Oh bugger, that happened to me one, cable came undone so was just lose, luckly it happened just as I opened the bonnet and I didnt close it. If so, they mech said it can be a bitch and sometimes you need to take the fender off for access. I know the E30 you can open the bonnet from the outside by hitting the latch with a screwdriver, maybe search to see if its possible with the E36?