Hi All
Have a VW Golf – Mark 5, 05 plate – opened bonnet – after a struggle with handle, did what I do every 7k mile – added oil!!! tried to shut bonnet but the catch wont catch and the handle is tight – feels like the cable is siezed. Being a bikest I assume the cable is like a brake cable and should be easy to re-lube – if I can get to it – any ideas?

It is a wire pull from the lever, very similar to a gear cable. However, that may not be the problem- same thing happened to mine, but it was the actual locking mechanism that was badly corroded, not the cable. You need to take the front grill off to get into the mechanism itself, then you should be able to see if it is the locking mechanism or the wire that is the problem.

Blast some WD40 up there probably all the snow we've had has dried it out a bit.

what it cvould be is a Lot of old grease and oil built up on the area where the cable comes out, worth as above and using some degreaser and try and push the cable back in from the catch end rather than the lever to free it and keep goign till its noice and smooth,
Mothers mk4 is a s#d for it! old garage used to brush it with grease every time it was in but never cleaned the old of first!! ( essentially what happened with the clio bonnets! 90% of the failures were due to a Build up of old grease casuing the catch to be sticky – poor maintenence!)

Its normally the catch itself, after all the salt thats been thrown around the past few months it will have seized up slightly, mine did on my Van the other day. A few quick squirts with some WD40 and all was well again.