If you own a corrado, then you've either experienced or know another corrado owner who has experienced the dreaded broken hood release cable. This is a common problem with the aging VWs and there is no easy way to open the hood once the cable has broken. WIth all of the trim in place, it is impossible to reach the cable release from underneath the car. Some have resorted to breaking the front grille to gain access to the two hood releases. What's ironic is that this is easily preventable by simply replacing the cable once every ten years. The part cost me $18 from the dealer.
Replacing the cable is easy. Start by releasing the cable holder on the passenger side near the front of the radiator. This requires a 7mm socket. Once this is done, then you can go to the drivers side footwell and pull the cable out. It hooks to the release lever underneath the dashboard. You will pull both the wire and the cable housing through the dashboard. It comes out in the tight space behind the fusebox.
Once the cable is out you have to route the new cable through the small opening near the fusebox. Here is a simple trick to make this task easier.
Take the old cable and route it from the engine bay through the grommet and feed it into the drivers side footwell.
Once it is there, then attach the new cable to the old one using electrical tape. Then pull the old cable into the engine bay. The new cable should route through the tight spaces behind the fusebox and route through the firewall and into the engine bay.
Once this is complete, route it as usual to the front of the car and reattach to the two latching mechanisms.
Follow the instructions in the Bentley on adjustment and make sure the cable lock is tightly fastened to the cable.
as insurance, pull the release lever a few times to make sure the cable does not slip and is secure. Otherwise, you may shut the hood and be unable to open it!
The action on the release lever is now buttery smooth with no binding.
Better yet, no worries about a breaking cable preventing you from opening the hood!
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