. Turns out my partner knew the screen-wash needed topping up, but couldn’t do it because he couldn’t open the bonnet (hood). Sure enough, when I pulled the little lever to release the catch, nothing happened. So that meant it didn’t pop up the way it should, so you couldn’t get your hand in to release the handle to open it fully. Well I tried poking under the bonnet with a long screw-driver and pushing it from side to side in case that released something, but no. I thought maybe the catch was jammed, so I tried jumping onto the bonnet to see if that would free it up; still no. So off I went to look for suggestions on the internet. Top of the list was the release mechanism, which turns out to be a simple cable like a bicycle brake cable. Maybe it had broken or come off. So I unscrewed the part inside the car (for which I practically had to stand on my head in the passenger footwell) and wiggled that about. It seemed fine, moving smoothly as it should. So I put that back and went to look for another option. The next suggestion was a simple one – the catch must be jammed (as I thought), so get someone to press on the bonnet while you pull the lever. So when my partner had a free moment I dragged him outside and he leaned on the bonnet, I pulled the lever and POP! So simple. I’m glad I didn’t listen to those people who told me to take it to a mechanic. I cleaned up the mechanism and oiled it and the hinges and the piston strut that holds the bonnet open, and now it all works perfectly and no creaks or squeaks either. So a small victory for me All rights reserved. © Text and image copyright Fleur 2026.