Hi,
Has anyone got any suggestions how I can get into the engine bay on my TD100SX. Woke up this morning to a flat battery, pulled the handle to open the bonnet and I can feel the cable moving beyond the handle but the bonnet will not open. I have been underneath the car to see if I can work out how to open the bonnet and there's nothing obvious as it all seems to be covered by plastic cowlings and pipe work. Any suggestions greatly appreciated.

You tried getting someone to pull the lever while you pull the bonnet up ?

Get a piece of wire, coat hanger or thicker and bend the end into a narrow U shape, get a torch and look in through the slots in the grill to the passenger side of centre, hook the cable that looks like the brake cable on a pushbike, pull it.

TDF.

I had to open mine with a bent piece of wire once. (More a rod really about 1/4" and 2' long.) It was a total pig and took 3 hours. Without my 100 watt lead light it would have been impossible. I think it had been re-assembled badly once as after I got it open and removed the air intake so you could see how it went together it has been much better. Sometimes just getting hold of the entire cable, inner plus outer, inside the car and yanking on it will do the business, I wasnt that lucky. Not sure where you are but Thames Fiat here knew about the problem and offered to get the car up on a lift and use their bit of bent rod, luckily I did not need to take them up on it, but it was nice to know they were there. One thing that does not help is that there is a plate with a curve pressed into it which allows the cable to pass to the lever, but stops thieves easily hooking onto it through the grille to open the bonnet. Just to clarify, this means you cant see the cable, you can just about get on the lever though it does need a hefty shove.