To take the hood off, first open it out and put a wad of rag under each corner to avoid them getting damaged if they slip off. To aid refitting, mark the outline of each hinge in relation to the hood with a pencil or felt tip pen. Disconnect the washer hose from the hood, and, by an assistant supporting the hood, carefully raise the retaining clips with a small flat-bladed screwdriver to unhook the support strut from the hood balljoint. Remove the left- and right-hand hinge-to-hood bolts, and carefully remove the hood from the car. Inspect the hood hinges for wear and free play at the pivots, renewing them if necessary; access to the hinge fixings can be gained by removing the windscreen wiper motor cover panel. For refitting and adjustment, align the hood to the hinges with the help of an assistant and refit the retaining bolts, and tighten them by hand only. Align the hinges with the previously made marks and then tighten the bolts to the specified torque. Clip the support strut back on to the balljoint, making sure it is being held firmly by the spring clip, and re-connect the washer hose. Close the hood and check the alignment with the adjoining panels, slacken the hinge bolts if required to realign the hood, adjusting the height by screwing the rubber stoppers into, or out of, the hood lock crossmember. Once aligned, tighten the hood bolts according to the stated torque.