I DON'T KNOW YOUR CAR

..................BUT I'VE SEEN SIMILAR SITUATIONS WITH HOODS AND DOORS

ONE BEING MY NEIGHBOR REPEATEDLY SLAMMING HIS HATCHBACK ON THE OLE FORD EXPLODER

HE SLAMMED IT HARDER AND HARDER EACH TIME-----TILL HE CAUSED SOME REALLY GOOD DAMAGE!

INSTEAD OF INVESTIGATING IT GENTLY....OR ASKING FOR HELP.....HE PLAYED IT LIKE...."I NEED A BIGGER HAMMER"

WHEN I GOT OVER THERE, I FOUND THAT THE "LATCHING MECHANISM" WITH IS RELEASED BY THE HANDLE

AND RESEMBLES THE JAWS ON A BIG OLE STINK BUG OR BEETLE

WERE IN THE CLOSED POSITION.......AS IF THEY HAD WRAPPED AROUND THE BAR AT THE BOTTOM...LIKE THEY SHOULD.....WHEN YOU CLOSE IT

I SIMPLY HELD THE HANDLE IN THE "OPEN" POSITION

THEN FLICKED THE JAWS BACK INTO THE "OPEN POSITION"

NOW IT WOULD CLOSE DOWN---WRAP AROUND THE BAR----THEN CLICK INTO THE "CLOSED/ LATCHED" MODE .......AWAITING TO BE OPENED BY THE HANDLE AGAIN

THE BEST PART WAS-----HE BENT IT ALL UP---, NOW IT REQUIRED SOME STRAIGHTENING TO MAKE IT WORK RIGHT

NEEDLESS TO SAY, EARLIER, WHEN I GAZED OVER THERE, HIS TEENAGE GIRL, HAD BEEN STANDING THERE WITH THE HATCH UP----WITH HER BUDDIES

I FEEL SURE THAT ONE OF 'EM PLAYED WITH THE MECHANISM AND CLICKED THE JAWS SHUT WITH THEIR FINGERS

..........................SO, IF YOURS WORKS SIMILAR------HOLD THE RELEASE WHILE SOMEONE FLICKS THE MECHANISM INTO THE OPEN OR RECEPTIVE POSITION

HOW'D I DO?

THE MEDIC