Better use of hood
2010-11-29

 Vehicles are composed of large steel sections which make up the body of the vehicle. They have been stamped into specific shapes and they have been divided to do different functions. The frame serves as the overall structure of the vehicle’s body and a good anchor point for the suspension system. The one that serves as the floor of the vehicle, located at the bottom of the car assembly and also serves as the foundation of the vehicle’s body shell is the floor pan. These are just some of the vehicle’s panels which are designed to provide solid amounts for the system of the vehicle. 

The car’s hood is another body panel which has its particular job to do. The hood is the hinged cover over the engine of motor vehicles that allows access to the engine compartment for maintenance and repair. In British terminology, hood refers to a fabric cover over the passenger compartment of the car (known as the 'top' in the US). It is an opening body panel in front of the cowl which covers the engine in a front-engine vehicle. In UK, they are called “bonnet”. They are also considered as another type of door outfitted in a vehicle because they are also consists of an outer panel and an inner panel. The inner panel provides strength whereas the outer panel just serves as the metal cover or serves as the hood “skin”.

 On passenger cars, a hood may be held down by a concealed latch. On race cars or cars with aftermarket hoods the hood may be held down by hood pins. A hood may sometimes contain a hood ornament, hood scoop, power bulge, and/or wiper jets. Aftermarket manufacturers may construct hoods out of fiberglass, carbon fiber, or dry carbon.Usually, the underside of the hood is covered with a sound-absorbing material. Many hoods are manufactured with a built-in scoop though some can just be added if you want to. These scoops are often made of steel, fiberglass of carbon fiber. Since hoods are located at the front area of the vehicle, they are prone to wear and tear due to collisions. But aside from collisions, corrosion or rust is also a major enemy of the car’s hood because the hood is exposed to many elements coming from the outside world. Anyone who lives in an area with harsh weather conditions can attest what the crud can do to a car’s hood. So, regular checkup is very essential to make sure that your car’s hood is always in good shape.   

Typically, a car hood is constructed out of steel; but the growing popularity if aftermarket hoods made it available in various constructions such as aluminum, dry carbon, fiber glass, and carbon fiber. Different vehicles employ various kinds of hoods. Race cars are equipped with hoods that are being held down by hood pins. On the other hand, the hoods on passenger cars are being held down by a concealed latch. Regular check up and maintenance would prolong the life of your car hood. However, collisions and constant exposure to harsh elements may naturally wear out this auto component. When you decide your car needs to be replaced and you saw a late model beauty down at the car lot. At this time, when buying a used car it's a good idea to check under the hood. To do that you need to be able to open the car's hood. Here's how to open a car's hood so you can make a thorough inspection before you make the purchase.

Step1 Consult the car's owner manual and locate the section on opening the hood. If the owner's manual is not available, most of the time you can download these instructions from the car manufacturer's website.

 Step2 Open up the driver's side door to the car and find the interior hood latch. It should be marked with a symbol resembling a car with an open hood, or it may have a label such as "Hood Latch Release."

 Step3 Pull the interior car hood latch release until you hear the hood "pop." The hood will raise slightly as the car hood latch is released.

Step4 Walk around to the front of the car and find the car's secondary or safety hood latch release. These can be tricky to find. In most models you'll find this somewhere in the car's grill area, but check with the owner's manual for exact location.

Step5 Release the safety hood latch by moving it in the direction described in the manual. Put your fingers under the edge of the hood and lift up. If the car has a prop rod, lift it out from under its clip and place it in the hole in the underside of the hood where indicated. Take a thorough look around for engine oil, rodent nests and things held together with duct tape.