Hood Latch

[LEphant]

Hello everyone,

We recently took delivery of a 2009 V6 LE and have been extremely pleased with our purchase. The Camry has about 400+ miles on the odo and it's a daily struggle for me NOT to go too happy with my right foot.

I'm new to the TN forum, but have been a 'spectator' for quite some time now. I've enjoyed seeing what people here do with their Camry's. The mods that you folks do are just amazing! I definitely look forward to contributing (when I have something valuable to add) in future threads.

I do have a question for you Gen6 owners. I made sure to do my homework (at least I think I did) and did a search and check old threads but couldn't find anything. If this has already been covered, I apologize in advance.

Whenever I close the hood, I usually find it difficult to make it latch/lock. Is this a common occurrence or would I need to adjust the latch assembly? In some vehicles you can simply let it go a few inches up and it will slam shut, but the gas struts on our Camry seem to dampen the 'impact'. I know a lot of you have put in the wrench time under the hood and I appreciate any feedback that you may have.

Thanks a bunch!

P.S.
I'm still trying to read as much as I can with this car. One of my favorite articles is this one from CarandDriver.com:

http://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/...ru_wrx_feature

[GT-R]

Just slam it harder, it's still brand new.

[LEphant]

Thanks for getting back to me, GT-R. I usually use both hands and press down until I hear the click, but I worry I'm going to dent or warp that part of the hood.

[lammydi]

Originally Posted by LEphant

Thanks for getting back to me, GT-R. I usually use both hands and press down until I hear the click, but I worry I'm going to dent or warp that part of the hood.

If it bothered you that much then go to your local dealer. Tell them your concern and you want to open and close the hood of their new cars on the lot. Do this to about 5 or 6 different cars then you'll know if it's the same with all the cars or just your car. If it is just your car then you can ask the service advisor to readjust it.

[fdexclpl]

My hood is not hard to close at all. I just grab the loop under the hood and pull it down. If you give it a good pull you can close the it without even touching the top of the hood.

[GT-R]

Originally Posted by LEphant

Thanks for getting back to me, GT-R. I usually use both hands and press down until I hear the click, but I worry I'm going to dent or warp that part of the hood.

NO..NO..NO.. Don't press down until it clicks. The way this hood works is different than the old ones.

When you're going to close it, grab the front end of the hood and just slam it close, don't hold it down. No, you won't break anything. This car is made that way.

[LEphant]

Thank you all for the responses so far. I really appreciate it.

I feel really sheepish for asking such a moronic question. All of the vehicles we've previously owned came with the hood prop/rod and closing/latching the hood was a breeze. This is the first time that such a simple procedure left me scratching my head.

Must be my Type-A tendencies that make me nervous just slamming the hood down of a brand new car. I know, I know I'm not gonna hurt it....

Thanks again everyone!

[GT-R]

It's OK, my first few weeks with the car were like that, super soft. But after a few months, I kinda like slamming the hood, just like closing the doors.

[touringcamry]

I usually hold the hood up about 1 ft and just let it drop. The strut doesn't engage until further up IIRC.

If you're really concerned, what you should do is build a motorized hood closer/opener system and then post a DIY. Screw the motorized trunk...car guys want motorized hoods!

[PRINCESS PEACH]

just hold it a couple inches den let it slam like the previous poster said.