BMW engineering...positive this time!
 

Soooo...i was doing a steady 110 on a clear stretch of road and I notice the left part of the hood jiggling slightly.

Of course I slow right down and stop and check at the first place I can.

Right hood latch engaged, left was not!

I had just picked it up from the detailing place. Some schmuck popped the hood and didnt close it properly.

I was running at a steady 110 for a good minute or two before i noticed. I shudder when I imagine what would have happened if that one latch let go!

So, with all the things people complain about with the E53, the hood latch mechanism shouldnt be one. BMW appears to have gotten this right. :thumbup:

The left side latch was so good on my E39 that one day decided not to open anymore .I decided it wasn't worth the money and time to fix it and sold it...well after I bent the hood to gain access to that stubborn latch.
I'm glad yours didn't open and hit the windshield...that would have been expensive..

Haha, so this is an area that has trouble too? E53's just cant catch a break, lol!

Thanks, yes, am grateful it held up this time!

Lubing the hood catches is a standard item on the BMW service schedule (Inspection 1). Trouble is, many people just do the oil and filter, and leave off all the other maintenance items (especially when the included maintenance is over, and many don't want to pay dealer service prices). So things like hood latches get a bad rap.

JCL, that's interesting, I never knew that. Thanks!

My hood latches are working perfectly atm, and it's a great time to update the maintenance on them.

Would you happen to know the details of servicing these things? I assume the mechanisms are the ones in the holes on the radiator support, left and right of the radiator? Is there a specific way they lube these up or do I just basically spray some lube on it? What about the cables, any PM for that?

Still has the emergency catch which is the one you release when you lift the lever in the kidney grill. As long as that one is still working properly.

Sarek, yup, it does have that. I am not sure it alone would have held up at a sustained 100+ mph run though, and I dont want to test it really. :D

I wouldn't want to test either :-) probably made out of high strenght plastic.

Lubricating the items you mentioned is part of my annual winterizing maintenance.

I use product called Tri-Flow (which contains TEFLON). I spray the moving parts of the catch mechanism that pops out of the grill (#18)...the upper locks (#14) at the top, and the lower locks (#13) at the bottom (each side of the radiator). And I also open the connector/junction box where the bowden cables (#10 & #11) join on the left fender...to help prevent any rusting or corrosion or freezing of any water that may seep into that junction box (remember to lubricate where the bowden cables (#11 & #12) connect with the lower locks (#13s), too.

Sarek, yeah, feels to be plastic alright!

Q, thanks for again taking the time to answer in such detail these kinds of technical questions. Will be adding this to the maintenance routine. :)