The bonnet on this 2006 Ford Focus 1.6 had very likely not been opened since the last time the Focus was in my workshop, and that was around a year ago. A quick call to the owner confirmed my suspicions, and told me he had not had a need to open it, all was running OK he said.

The problem with the bonnet release system on the Focus is that the key operated cable which travels back to the lock can stretch and not turn the catch enough to release it. Another common failure is a small plastic clip in the end of the cable that can also fail and stop the bonnet from opening. I have seen a few different methods of releasing the bonnet under these circumstances, but they all result in a new catch and cable being needed, so before I started I ordered up the new parts.

In the case of this Focus, I was able to grab the outer cable of the release mechanism after removing the lower shield, by going up from underneath, and in front of the radiator. Once the cable was firmly grasped in a pair of grips I twisted it, which in turn twisted the mechanism sufficiently to pop the bonnet. Of course, once the bonnet is opened the grill can be removed and access from there on is easy.

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