2005 TDi FR Bonnet release cable. RHD same as LHD?

MW05

Active Member
Oct 18, 2015
120
14
|Does anyone know if the cable for the right hand drive and left hand drive cars are the same?
My inner is seized in the outer which is stopping the bonnet from latching securely again.
It's all very secure(ish) at the moment as I've got it tied shut so it can't open using lawnmower pull chord. Really strong stuff!
I ordered a new one from a muppet on ebay which was supposed to be in London but with an estimated delivery time of three weeks makes me wonder!
After four weeks I asked where the hell it was and he replied that it had been lost in transit, can't get another one, manufacturer no longer makes them, would I like a refund?
I then checked his ebay account and he was selling two more with the same part number for a right hand drive. When I told him he said the only cable to fit my car is out of stock. When I went to buy one of the Cordoba cables the next day they had disappeared.

I'd prefer to just fit a new one, otherwise i'll have to remove it from the car and lubricate the cable myself, which is a pain in the proverbial and a messy job to boot.


While I have your attention dear reader, do you know where the interior light activation switch for the driver's side door is? When I open my door the interior light doesn't come on. It works fine for the passenger door, but the only way I can get them to come on is to unlock it. It can take up to ten seconds for the interior light to come on after removing the key from the ignition too.
 

RADIOTWO

Active Member
Mar 6, 2018
486
93
North Derbyshire
|Does anyone know if the cable for the right hand drive and left hand drive cars are the same?
My inner is seized in the outer which is stopping the bonnet from latching securely again.
It's all very secure(ish) at the moment as I've got it tied shut so it can't open using lawnmower pull chord. Really strong stuff!
I ordered a new one from a muppet on ebay which was supposed to be in London but with an estimated delivery time of three weeks makes me wonder!
After four weeks I asked where the hell it was and he replied that it had been lost in transit, can't get another one, manufacturer no longer makes them, would I like a refund?
I then checked his ebay account and he was selling two more with the same part number for a right hand drive. When I told him he said the only cable to fit my car is out of stock. When I went to buy one of the Cordoba cables the next day they had disappeared.

I'd prefer to just fit a new one, otherwise i'll have to remove it from the car and lubricate the cable myself, which is a pain in the proverbial and a messy job to boot.


While I have your attention dear reader, do you know where the interior light activation switch for the driver's side door is? When I open my door the interior light doesn't come on. It works fine for the passenger door, but the only way I can get them to come on is to unlock it. It can take up to ten seconds for the interior light to come on after removing the key from the ignition too.
First, I would think the release for the bonnet is always on the left side regardless of right/left hand drive, and 2nd the switch for the light is incorporated in the door latch, it has been known to strip down and re solder the contacts but to be fair poss easier just get a new one and replace
 

MW05

Active Member
Oct 18, 2015
120
14
Thanks for your reply, but the handle is on the right for right hand drive cars and on the left for left hand drive cars.
My reasoning was, if it starts in the middle of the slam panel and then goes to either side and, I assume, ends in a mirror image plastic panel, they might be the same?
As for the door handle, I think i'll just order one from ebay. Thanks
 

RADIOTWO

Active Member
Mar 6, 2018
486
93
North Derbyshire
Thanks for your reply, but the handle is on the right for right hand drive cars and on the left for left hand drive cars.
My reasoning was, if it starts in the middle of the slam panel and then goes to either side and, I assume, ends in a mirror image plastic panel, they might be the same?
As for the door handle, I think i'll just order one from ebay. Thanks
Is yours a right hand drive car ? and the handle on the drivers side ?
 

RUM4MO

Active Member
Jun 4, 2008
7,784
983
South Scotland
Funny things that SEAT can do at times, I've never had a 6L Ibiza, but the 6J Ibiza has the bonnet release on the LHS, which might be why RADIOTWO has made that comment, VW do seem to always have the bonnet release on the driver's side though.

Buying from ebay, did you check the price and availability from your local SEAT dealer first, or even from the supplier of VW Group parts who is on this forum, usually, when you add in postage and hassle getting urgently needed parts from a SEAT source is cheaper - I have been there done that unfortunately!
Buying locks from ebay, it could turn out that you need to provide the actual part number of what is fitted to your car now - or end up with unsuitable "almost same as" parts, I think that most online traders in that stuff will always ask you to quote the part number as it can get messy and you will end up taking pot luck and failing and the seller will need you to fund returning unused parts.
Buying online is great for easy to get parts that you are not in a hurry for and really do know the local price of, and sometimes it is the only source for discontinued parts, for other parts I'd check elsewhere first.
BTW, I have quite a high count in ebay so I'm not against buying that way, just that it pays to think of other options first.
 

MW05

Active Member
Oct 18, 2015
120
14
Funny things that SEAT can do at times, I've never had a 6L Ibiza, but the 6J Ibiza has the bonnet release on the LHS, which might be why RADIOTWO has made that comment, VW do seem to always have the bonnet release on the driver's side though.

Buying from ebay, did you check the price and availability from your local SEAT dealer first, or even from the supplier of VW Group parts who is on this forum, usually, when you add in postage and hassle getting urgently needed parts from a SEAT source is cheaper - I have been there done that unfortunately!
Buying locks from ebay, it could turn out that you need to provide the actual part number of what is fitted to your car now - or end up with unsuitable "almost same as" parts, I think that most online traders in that stuff will always ask you to quote the part number as it can get messy and you will end up taking pot luck and failing and the seller will need you to fund returning unused parts.
Buying online is great for easy to get parts that you are not in a hurry for and really do know the local price of, and sometimes it is the only source for discontinued parts, for other parts I'd check elsewhere first.
BTW, I have quite a high count in ebay so I'm not against buying that way, just that it pays to think of other options first.

Hi thanks for your input.
The chap who sold, then lost my cable showed a parts diagram of a left hand drive car with the handle on our passenger side. That's why I believe LHD and RHD cars both have the bonnet release handle on their respective driver's side.
No, I tend to avoid main dealers like the plague. They don't call them BLEEDERS for nothing. As I've had my bonnet secured with a length of lawnmower pull chord since the end of July, I'd hardly consider this to be an urgent job :)

I do have some news however...
I called in to my MOT man last night to confirm my alternator had packed up. Upon undoing the string I discovered a length of rubber hanging underneath the front of the car. It turned out to be a piece of what was left of my belt.
The tensioner pulley had seized and mutilated the belt. I assumed it was still good due to the temperature gauge remaining good.
When they chap who works for him asked why the string, I told him . He laughed and said "no, that's probably not the problem,"
He then showed me the little bit that seizes on the catch. He forced it back and the bonnet latched. When I got home I gave it a good spray with liquid grease and worked it free so I don't need a cable now.

Driving to see my mechanic to get the new tensioner and belt put on the battery got lower and lower and things began to shut down...
First the power steering, then the ABS and traction control. Then the heater display, then the indicators. Luckily at this point I was almost at the garage!

As for getting the right door lock, I fitted a new passenger lock last year after it decided to allow passengers out of the car four or five times out of ten. Part numbers weren't mentioned, but the number of electrical pins was so i'll have to remover the door casing and split the connector and count the pins.

I will be shortly needing a clutch and DMF. Who is this parts supplier of which you speak?
I currently have my eyes on this: eBay item number 370935001343
A complete Sachs clutch and dual mass kit for £322.19 delivered
 

RADIOTWO

Active Member
Mar 6, 2018
486
93
North Derbyshire
Hi thanks for your input.
"The chap who sold, then lost my cable showed a parts diagram of a left hand drive car with the handle on our passenger side. That's why I believe LHD and RHD cars both have the bonnet release handle on their respective driver's side.
No, I tend to avoid main dealers like the plague. They don't call them BLEEDERS for nothing. As I've had my bonnet secured with a length of lawnmower pull chord since the end of July, I'd hardly consider this to be an urgent job :)"

You say about the Dealers being expensive have you not tried TPS ?
They might be a bit more expensive than the ebay sellers but at least you get the correct quality part and not some "cheap" Chinese
bit that does not fit correctly or falls apart after a short time (or they loose it)
In the past for things like brake parts I find the dealers reasonably priced compared with other firms and usually last a lot longer so
you get your money's worth
 

RUM4MO

Active Member
Jun 4, 2008
7,784
983
South Scotland
Parts guy is Lister SEAT, you will find his area near the bottom of the forum opening page.

Once again, I always tend to buy genuine parts from VW Group sources, service parts are a completely different though.
Main dealers will always sell only the latest/improved versions of parts, whereas most ebay traders sell auctioned off discontinued/superseded/time expired parts, and yes I have bought AC fridge oil that had its expiry date scrubbed out - not clever as that stuff is higher hydrophilic and in a sealed AC circuit there is only the filter/drier to catch any moisture, and yes I bought a touch up paint set for my wife's 2015 Polo back in 2015, used it for the first time last month, paint almost solid, what I now know to be the expiry date is written as 2005!!! Chancing b****rds!
 

MW05

Active Member
Oct 18, 2015
120
14
Parts guy is Lister SEAT, you will find his area near the bottom of the forum opening page.

Once again, I always tend to buy genuine parts from VW Group sources, service parts are a completely different though.
Main dealers will always sell only the latest/improved versions of parts, whereas most ebay traders sell auctioned off discontinued/superseded/time expired parts, and yes I have bought AC fridge oil that had its expiry date scrubbed out - not clever as that stuff is higher hydrophilic and in a sealed AC circuit there is only the filter/drier to catch any moisture, and yes I bought a touch up paint set for my wife's 2015 Polo back in 2015, used it for the first time last month, paint almost solid, what I now know to be the expiry date is written as 2005!!! Chancing b****rds!

Erm, I think you mean hygroscopic. I worked in AC for 18 years!

All of my three figure feedback on ebay apart from one, is for buying stuff. And a large percentage of that is car related. I have to say that the majority of the stuff I've bought has been of good quality. AND I reckon more parts I've bought from motor factors have been the wrong part. I think a lot of it boils down to how much you are prepared to pay. Odds are, your brand new starter motor for fifteen quid is going to be crap!
I'll probably go for that clutch kit from ebay. It's a good price, quality make and from a clutch specialist
The best thing to do with ANY ebay p;art, is to check it when it arrives and if it's no good, contact the seller and send it back, and ALWAYS use paypal to pay. Any hassle and they'll refund your money.
 
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