Aluminum Alloy Bonnet Hood Release Lock Repair Kit Latch Compatible with for Ford Focus MK2 2004-2012

I've given this 4 stars because it does seem to be more substantial than the original part but I could write a book on how to fit it. There are no instructions supplied in the box so the pictures on Amazon are all you have to show how it fits together. The easiest thing to do is to not use any of the optional parts and just fit the new lock barrel and rod in their default states. The reason you'll be using this kit is because the original plastic piece which fits into the bonnet lock will have broken. Supplied in the kit is a new bonnet lock piece which is also plastic, although maybe made of a better quality plastic. You do however have the option of using a supplied aluminium part instead which is what I chose to do as it should last longer.If you use the supplied lock barrel then you need to carry around the extra new key to unlock the bonnet. It is however possible to swap your existing barrel with the new one so that you still use your old key. I chose this option which is where you need a few tools and time. As shown in the photos, the barrel has a claw which grips the aluminium rod. By opening up the barrel you can swap the plastic claw for the supplied aluminium version. I chose to swap the lock and the claw.The new and old lock barrels both have 3 pins holding the two parts of the barrel together. Supplied with the kit is a pop rivet which I presume is to be used to push out the pins. A pop rivet however bends easily and is not rigid enough to easily remove the wider of the pins so you will either have to keep straightening it or find something else. The rivet will not work on the other two pins as they push into the barrel rather than through to the other side so something slightly thinner and stronger is required. I used a hardened steel nail with the point ground off. As I found out you have to be a bit careful with the two smaller pins as hitting them too hard can damage the inside of the barrel, so push them just far enough in but don't overdo it.Once the barrel has come apart, the front section with the lock is the same fit as the original Ford part so they can be interchanged with the rear outer part. When you open the barrel look out for two small flat pieces of metal which sit in the mechanism near the edge. These will likely fall out but need to be fitted before closing everything up later. With the new barrel open you can carefully prise off the plastic claw part. To fit the aluminium part in its place required me to slightly file around the lock end which held the plastic part in order to to reduce its diameter. The aluminium claw is just too narrow to fit where it needs to over the lock end.Once the part is in place you can re-assemble the old lock mechanism into the new lock body rear shell. Punch the 3 pins back into place then everything is held together again.The next problem was that the new claw would not fit over the plastic ball end of the link rod. If you use the default plastic claw then this is not a problem as it flexes sufficiently to clip over the ball. I had to carefully file down the ball so that the aluminium claw could clip over it. Don't file it too much otherwise the claw won't grip, the rod will fall off and the bonnet won't open again. However, two spare balls are supplied (I hope this doesn't mean that they are a weak point).Fit the link rod to the lock and the bonnet catch and you're ready to go. The inner rod is designed to slide up and down the hollow outer rod, presumably to allow for the car flexing during use. This is why you need to make sure that the claw at the barrel end is tight otherwise if it slips off you're back to square one. If you take the easy route and don't try to change any of the parts then it will be a much more straightforward repair task.

Far better than the original manufacturer version, no cable to snap and need replacing

So easy to fit I was finnished in less than 20 minutesAnd the quality is high and its stronger than original

The lock barrel is smaller than the recess in the grill on a 2006 focus and required packing with tape to give a tight fit. Working o.k. at the moment.

followed a video on Youtube to remove broken lock, fairly easy to install no problem,Comes with spare Aluminium parts which is handy.