L322 Any tips on on getting the bonnet open?

I feel a tad stupid for not just getting this (could be that something's actually broken, but I'll say it's 20/80 to me just being daft).

My bonnet won't open as the latch in the footwell is broken.
A new cable is waiting for me at the pick-up place, but I won't be able to get that installed without first getting the bonnet open.
When I first bought the car a couple of weeks back the guy just used pliers to get it open (I didn't really study him doing it). After getting the car home I completely failed in getting it open.
While at the MOT (well, the Swedish version) the guy checking the car out just used pliers to get it open (I didn't study him doing it - yes, this is in part why I'm leaning towards me being stupid).

But I can't seem to get it working...
The black plastic, the white plastic and the wound metal is just casing, yes?
The four or five thin wires within is really what attaches the latch to the bonnet locks?
And the idea is that I pull these towards the general direction of the seat?
I can't imagine the force needed would have to be especially strong... But I'm really getting nowhere quick.

I can feel/hear the wire being (at least somewhat) attached to the lock under the bonnet if I twist the inner wire some, but this helps me little.

Thanks for any and all help!

Pull it harder. It does take a bit of grunt,

Hold the outer cover, pull the inner cable. The lever, well, gives lots of leverage, so it will be a strong pull

Grip the cable with pliers, put the tip of pliers against a good point of metal(near the broken latch )
then you have a lever with the handles of the pliers lever, and Bobs your uncle.

J

Mole grips on the wire ends will give better grip than ordinary pliers.

Cut the outer spiral back as far as you can, then strip the white liner back too, this will give you more inner cable to pull at - has it broken because of corrosion or just fractured due to age? If it's broken due to excessive load, you might well find one or both of the latches are corroded & binding

Graculus said:

Cut the outer spiral back as far as you can, then strip the white liner back too, this will give you more inner cable to pull at - has it broken because of corrosion or just fractured due to age? If it's broken due to excessive load, you might well find one or both of the latches are corroded & binding

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Wd40 is a good friend once a month or spray grease

Mark Piercy said:

Wd40 is a good friend once a month or spray grease

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Or even 3 in 1 spray oil

Datatek said:

Or even 3 in 1 spray oil

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Good call. WD is getting evermore expensive

Get someone to press down on bonnet same time as you pull to take a bit of pressure off the catches which are each side located more or less under the RR badge.

You might do well to use long-nose pliers between the spirals of the outer cable as it's easy to crush the outer against the inner if you grip it too tightly with pliers when you pull the inner part meaning you'll be fighting yourself. Mine did this recently but I was able to grip the inner part with some grips and hold the outer in my hand as I'd lubricated the locks. The cable damage was done but I didn't know it until it snapped.

I was surprised at how common this fault is on these cars. Can't remember the last car I had a snapped cable on before a few weeks ago.

Mark Piercy said:

Good call. WD is getting evermore expensive

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Isn’t everything these days‽‽?

Muddy tree man said:

Isn’t everything these days‽‽?

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Unfortunately

It’s the sort of stupid question that needs to be asked.
We’ve all been there