Hey,
Does anyone here have any experience or knowledge of how to fix hoods or deal with hoods that won't open? I have to solve my hood problem and I might have to get the hood replaced. I went to a junkyard and took out a latch part as the old one is rather corroded and damaged. When I bought the car, one of the problems with it was that hood had a big dent on the top of it where the striker is (the coil part) underneath. I have to hit the two latch bolts in order to get the hinge to move so I can close it.

But, now the hood won't 'release' or pop. I did a search here and there wasn't much. I think someone recommended using a coat hanger and if nothing works, taking it to a dealer. I am taking the car to a garage next week but I was hoping there is one more thing to try. I will try the coat hanger in the meantime. I am wondering if the cable became loose or broke.

Any ideas? Does anyone know how much it costs at a garage or dealership to fix this problem? I have read quotes of about a hundred bucks to fix a hood that won't open. I guess that is not bad. One thing that bothers me is that I have the Helms manual for the car but it doesn't mention much about any problems. It just explains how to remove the hood and cable. I will probably do that when I replace the hood. I think the dent might be too big or not worth hammering out. But, the manual isn't helping right now.