I have the hood dampers, so the rod is just kinda uselessly hanging around. Thing is, I tried to wiggle it out, but it won't budge. Anyone know how to take it out the proper way before i go and cut out the plastic that holds it in?

 

Hmmm, hard to describe. See if you can you get a look at what the end looks like, then you just wrench on it and it pops out. It'll take a few attempts to get it at the right angle, but once you do, it comes right out.

 

I just messed around with it for a while at different angles, and it eventually popped out.

 

er...what angle should it be in? i think i tried a wide range of angles but yeah...still won't pop out

 

i figured it out.

you have to take out the bracket that holds the small black box next to the hood rod first. take that out, move it out of the way, and twist the rod in that direction. comes out with a bit of wiggling.