# Anybody had hood latch problems? (hood not closing well)



## yoonskim (Jun 9, 2003)

So I opened up the hood to refill my washer fluid...
Did it and tried closing it but it didn't close...
I usually just close the hood about 2/3 of the way down and let it drop and it will click closed (dropping it from about a foot higher than the latch mechanism)
I actually opened/closed the hood yesterday and it closed fine just like before.
I also tried slightly slamming the hood closed with no luck. So I had to lock it once into place and push on the hood pretty hard to fully close it and lock it into place. Hood opens up perfectly fine and as it should. It's the closing part that's getting tricky. The hood still won't close if I give it a noticeable force slamming it down, it will just lock into place one click. (Notice our hoods lock once and fully locks on the second lock if you know what i mean....) Nothing is "visibly" wrong on the latch mechanism as far as I can see. No bent hooks, latch, etc... no broken tabs... latch handle works fine
Now the temperature here is crazy and I was thinking it MIGHT be the crazy low temperature (it's 0 degrees Farenheit/-18 degrees celcius) today and tomorrow. I don't have a heated garage so I couldn't try warming up the car.
It's not THAT big of a deal but it's annoying to even be aware of it








*** there were no objects, ice or any of that getting in the way between the hood and the latch mechanism


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## So_Fresh (Jul 6, 2007)

*Re: Anybody had hood latch problems? (yoonskim)*

I had this last winter, was freezing outside, hood wouldnt close, tried everything, took about 50 tries, not kidding... check the hood release lever from the inside, might have got stuck in the open position instead of snapping back to latch the hood to close.


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## GTINC (Jan 28, 2005)

*Re: Anybody had hood latch problems? (yoonskim)*

Just make sure the latch mechanism has returned to the neutral position, then close the hood. The cable or the actual latch plate may just be a little tight from the ice and cold.


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## yoonskim (Jun 9, 2003)

*Re: Anybody had hood latch problems? (GTINC)*

when you say check it from inside you mean the lever inside the car under the dash?


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## krazyboi (May 19, 2004)

*FV-QR*

yea, i think that's what So_Fresh means from what i read.
the way i close the hood, is put it all the way down against the latch, then push it close. then again, i have a CF hood so the weight isn't there to just drop it.


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## So_Fresh (Jul 6, 2007)

*Re: FV-QR (krazyboi)*


_Quote, originally posted by *krazyboi* »_yea, i think that's what So_Fresh means from what i read.
the way i close the hood, is put it all the way down against the latch, then push it close. then again, i have a CF hood so the weight isn't there to just drop it.

correct, from inside the cabin. sorry for confusion, its what i meant


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## yoonskim (Jun 9, 2003)

*Re: FV-QR (So_Fresh)*

Just tried this outside. The lever did go back to it's position but I tried pulling and pushing it back all the way and the hood closed fine. But it kept getting stuck though, I guess it'll all be back to normal when the weather warms up??


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## So_Fresh (Jul 6, 2007)

*Re: FV-QR (yoonskim)*


_Quote, originally posted by *yoonskim* »_Just tried this outside. The lever did go back to it's position but I tried pulling and pushing it back all the way and the hood closed fine. But it kept getting stuck though, I guess it'll all be back to normal when the weather warms up??

Should be, mine was fine. in the mean while try not to put any dents in your hood by slamming it or pushing on it hard to try and close it








Also, if you poor warm water on the latch (if you have to open it in cold weather) it should melt ice in there, etc. Maybe it needs a little lube








Anyways, should be fine in the warm weather


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## forma (Nov 22, 2005)

same thing just happened to me last night and i wonder if the temperature/ice is keeping the latch from springing back to its closed position. even if i manually push the latch to its closed position with a screwdriver, wouldn't the hood push the latch back to its opened position when it's lowered? since the mechanism is not smooth, the latch will then just be stuck at its opened position and won't latch onto the "loop" underneath the hood?
what did you guys do to finally manage to have the hood closed and locked?
TIA http://****************.com/smile/emthup.gif


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## yoonskim (Jun 9, 2003)

*Re: (forma)*

Well mine works as it should again. I just waited till the weather warmed up a bit. It's just the terribly cold temperatures (seems to happen between 5 deg F or lower) it's still cold here but after a warm car wash and longer driving time the latch mechanism is back to normal now


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## rxntrik7 (Jun 26, 2011)

Same here. When I bought the car, the hood was hard to shut. I tried readjusting the hood latch and lubing it. It worked fine for several months, then last night it started doing it again. I'll try lubing it some more and see if it will help. Looks like it's a typical problem with those audi latches.


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## x SMURF x (Sep 12, 2010)

happened to me last winter. the latch seems to freeze up and not be able to move completely, so it doesn't clip down all the way. i let the car sit for about 20 minutes and brought out a hair dryer and it eventually closed


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## punkstarkitch (Nov 20, 2005)

This happened to me last winter. 
I sprayed WD-40 on the lock, and hadn't a problem since.


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## Sevenhornets (Mar 29, 2010)

*Hood latch fix.*

I remedied the issue by removing the secondary latch and handle by drilling out the two rivets that hold those assemblies. Works like a dream. Then installed a short cable and hook as the secondary safety latch. Never had another issue. Additionally I discovered the two forward fender bolts were loose letting the support to rotate back causing alignment issues as well.


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## krazyboi (May 19, 2004)

*FV-QR*

I having this same issue right now too.

Sevenhornets, do you have pics of what you did?


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## calvinstiff (Dec 18, 2015)

*Same issue due to cold weather. Fixed with a blow dryer.*

Hey,
I created an account just to reply to this thread. I was having the same problem, opened my hood in the Montana cold to find it wouldn't latch all the way down afterwards. I took a blower dryer to the engine part of the latching device (where the U hook from the hood meets the engine) for about 5 minutes. Closed the hood and viola it worked like new. Hope this helps anyone who is having similar problems. I would suggest trying this before adjusting anything, quick simple fix.

Calvin
2007 Audi A3


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## vwlippy (Jul 17, 2001)

Hitting it with some Liquid Wrench or WD-40 works too.


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## aznsap (Aug 7, 2010)

i had this same problem last year during one of the colder chicago days in the winter! kept slamming my hood shut, think i may have even given it a light crack from the slamming.


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