Haynes' World is a regular feature that takes a look at what the staff at Haynes are doing with their cars, bikes and other vehicles. This time, Euan’s Yeti decided that 'no entry' was the order of the day.
Car: Skoda Yeti
Owner: Euan Doig
If you’re reading this, there’s a decent chance that you are quite happy with fixing your car yourself. I know I am. Love it. If there’s something amiss under the bonnet, I’m quite happy to look up the relevant Haynes manual and break out the tools. And here’s a hint – I know that Haynes has never written a manual for my Skoda Yeti, but we have written one for Volkswagen’s Golf, which is nigh-on identical under the skin. That’s my go-to reference material when looking up what to do to repair my car.
Anyway, I digress. As I was saying, I love getting under the bonnet of my Yeti, but the other day that simply didn’t happen. And not through a lack of enthusiasm.
Bonnet stuck
I walked up to the car as usual, opened the passenger door, pulled the lever and the bonnet duly popped up. Then I walked to the front of the car, stuck my fingers under the leading edge of the bonnet, pulled the release and… nothing. No movement at all. The bonnet was stuck.
I tried to force my hand as far under the bonnet as I could in an effort to move the release catch, but despite the attendant grazes this was to no avail.
What to do? After a quick rummage around the shed, I found my set of hooks and picks, so set to once more. And thankfully, it worked. I was able to press the release tab with one hand, while tugging the actual release lever with the hook, and it moved just enough to get the bonnet up. Much relief.
Don’t delay repairs
To be honest, this was my own fault. The last time I checked the oil I noticed that the release mechanism was a bit difficult to operate, but had somewhere to go, so chose to do it the next day. Then I promptly forgot all about it right up until the moment the bonnet refused to be unhooked. If I hadn’t had my hand wedged beneath the bonnet I would have slapped my forehead.
Still, once it was opened, it was clear that the catch was dirty and sticky, so remedial action had to be taken. I sprayed brake cleaner all around it to loosen the worst of the muck, then dislodged it with a brush, then liberally sprayed silicone spray around. The catch is now as free as the day the car left the factory.
But it taught me a lesson. If you notice that something is amiss with your car, don’t delay fixing it. If a mechanical thing has an issue, it will only ever tend to get worse over time, so putting off a repair is only making the problem worse for yourself. Lesson learned.
