MB challenge the G Engine Swoppers. The techncial challenge of the hood cable.

Although automotive engineering not my field, I think I can fix basic mechanical systems once I have the understanding of how they work. However, this frigging spring lock mechanism on the hood has me driven round the bend. First of all the hood would suddenly pop open usually when driving along a motorway or main road at speed. I pull in carefully to hard shoulder, jump out and close the hood again. Lock engages and hood is closed. Then, some 2 weeks later, at a petrol station, I decide to refill the windscreen washer only to find that the hood lock will not open at all. The spring tension on the puller in the cabin is zero. Eventually, after getting home, I feed the coat hanger through the front grill and pull the hood cable to spring the lock. On inspection, I found that the tiny spring in the lock mechanism had 'disappeared' hence no spring resistance at the puller end. Since I didn't want to buy a new lock, I thought I'll get a spring from the local halfords and get it to fit. That wasn't the biggest problem - the hood cable is a spiral wound internal core of steel wire with an outer sheath of plastic. In the hood lock mechanism, there are 4 tiny holes to feed the cable through to the locking screw. You have to cut the plastic sheath on the cable and expose the wire core. (picture 1 below)

The cable does not like this and fights back by self unwinding and is very sharp to touch. I endured the battle for a good 2 hours and pricked my fingers numerous times. 

Forget changing out engines - I wonder were the boys in Graz having a private joke on the G Wagon Engine swopper fraternity when they put in this cable / lock mechanism.

Is it possible to put solder onto the spiral cable and feed it through that way or does anyone know an easier method to thread a spiral multicore wire cable through a needle size hole x 4 without making a pin cushion out of your hands? 

Derek