Anti-jam hood straps address one of the MGF and MG TF's best-known hood operation issues, the tendency of the hood frame to lock up mid-travel during lowering, leaving the hood part-folded and requiring manual intervention to complete the operation. MG Rover formally acknowledged the problem in December 2003 and issued a Service Action Bulletin instructing dealers to fit anti-jam straps retrospectively to cars in a specific VIN range. The DJE000010 strap pair is the original anti-jam strap supply, available as an aftermarket fitment to any MGF or MG TF regardless of VIN.
Service Action Bulletin Background
In December 2003, MG Rover syndicated a Service Action Bulletin advising service managers to fit anti-jam straps to MGF and MG TF cars in the VIN range RD800155 to RD608010. Dealers fitted elasticated straps that tension the hood frame during its folding motion, preventing the lock-up that had been reported on cars in that range. The fix addressed the problem effectively on the cars that received it, but for reasons that have never been fully explained, the improvement was not incorporated into cars built after VIN RD608010, and the issue continued to affect new cars through to the end of MG TF production.
Owners of later cars therefore have the same problem their earlier counterparts experienced, without the benefit of the factory-fitted fix. The DJE000010 strap pair solves this directly.
Function and Fitment
The straps are a pair of elasticated fabric items that fit to the hood frame at specific anchor points and apply a tensioning force during the folding motion. The tension keeps the frame tracking through its designed arc rather than allowing a particular linkage point to lock up mid-travel. Fitment is straightforward and does not require any modification to the hood frame or bodywork, the straps locate onto existing pickup points. A downloadable fitting PDF is supplied with the part, walking through the installation step by step.
The straps are supplied as a matched pair (one for each side of the hood frame) and must be fitted in pairs to work correctly; fitting only one side applies asymmetric tension and can make the problem worse rather than better.
Compatibility
The DJE000010 straps fit all MGF and MG TF cars, regardless of VIN or model year. Cars originally in the RD800155 to RD608010 range that received the dealer fitment under the 2003 Service Action Bulletin already have the straps fitted; the DJE000010 kit provides a direct replacement if those original straps have failed or been lost. Cars outside that VIN range, both earlier MGF cars and later MG TF cars, did not receive the factory fix and are the primary candidates for retrofit. The improvement is immediately noticeable the first time the hood is lowered after fitment.
Ordering Considerations
The DJE000010 kit is a pair of straps and should be fitted in pairs, there is no single-side part number. For owners experiencing hood lock-up during lowering, the straps are the first item to consider and are a much more economical intervention than any hood frame adjustment or replacement. The straps do not address problems caused by physical frame damage, seized linkage pivots or missing frame fixings, where the lock-up is caused by mechanical damage rather than the original design issue, the underlying fault must be addressed first. For a hood that folds freely but occasionally jams at one particular point in its travel, the straps are almost always the correct answer.