I think ginny means that the release cable has broken somewhere between the inside of the car and the hood. There is no real easy way to get the hood open if this is the case, you simply have to break the grille enough so that you can pull the release at the latch.

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Daily Driver: 02 E430 4MATIC
In the family: '03 E500 // '04 ML500 // 64 220SE