Uneven bonnet gaps

[ghost_killer]

Ok I just notice today the bonnet gap is quite big (other side is fine) has this happened to anyone else ? More I look the more I dislike it !! Definetely weren't like this before by comparing pictures of the car I taken previously and I can say that it is not the pop up bonnet (both are still intact and not erected - excuse the pun LOL) neither have I got a 'pop up hood failure' message on dash - which I guess is a good sign as I saw a previous thread that it costs about £1500+ vat & then labour rates etc... , did take it to Toyota as they were the last to have the car (serviced last week) they didn't know anything about it (I guess they would say that!) and said very common over time depending how many times bonnets been opened etc just loosen and need tightening up and body shop can do it.

Any ideas ?

[reeac]

I can imagine it happening if the bonnet was inadvertently closed with some tool ( screwdriver?) left lying on top of something in the engine bay ...presumably on the offending side. Any signs of an indentation of any surface on that side?

[200h]

open the bonnet and look at the hinges, you will see a U shape cutout on the

half against the bonnet this is the point where the hinges bend when the pop up's

go off , measure the gap on both sides and compare the results they should be equal

if the gap on the affected side is smaller then as roger has said a tool has possibly

been left under the bonnet when the bonnet was closed and distorted the hinge.  

[ghost_killer]

Hi all, update looked again this morning and not sure how I missed it (I guess it's one those things you don't look for if you don't suspect something) and I was looking at the wrong things !! So yes you're right something sitting on top of scuttle panel where it meets the bonnet, It was a relay fuse cover lid on the scuttle panel Left by the mechanic at Toyota when I took the car for service few days ago, was thinking odd place to have a relay box on scuttle panel and don't remember anything being there before!! I did take the car to Toyota yesterday and said this car was with you last and this happened, the guys response was these bolts loosen over time just need tightening up and said they don't look in the engine bay when inspecting the body work hence why they didn't check it yesterday (surely you open up the bonnet if there is a defect on a bonnet as a closed bonnet wouldn't give much clues to finding the issue??) - bolts were/are tight so wasn't that !! Made a complaint to Toyota about this as where the Relay fuse cover was left distorted / bend the lid slightly out of shape so they agreed to cover cost of a new one other than that no harm done, checked the car over inside out just to be sure no other faults caused by them and no uneven gaps now !

[matt8]

Even main dealers don't always do things as they should.

Sounds like a poor excuse, you absolutely would check under the bonnet if it's a bonnet problem. Which Toyota dealership?

So simply removing the cover from the scuttle panel, and the gaps are now gone?

[ghost_killer]

1 hour ago, matt8 said:

Even main dealers don't always do things as they should.

Sounds like a poor excuse, you absolutely would check under the bonnet if it's a bonnet problem. Which Toyota dealership?

So simply removing the cover from the scuttle panel, and the gaps are now gone?

Exactly my thoughts, because the guy works at / behalf of the body repair shop and not the garage for servicing / engine related issues that was his excuse of not looking at the engine then again how many times you see independent car body repair shops with bonnet opened / missing lol the Toyota / Lexus garage is in Rayleigh, Essex tbh they are usually quite good I guess there is always one or two people this isn't so good as you say main dealers aren't always great at times.

Yeah removing a cover from the scuttle panel (a cover that's for the Relay shouldn't of been there because someone left it there and not put it back on where it should of been) the bonnet gap has gone !