Need Hood Latch Help!

[mastrklutz]

I have a 99 Beetle whose hood just wont shut. It has been doing this for quite awhile and has gotten progressively worse lately. Until today, when the latch inside the hood actually broke. I used to slam my hood, before I was told that you DON'T slam Beetle's hoods, but not for years now. I was not slamming it today, just gently trying to shut it, when one of the metal pieces of the latch broke. So we went, bought a brand new one, put it in.....and low and behold the thing still doesn't flippin shut! We tried realigning the hood, everything. It latches to the first level, where the little tab is sticking out, but won't completely latch past that. What do I do!!!??? Please Help!!

[from Margaritaville...]

I had a need to deal with this issue when I purchased a bra for CEL-ine. The hood closed properly before but now there was less clearance for the hood to come down far enough to latch all the way. Don't know if you've found 'em yet but there are appx. five (not sure, I'm old and feeble) screws that hold the latch assembly in place. I believe a #27 TORX head driver fits those screws and, when loosened, allows the latch frame to be moved up just enough to make the hood latch properly again...

[LadybugEwa]

The way to shut the hood is to drop it from 1' height.
What you don't want to do to it is drop it too little, and then press on the hood to fully close/latch it. That's what usually causes problems. I get furious at shops where they insist on doing it that way. Once I actually yelled at the mechanic, "STOP!" and walked throught half the shop, opened the hood back up and dropped it properly so it latched. He was going to lean his whole weight on it. No thanks.
So do it that way with the new hood.
And use the adjust screws like Alan suggested above.

[boogety boogety]

And don't forget the bumpers!

No, not those bumpers... the two little rubber bumpers at the bottom of the inside front of the hood where the hood seats (open hood, look up, on either side). They just screw in and out to change their height down or up. I couldn't open my hood on the car from new, I'd pull the handle inside the car and nothing, the hood would just sit there. I finally got My Beloved to pull the cable from the inside while I pushed down on the hood emblem, and the little pop-up T thing popped out so I could access the engine compartment. I then turned the rubber bumpers clockwise almost one complete turn, making them a bit higher, and now my hood closes and opens with military precision.

[Limbic4u]

I had to add some windshield washer fluid to my beetle. I pulled the hood release inside the vehicle and it opened fine, but now the hood won't close all the way. It latches on the first latch but then you can just lift up the hood a little and open it from the outside. does anyone have any suggestions?

[kaiser]

did you try dropping it for about 1 foot?

[OldSkoolVWLover]

Originally Posted by LadybugEwa

What you don't want to do to it is drop it too little, and then press on the hood to fully close/latch it. That's what usually causes problems.

Hmmm I do this all the time, with all of my VW's.

Whats the "problems" folks have had with this?