BMW Secondary Hood Latch Won't Open Fix

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Owing to factors beyond the control of How to Automotive/Brian Eslick, it cannot guarantee against unauthorized modification of this information, or improper use of this information. How to Automotive/Brian Eslick assumes no liability for property damage or injury incurred as a result of any information contained in this video. How to Automotive/Brian Eslick recommends safe practice when working with power tools, automotive lifts, lifting tools, jacks and jack stands, electrical equipment, blunt instruments, chemical lubricants, or any other tools or equipment seen or implied in this video. Because of factors beyond the control of How to Automotive/Brian Eslick, no information contained in this video shall express or imply warranty or guarantee of any particular result. Any injury, damage or loss that may result from improper use of these tools, equipment, or information contained in this video is the sole responsibility of the user and not How to Automotive/Brain Eslick. #howtoautomotive #BMW

[tygetb]

Thank you good sir. Just bought one for my daughter. Her first car and couldn't get the hood open to check the engine. Thanks. Got a screaming deal! She loves it. 😊

[venerated]

Short and to the point! Thank you! Had this exact problem.

[laurawingo]

same problem with mine (e39 m5); coat hanger worked just fine, took couple minutes. Little wd40 on the metal pieces of secondary latch, now good as new! Thanks for the video!!

[feyyaznegus]

It worked for my BMW E46! I used a bent coat hanger and a mirror. It takes some time and it is not very easy - but eventually it is possible to get a hold of the mechanism. Then you have to pull it somewhat hard, because it is most likely rusted, but once the mechanism is activated, you should be able to open the hood easily.

Then I first WD40'd the mechanism and oiled it with some bicycle lube. It works well now.

Thank you for the video.

[craigbarka]

I had to leave a comment. This really worked. It works on my x5 series too. It took 5 minutes. I had an old paint roller that I bent into shape to mimic the tool shown in the video and it worked like a charm. Thanks much!!!

[russelltaylor]

I also broke the plastic, 20 year old pull handle and am so thankful for your advice.

[juanbrito-nina]

Thank you for this video!!!
Saved my sanity!

[Jursaw]

Great video, I worked on a beamer that had one side of the hood latch was stuck and once we got it open the cable was stretched so it wasn't pulling as much as it should

[ricardoreyes]

This really helped!! I didn’t have the tool so I used a wire hanger and it worked 👍

[omegaprime]

This is actually amazing thank you and this to confirm is for a F3 Beamer correct

[jjbloch]

Thanks so much! You saved me time and frustration. I was able to open my hood with a bent piece of stiff coat hanger wire. Now to actually fix the underlying problem (worn out secondary hood latch).

[nthnyw]

Thank you perfect, my problem solved!... i used some bicycle brake wire looped around the hook at the bottom. But importantly this video pointed me in the correct direction! - mine was rusty- got lots of grease on it now

[davemc]

Boy, that proved helpful. Thanks a bunch! Dave McGeary, Michigan. 2000 MY 540i

[beccaoney]

That's awesome! Great video! Very helpful. Thanks -

[jmtjuliana]

Thanks it worked, I used a long hooked inbus tool, worked like a charm!

[superrvolks]

Broken my pull latch so this was helpful, thanks!

[warheadkdk]

Thanks for video. I used a 6mm hex key with the length 18cm and a polygrip (Monkey pliers). I guess that minimum length is ~13cm.
The cam curve in the hood safety catch has very low angle and you only need a small dent or some rust and it will not work properly. Also, the arm moved very slowly when released. Cleaning with Muc Off and water made it move a lot better. Some oil on the “bearings” and lithium grease on the cam curve made it operational again but I don’t know for how long.

[kinfolk_token]

Thanks! It worked perfectly. I had the hood open in about two minutes.

[bobafett]

Great tip, I easily got the bonnet open by following your advice. Seems the plastic handle is work out where it meets the metal hook.

[wonsuai]

I try blindly pull some hook is work thanks