Roof cover jammed - should I dismantle from back or front?

stube40

TLDR: the passenger side electro-lock is not freeing up the cover even though I can hear it and feel it moving. Drivers side is fine

I have had this car 5 years without issue but seems like the previous owner might have had the same issue - because the cable in the rear boot that manually frees this catch is not there (I assume snapped). The drivers side is still there and works fine, still frees up the drivers side.

So now I need to dismantle and pull the lid off and go from there. Would you guys recommend going from the read (I removing the 8 hinge bolts to the cover) or going from behind the seats and pulling out all the plastic trim?

stube40

Hi everyone. Just wondering if anyone has any wisdom on this one - currently going to have to go into it blind.

Many thanks

Red Voodoo

Unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on how one looks at it), I haven't had to disassemble anything relating to the top yet (knock on wood). My only experience with the tonneau cover was with the cables when I forgot my sunglasses on the roof before put the top down, causing a jam. I'd be interested to know with how you proceed.

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BoilardZ

I feel your pain!
I've had a similar situation, and went in from the back (that is, removing the lid). Removing all the plastics seems like it would be more complicated, and you'd have the possibility of breaking something.
Hardest part about the tonneau lid is getting it all aligned when you put it back. But it's do-able.
Have you confirmed that there's no way to release the latch with the cable. You say the cable missing; is there not even a small bit you can catch with some needle-nose pliers? I seem to recall that there's access to some bits through the back of the trunk, but perhaps I'm not remembering correctly.
Anyway, if all else fails, I'd just remove the 8 bolts for the lid. And then fix whatever's broken so you don't find yourself in this position again!!

stube40

Thanks for your reply BoilardZ - I just got back from vacation, sorry I have been quiet for a while.

Great to hear you went in from the back via the hinges, as going through the front and removing all the plastic trim behind the seats sounds horrible. So other than playing with the alignment of the 8 bolts/2 hinges when I put the cover back on, are there any other difficult parts of this job that can really catch you out?