First Car? If You have no Clue how to Open the Hood, Read This

Opening the hood of your car doesn't have to be a difficult process. It is not as intimidating as many mechanics make it sound as they slam the hood of your car down when they are finished. In fact, opening the hood of your car is actually very simple and it is something everyone should know how to do if for no other reason than to fill their windshield washer fluid.

Step 1- Find your hood release and pull it to open the hood. Sometimes you may have to look in your owner’s manual to find the location of the hood release. If you have ever sat in your car while the hood was opened, you can try to remember if it was released from the inside of the car or if it was in front of the grill that the person found the release latch.

If it was from in front of the car that the hood release latch was pulled, take a look around the grill and behind the front bumper to find the switch, arm, lever, handle or button.

Depending on what type of latch release you have, you may have to pull it, press it, or push front to back or even side to side on the thing you located until it pops the hood. If the hood release is inside the car, try the same variety of actions until you hear the hood pop up.

Either way, the hood will pop open slightly but it will likely be stopped by a safety catch which is a metal catch that when pressed one way or the other will release the hood so that you can open it fully.

Step 2- With 1 hand raise the hood as far as you can. Using your free hand, try to feel in the space in between the hood and the front grill for the safety catch. You will want to release it and raise the hood all the way up.

Step 3- Make sure that the hood is secure. Some hoods will stay up by themselves, but not all. If you have a hood that doesn't, look for a prop rod that will either be attached to the hood or the bottom edge of the hood opening. Move the rod into a position and put the end in the hole or slot that's provided to secure it in place.

If you so happen to have a car that uses a gas assisted hood strut system make sure that the gas hasn't leaked out of the struts. If the gas has leaked out of these two shocks or struts, the hood can fall at any time. If they have gotten to the point that the hood would collapse make sure that you either replace these units immediately or that you secure the hood with an improvised prop rod. Often a broom handle is used because they are pretty typically a close to right length for what you need.

With that having been said, there is no real challenge to opening your own hood. Eventually if you have to work on your own car, you will need to know how to do this first. I hope you found this article helpful. If you are a soccer player, I’d invite you check out where I found some really good prices for Soccer Cleats on Sale!