Alxx Nova

To close the front trunk I let it drop the final 8 to 10 inches but it doesn't fully close. It requires me to push down hard enough that I'm worried I'm going to eventually end up putting a dent in the body. No matter what I try it requires a very, very hard push to close.

Is this common having to push so hard for it to fully close?

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Alex
2001 Boxster S
1989 944 n/a
2008 Passat 2.0 T

jugger911

Common to have to push, yes. HARD, no. Grease latch and always "place" lid to latch, then push lid down using the emblem with the palm of your hand(this is where the latch strength is mostly placed). If you continue to slam or push hard on your lid, it will dent/warp/damage the lid and/or latch. Plus it keeps hand prints off your car lid...

dallison28

that's what i do, it took me a day of ownership to find this out.

sjfehr

I do the same thing as jugger and dallison. Dropping the hood (gently is all you need!) engages the manual safety latch, but you have to push it down to click into the 2nd latch. I use the emblem, too, to avoid a fat palm-print on the hood

It takes a good bit of pressure, but not really an unusual amount. If yours takes an extraordinary amount of effort, it may need greased.

Alxx Nova

Thanks I'll try some grease. I like the no palm prints also.

The old 944 has a slight dip in the hood right below the emblem from being closed to hard for 20 years. Of course it also had a indent going the other way (from inside to outside) thanks to the prior owner using a cut up hockey stick to hold the hood open.

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Alex
2001 Boxster S
1989 944 n/a
2008 Passat 2.0 T

Alxx Nova

Tried a can of spray on grease on what I could see from above. But still hard enough to close that I compress the suspension and rock the car closing it. I've got some other things to check on today so I'll try pulling the trim off and getting in there better with some white lithium grease I have in a tube.

Are there any adjustments I can make? Oh, and the hood is lined up nicely.

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Alex
2001 Boxster S
1989 944 n/a
2008 Passat 2.0 T

mdkelly1

Sounds somewhat normal to me. You do have to push down firmly with the palm of your hand for it to latch fully. That was my experience for five years anyway.