# How to close hood?



## 6daniel (Mar 6, 2015)

I have a 2015 cruze and I'm not sure if the hood on a cruze has to be dropped from a certain height to latch or put down and pushed till it's closed? I had a civic previously and the hood on that car had to be dropped with force to close.


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## spacedout (Dec 7, 2010)

After you unhook the hood prop rod, lower the hood until its 4-6inches from closed and drop it. No need to give it any force at all, the weight of the hood should latch it from that height. If its not latched properly, there is supposed to be a warning on the DIC when you start the car as well.


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## peligro911 (Apr 8, 2015)

Drop like normal or any other car 


Sent from AutoGuide.com Free App


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## ChevyGuy (Dec 13, 2014)

I just set it down and then push it closed. I'm sure once you get the feel for it, you can drop it from a few inches and get it to latch without slamming it. But it doesn't take much effort to simply push it. I have to put pressure, but I don't have to put any weight into it.


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## spacedout (Dec 7, 2010)

ChevyGuy said:


> I just set it down and then push it closed. I'm sure once you get the feel for it, you can drop it from a few inches and get it to latch without slamming it. But it doesn't take much effort to simply push it. I have to put pressure, but I don't have to put any weight into it.


The problem with doing that way is you could end up with small dents where you press. Though it seems unlikely, these new cars are very thin metal and dent pretty easy.


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## Robby (Mar 1, 2013)

As stated, best method to close a properly adjusted hood is a four to six inch drop.

Avoid 'palming' it closed as this will deform the sheet metal over time. The sheet metal used on all cars over the last twenty years or so is called 'H.S.L.A.' or High Strength Low Alloy......a very corrosion resistant material with one 'shortcoming' if you will.
It can be 'stretched'.....thats why pressing the hood down can deform it....it will stretch in the area you are pressing against, a fraction each time but over time becomes visable.

This mallability is why the PDR folks have such good success removing minor dings and such on late models.
The sheet metal found in cars of the 70's and earlier were comparatively stiff and a door ding was the result of a rather hard hit....and the material had little resistance to corrosion.......the PDR folks can remove some imperfections in the old metal but because it has a memory, once stretched, it is very difficult to straighten.
Often, 'Oil Canning' develops around the repair.....term comes from old oil cans, like 3in1 that when squeezed, deformed to push the contents out and then sprang back on release....often, audibly.....like a 'bink,bink....bink,bink' sound.
Good for an oil can....bad for a door skin (or hood).

Rob


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## carbon02 (Feb 25, 2011)

This same issue is the same with cars trunks. Don't palm it closed. Pull the handle down from the inside of the trunk lid. You can even pull it down pretty hard, provided you can get your arm out of the way. 

There's not a body panel "skin" that I touch when I close car doors, trunks and hoods. I doors I close them by the window frame. A family member had a 2000 Intrigue dented by a grocery guy who closed the trunk with his palm. It's simply not a great idea. My neighbor does paintless dent repair (PDR) and it's stuff like this that gives him lot's of business. 

Even my 1993 Ford truck. I probably could palm that hood, and the latch is pretty big on that beast. It takes a drop from about 8 inches to overcome the "hood springs" and close.


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## 6daniel (Mar 6, 2015)

Thanks for the info everyone! It amazed me how heavy the hood on this car actually is, a drop from about 6 inches was all that was need to get it closed.


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