Hood Latch Lock Front Lower Compatible with Volkswagen GTI/Golf 2010-2014, Jetta 2014, Front Hood Lock Engine Bonnet Latch Assembly

I purchased this for my 2013 Jetta when the original latch became difficult to operate. The factory latch will rust inside and you have to pull harder on the release handle. If you don't replace it eventually you will break the release cable, then you have to smash through the grill to get the hood open. This is a good alternative to the original factory latch, WITH A CATCH. There is a slot to accept a retaining clip for the release cable. I fought with it for about ten minutes trying to get it to snap in place. Finally, I went in the house and got the micro files I use for building scale models. I filed the slot about 1/16 inch longer and bingo, it popped right in. If you don't have any micro files in your toolkit, you should probably spend another 10-15 bucks and order some.

bought this to replace my oem vw hood latch but it’s not designed to quite the same specs. the slot for the clip that holds the cable securely to the latch is machined too far down and the clip doesn’t reach. i tried to clamp it and pry it to make it fit, but it’s just too far. without being able to latch that clip in, this whole mechanism is useless because the cable will just pop out since it’s no longer being held securely in place. unfortunately i bought this in the winter with plans of replacing it when the weather was nice out, so i’m beyond my return window. i guess that’s my fault, but i think it’s fair to assume that the part will actually fit properly and that i shouldn’t have to worry about that. guess i was wrong. buy from somewhere else and save your money here because it’s simply not designed correctly. it’s hard to tell in the photos, but i’m talking about the little rectangular cutout. if you look closely you can see that the new one on top is further away from where the cable is supposed to rest and be clipped into that rectangle.