Hi Jabber
Not sure if the bonnet release set up has changed from the E85, if it has the below will be of no use, if similar it may help. (Cut from a previous post).
When you pull the bonnet release lever, is there any resistance, as in it's trying to release the catch? Or is the lever loose as if it's attached to nothing?
If the latter, I had this issue a couple of years back, was this..........The bonnet release cable is in two parts, first goes from the lever to a small junction box that's located just in front of the water bottle (mines a 2003 2.5), standing at the front looking into the engine bay it's clearly accessible and visible behind the top of the headlight and in front of the water bottle. Within the junction box is a small sliding mechanism to which the release cable attaches to, the second cable to the bonnet is attached to the same mechanism. However, on mine the junction box became detached from the body work and therefore the inner gubbings couldn't work as the whole unit was moving. Simply reattached to the body and all was well again.
Good luck.
