The cable close to where it meets the latch is fixed inside a rigid plastic part, I suspect this may be where I'm going wrong - should this be attached to the catch or to the car in some way? I tried extending the life of my partially seized bonnet latch but only got just over another 12 months out of it before it almost seized again. Incidentally there is not an "emergency release tab" what I found as a plastic tab in that location is part of the lock mechanism and I think is meant to stop any chance of the alarm and operating cable drooping down into view. You will need to take a look at it with a flashlight more then likely the latch is rusted and stuck if you lift up the hood just enough to get a screwdriver or a long hook to be able to disengage the latch and you will be able to open it .

VWBreakers is completely independent and not affiliated with or authorized by the mentioned entities. You'll now be able to lift open the bonnet and the locking mechanism will come with it allowing you to fix/reattach cable etc. So I took it off again and went back to using the claw and then greased the latch up (especially when the clip is in the locked position - you can get down in the back of it with WD40 and grease).After disassembling the handle and bracket and leaving the cable hanging inside the car I was able to open the bonnet using the claw of a hammer to grasp the end of the cable inside the car, it took a good bit of tension while at the same time I had someone press down on the bonnet right above the latch. I have pulled the lever in the cabin of the vehicle and pulled the tab but the bonnet is not releasing. I can get the front VW badge off - no probs there - but all I can see is two very stiff hex bolts at 10 and 2 o'clock.

It was still pretty tight to open with the handle once I fitted the new bracket and used the handle to open the bonent rather than the claw of the hammer.

I think part of the problem is it was already detached from the catch the first time I took a screwdriver to it so I never saw it properly assembled at the start of the job. The bonnet lock screws are T27 in size, although I didn't have mine, so I used a T25 bit which worked fine. However, the release springs seem stronger, so the bonnet really "pops" when you pull the release now! This is after I had initally removed the lock, personally I think when you overhaul it you should remove the entire unit so you have something to work with. I've broken the attachment on this dial/wheel so I'm going to have to do a bit of DIY and attach a string to the end of the cable (it has a ball bearing at the end), until I get a replacement handle.

A common problem that I had when I was fitting the tensioner cable to the plastic guide was that it was slipping out and losing grip of the actual guide. Once the brake cleaner has been used, apply grease generously throughout the lock and springs, making sure you get in every nook and cranny. i just got someone to pull the open bonnet leaver repeatedly while i tried pushing and pulling on the bonnet and it soon popped open . I ended up having to unscrew the unit that contains the catch, take it out then use a lot of WD40 to clean all the rubbish that had built up inside that was stopping it from closing over properly.

When I asked he didn't just undo the screw in the slam panel and re-tension it I was greeted with a look of complete mystery and amazement. Once the badge is removed, the first two bolts are not immediately visible - they are under the top lip of black moulded black plastic.