Prior to buying this vehicle I’d heard one or two stories about Discovery bonnet catches failing at motorway speeds, with the result that the bonnet lifts up and slams against the windscreen. I’d also seen another Discovery fitted with bonnet pins for this very reason, so when my mine started to exhibit ‘wobbly bonnet syndrome’ at about 70mph they were the obvious solution.

It’s questionable whether my vehicle would have actually suffered a bonnet catch failure given that it had already covered 111000 uneventful miles before I bought it. But as I intended to do some overland travelling which would involve driving for long periods over rough terrain, I decided it wasn’t worth the risk. I also discovered that they were fitted as standard to Camel Trophy Discovery’s, which was good enough for me!

Fitting the bonnet pins wasn't too difficult but did have its’ moments. The pins themselves were mounted on the bonnet slam panel stiffeners above the headlights and fitting was simply a case of drilling two holes and bolting them in. I also fitted a spreader plate underneath each pin, secured by another bolt, as any load placed on them will be from the bonnet lifting and trying to pull them through the stiffeners.

The next part was the tricky bit as it was necessary to mark the points on the bonnet where the pins will project through. However, in order to do this it would be necessary to stand in the engine bay with the bonnet closed to see where the pins touch. Not really an option without taking out the engine! My eventual solution may seem a bit drastic but it worked a treat. I held the bonnet about 12 inches (300mm) above the pins and, err, dropped it. This had the effect of marking two very small dents where the points of the pins made contact. It was then a simple matter of drilling through at the marked positions, shaping the holes  to the slot necessary to accept the tips of the pins and screwing the catches in place.

The bonnet was then securely restrained and steady as a rock on the motorway.

The pins and catches were made of stainless steel and still and cost about  £16.00 in February 2002.