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New HHR Owners - Give Us Your Report

13

Comments

  • hhr_roxhhr_rox Member Posts: 1
    Just purchased an 06 2LT with 7K on it, 2.4/ AT so far issue free but its only been a couple weeks. Really like the vehicle, took our first trip in it, 1400 miles round trip thru the Blue Ridge Mountains, avg 29 MPG, rode nice, fairly comfortable and I am a reasonably big guy. The 2.4 seems quite capable at highway speeds. The HHR is not the perfect car but it does perform decent and provides some personality.
  • poncho167poncho167 Member Posts: 1,178
    I have only driven on short drives but I have heard their nice on the highway. Because of Heritage High Roof (HHR) there can be some wind buffeting from cross winds as most any light highroof vehicle. The Cobalt is also a very nice smooth highway car that shares its chassis with the HHR.
  • lacolaco Member Posts: 28
    Have driven my 2007 iin some pretty high crosswinds. It is really pretty stable for a small car.
  • dmathews3dmathews3 Member Posts: 1,739
    I picked up my new HHR last Monday and first thing I did was ditch the cheap Firestones for Goodyear Assurance triple treads. Should come in real handy during these Michigan winters. Added some weathertech floor liners and have a BlueOx baseplate and wiring kit due in this week so I can tow it behind my motorhome.
  • lacolaco Member Posts: 28
    Have a Blue Ox baseplate and tow bar for ours, tow it behind our diesel pusher. Tows great, don't even know its there, except for the image in the rear camera. I also had the US Gear brake system installed. Its simple, only need to plug it in, and it too works great.
  • megan03megan03 Member Posts: 4
    Just purchased 2008 LT Shadow Edition. Includes leather seats, enhanced sound and all the stuff that comes in the "special edition".

    Great car. Way more comfortable than the one with cloth seats we drove first. Love the heated seats.

    It has the 2.2L which feels adequate. Guess it could be faster...but I bought for a third car to get better mileage than our Suburban and F150 (daily commuter).

    Car was delivered with two of the Firestone Firehawks out of balance. Dealer could not get them to balance so they have replaced them.

    This is alot of car for the money.
  • poncho167poncho167 Member Posts: 1,178
    I am not familiar with the Shadow Edition. So it sounds like it comes with leather and a sport suspension with those Firehawks. It's very possible that those tires could have been defects. That happens from time to time even from the tire stores. I to would be happy with the base 2.2 L engine because its pretty peppy and after all its only an econo box.
  • rdelucchirdelucchi Member Posts: 6
    Just traded my 08 Scion xB for an 08 HHR LT; got tired of driving the stick in commute traffic, and really didn't like the lack of lumbar support. Very happy with the HHR so far...
  • dmathews3dmathews3 Member Posts: 1,739
    I have a 07 Caddy STS and just got a new HHR with the 2LT and all the toys including Leather and find myself telling the wife to take the STS to work so I can use the HHR. A $24K car and a $53K car and I drive the cheap one. :blush:
    Only thing I don't care for is the instrument cluster as the blue background behind the numbers is hard to read sometimes so I'm having this put in next week.
    http://tinyurl.com/5zhvn6
    The company that makes these is only 60 miles from me so I emailed them and they will sell it to me and install for $150 total. Can't go wrong and should be a whole lot easier to read with my sun glasses on. :shades:
  • 62vetteefp62vetteefp Member Posts: 6,043
    Please let us know how it works. We spend hours and hours getting the lighting just right. Making sure there are no hot spots, even lighting, etc.
  • dmathews3dmathews3 Member Posts: 1,739
    All they are replacing is the gauge faces, so it is still my cluster. Only thing I hate on orginal was the blue put under the numbers. If they had just left it black background with bright white numbers, all would be well.
  • megan03megan03 Member Posts: 4
    The Special Part is the color, wheels, rear spoiler, stereo etc... The leather is an option as I had two to choose from (one with, one without) when they were locating the vehicle.

    Still loving the car and, while I am a die hard lover of my F150, I can say I really enjoy driving this car alot.

    This past Sunday a group I am in meets and several are getting Prius'. After the meeting as people adjourned to look at the cars, I had more looking at my HHR than any of them.

    It is a looker for sure.
  • lynnann50lynnann50 Member Posts: 6
    hi all...my Colorado truck broke down for the 6th time for electrical causes and at the dealer (I was 350 miles from home) I saw this silver HHR and traded for it. I loved driving it on the drive back home during the daylight hours and was delighted I'd made the trade..also...I love that is is styled after the 1950 (year I was born) Suburban...However...

    Last night I had the first occasion to drive it at night...and OMG(dess)...on low beams I couldn't even see 100 feet ahead of me...it's like the upper windshield is blacked out! With highbeams it's some better...but heading down an incline...I can't even see the top of the next hill! Once back in "town" (I'm in the far northern reaches of Wisconsin)...it was much better with the lighting from streetlights and what not...but out on the wooded roads it was horrid! I drove with the lever pulled towards me in "flash" mode the whole way home (except when there was oncoming traffic of course) and that was barely passable. I'm used to watching the highway several hundred feet ahead of me.

    Does anyone else find this disconcerting and are there different settings for the headlights in town and in rural surroundings???

    If anyone has a suggestion...let me know PLEASE..I dread my drive home from work on Monday....lynnann :confuse:
  • poncho167poncho167 Member Posts: 1,178
    Congrats on the new ride. Though it shouldn't occur, it's possible that the fixed headlights are somehow out of alignment. I would contact the dealer to remedy the situation.

    The HHR looks actually comes from the 1938 Heritage High Roof (HHR) though later years had that similar look.
  • lacolaco Member Posts: 28
    Just to add my 2 cents, if you look at a photo of a 1949 Suburban and the HHR side by side, the similarities are more than a little obvious.

    As far as the headlights, it should be something the dealer can remedy. My HHR is certainly usable at night, so its not a design problem.
  • micwebmicweb Member Posts: 1,617
    Headlamps received a "Good" rating from Consumer Reports. You should try parking in front of a wall and turn on your headlamps and see where the point of aim is.

    What I suspect is happening, however, is that you are used to the "aim point" on a raised pickup truck which is much higher than on a passenger vehicle.

    While this may make for some problems when you drive, imagine how many passenger car drivers you were blinding all those years. :P

    Now you get to use your high beams when there isn't any oncoming traffic - that's what we non-truck, non-SUV drivers have been doing for years. :)
  • lynnann50lynnann50 Member Posts: 6
    heya all thanks for the come backs...Incidentally...my OTHER vehicle is a Saturn LW1 wagon...VERY low to the ground..and yes...we have loads of huge pickups and SUV's up here in the nort'woods...so I do have appreciation about oncoming headlights in a regular passenger car.

    Good news...last night's nightime drive home was much better...I just had to get use to it and I did use the high beams for most of the trip. I also had occasion to have another HHR (only the 3rd one I've ever seen up here) to pass me in oncoming traffic and I did notice their "glare" was much subdued compared to the other vehicles oncoming...so...I guess my headlights are a "good thing"...

    I'm so completely in love with my new silverstone HHR LT and folks stopping in at my garden center think it's way cool as well.."it's perfect for you" is the common comment...I can't wait to see how many flats of flowers I can get into it next spring!!! prolly more than the Colorado.... love and peace...lynnann
  • micwebmicweb Member Posts: 1,617
    If you do a lot of freeway driving, please report back on your mileage. I've had my eye on an HHR since they came out and every owner report on mileage, driving habits, is helpful.

    Glad you are happier with the headlamps!
  • lynnann50lynnann50 Member Posts: 6
    heya all...I do ONLY highway driving up here...once in town...there are only a few blocks either way...so no stop and go.

    Since I bought the vehicle with a full tank of gas...which was supposed to be 14+/- gallon capacity...I drove it down to (info message said I could still drive 53 miles when the LOW FUEL light dinged on) and I put 15.4 gallons in it this morning. At that point my Trip A read...663 miles on that tank of gas...so...that computes to an unbelievable 44+ mpg!!!!!! :surprise:

    While driving the interstate home after the purchase...and since being home for the week with only a few trips of 15 and 70 miles...the MPG message said I was getting an average of 38 mpg...which I was very happy with.

    I love the fact that if I get a little heavy footed...or cruise at more than 2000rpms...I can SEE my mpg change...and the info about how many more miles on remaining fuel as well...it's just a wonderful tool for fuel conservation. :shades:

    As I mentioned...my 2001 Saturn LW1 wagon-ette gets avg of 44mpg...so I really feel like I'm helping wage the war against fuel glutteny!!!! love and peace...treehuggin' still...lynnann
  • micwebmicweb Member Posts: 1,617
    There are two setting on the DIC - instantaneous and average - which setting are you using for the mpg information? The instantantous flickers up and down second by second....
  • dmathews3dmathews3 Member Posts: 1,739
    maybe I'm using the wrong one as I'm getting 99mpg :P :shades:
  • lacolaco Member Posts: 28
    How do you change the DIC MPG info from average to instantaneous? I can reset it, and its somewhat instantaneous for awhile, as it builds a new average.
  • dmathews3dmathews3 Member Posts: 1,739
    just keep pushing the button and it is one of the many readouts availible. I wish they would add a couple more. My Caddy also has mph and gal. of gas used.
  • lynnann50lynnann50 Member Posts: 6
    well...I am just using the info I get from punching the "info" button. I actually did not know there were two mpg readings...but I think it's the one that says "avg" after or before it...not sure if I saw a "instantaneous" one. :confuse:

    There's so much I need to read about...like...yesterday when I stood at the pump trying to find the button on the floor to open the gas cover...and some guy walked over and pushed on the cover and it opened...duh...I also had to spin around the the other side when I first pulled in...cause the gas panel is on the passenger side! :blush:

    I'm still trying to figure out the wipers and it's supposed to rain today...this is so much fun!!!!!
  • dmathews3dmathews3 Member Posts: 1,739
    Avg is the average mpg reading and I'm not sure at this moment if the other says anything or not but while driving down the road coast the car and switch between them and the one that heads toward 99 is the instantanious one. Then step on the gas and watch is drop toward about 2 or 3.
    Wipers are easy. Right stalk on steering wheel controls them. Button on end is wash/wipe. First notch up is delayed in which you turn the end of the stalk a notch at a time to make the delay either longer or shorter and then the stalk up to the 2nd position which is continuous slow and all the way up to fast continuous. Rear wiper is down by the window switches and push to right for slow delay and full left to faster delay and push the middle for wash/wipe/off.
  • transformertransformer Member Posts: 1
    Just bought a 2008 HHR LT1 about a month ago... silver w/ chrome package and automatic. I traded in a 2002 F-250 truck because of the fuel mileage and the price of gas! I've always owned trucks so this was a huge adjustment for me! The HHR has always fascinated me and I finally made the decision to get one and get rid of the gas guzzler. I drive about 80% highway every day and I'm getting about 27 mpg with the 2.2 engine. This car is awesome! I love everything about it!!! One thing I really like about GM is all the cool things that come standard that you have to pay extra for on other brands or you can't get at all! I looked at Ford's economy cars and nothing thrilled me. I'm not into Japanese cars and nothing else had the room and fuel mileage of the HHR. For me it was a no-brainer! I'm getting awesome fuel mileage and I can still haul stuff when I want to! :) I also get tons of compliments on this car everywhere I go.
  • lynnann50lynnann50 Member Posts: 6
    boy o' boy...after 2 weeks with my (silverstone w/ chrome package..and did I mention sony erickson sound system?) HHR, I call it Silver after the Lone Ranger's horse...I'm with you on the Love this Car!

    I also have only Pickups over the last 30 years...other than my Saturn LW wagon...This is the first non pickup. I measured the back area with the seats down and it's a tad larger than my Colorado bed and covered to boot! I have a garden center...so hauling space is essential.... And unlike the Saturn wagon which drives ME...The HHR is a dream to drive...so responsive and an incredible turning radius.

    Thanks for all the support here...lynnann
  • micwebmicweb Member Posts: 1,617
    You've got to mean you've got deeper haul space than a short bed Colorado, right? I mean the Colorado HAS to be wider? If not, let me know, once considered a Colorado!
  • lynnann50lynnann50 Member Posts: 6
    mmmmm....actually between the wheel wells of the CO truck...there was about as much space as the HHR...I haul flats of flowers in the spring...and the double decker storage in the HHR will provide more space for flats...but thanks for asking...
  • chicasunchicasun Member Posts: 2
    Bought my 2009 HHR in Sept. and am loving it. First blast of winter showed here in southern Ont. Canada, so just trying to get used to the new feel. After driving a Sunfire this is quite the change, hoping I won't need winter tires, anyone had any probs with that?
    Also been scouring the net for accessories, like chrome door handles and mirrors, don't feel like paying the dealer prices, anyone know of any reliable sources?
  • dmathews3dmathews3 Member Posts: 1,739
    http://chevyhhr.net/forums/index.php Great forum and some great venders too.
  • chicasunchicasun Member Posts: 2
    Thanks will check it out ASAP! :shades:
    Did I mention that at 42, I think I am the youngest HHR driver from reading the forums, don't care love it! :blush:
  • afs9afs9 Member Posts: 5
    and almost 14K, still LOVE my Black 07 2LT, chrome package. :shades:
    Mods:
    custom painted pinstripes, grill & beauty bar bowties-pink
    leveled
    sway bar
    CGS intake
    lower billet grille
    tinted front windows (dealer mod)
    stainless steel tail light rings
    stubby antenna
    Nu-skool Chevrolet scripts

    Only problem: replacing sunroof (under warranty)
    I LOVE this car and still smile every time I see it.
    check out chevyhhr.net for some great folks and info!
    Photobucket
  • huffmanshhr1huffmanshhr1 Member Posts: 14
    Im 42 and the hubby is 47 and we both LOVE our HHR. We just bought it used,2007, Lt with the 2.4l engine. After driving a Buick"luxary" car it was an adjustment but he loves it even more than I do!
    Dont feel alone, us "midlifers" are in this with ya! :shades:
  • huffmanshhr1huffmanshhr1 Member Posts: 14
    Are you running it with high octane/ no ethanol gas? We had that problem,but not as severe, because we did not read the manual or have the dealership tell us that we have to put in high octane.
    I just thought yeah yeah they all say use the higher quality gas, but in the HHR 2.4 they mean it. The gas mileage in ours( a used 2007 auto.) went from an average of around 18 city to an average of 22-25city
    The way you drive this car really IS important. I have a heavy foot that has alot of bad driver habits. My husband can drive this car and"make" it do as much as 27-30 CITY.He gets a real kick out of "beating" the mileage average. I can not tell you how to duplicate it! But I can tell you that by playing with the way you drive it while keeping an eye on your mpg reading ,you can improve it yourself. :) really. try it.
    :blush:
  • afs9afs9 Member Posts: 5
    I rarely use high octane in my 2.4 (depends on cost usually). I find what matters more, other than driving habits, is the quality of the gas I use. No bargain gas, only Costco here in SoCal. However, I do admit it 'feels' different when I use the higher octane!

    A
  • jb66ss396jb66ss396 Member Posts: 2
    I love Chevys. I never had a bad one. I still own my first chevy (1966 Chevelle) that I bought in 1973 while in high school.

    I was looking at a new 2009 HHR that was discounted at local Chevy dealership. The price looked good and as long as it had A/C and a radio I would buy it. I bought the car sight unseen as they had to pick up my base HHR at another dealership in the next state. I also wanted the 5-speed to keep the price down and for a little fun driving. Well I picked up the car two days later and I was blown away at the list of options on this "base" (turned out to be a LS) car.

    What a value this car is and 155 horse power out of a 4 cylinder. I have the car 7 weeks and its great. I'm an old car guy (I also have a 1965 vette for over 20 years) and I love the look of this HHR. My only recomendation would be the availability of a 6-speed stick instead of the 5-speed.

    John
  • softball7softball7 Member Posts: 1
    I bought it in April, and fell in love with. It is a great little car for money, I'm getting good fuel mileage (29-32 hwy. 22-23 city 27 combined). It is quiet, very comfortable leather seats, solid, and a lot of fun to drive. I could not be happier with it! :)
  • bootheavybootheavy Member Posts: 1
    Pardon my ignorance, I'm having the same exact problem. The thing is I just had my windshield replaced and I'm still having the same problem. Would the "cowl seal" you mentioned have been included a typical cracked windshield replacement?
  • bobw55bobw55 Member Posts: 1
    I just recently traded in my gas guzzler 2000 S10 4X4 for a 2007 HHR with 63K miles on it. So far I love it. I am getting 28-30 MPG some city mostly 55MPH country roads. My only complaint is the flickering back lights on the climate controls and the flood lamp LED that keeps flickering at night. I know it is one of the connectors down by the fuse panel in the front of the passenger side. I'll find it when it warms up more.
    And yeah, what ever idiot put the window switches where they are. But it does well in the snow. Want to add the fog lamps to it, will have to see if the dealer will cut me a deal on reprogramming the BCM for them. Every thing is there but the switch and the lamps them selves. Will see If I can pick some up at a junk yard.

    Bob
  • dmathews3dmathews3 Member Posts: 1,739
    One thing that is pretty well known is to make sure all the fuses are in tight as they have been known to even come from the factory loose. Also on the new HHR's they moved the window switches back up to the door like in most cars. I always remember that I'm driving a retro car of a old Suburban and like most old cars there are things you have to get used to. Like those old cars didn't have power windows at all and the front windshield makes it hard to see the stoplights for taller drivers but one of those prizm things they sell works very well for that problem. Also taking off the lock knobs and cutting the steel knob down and replacing the lock buttons with aftermarket that when the doors are locked they sit almost flush depending on how much you trim off and makes it a lot better with the window down and your elbow hanging out in the summer.
  • sdasda Member Posts: 6,964
    edited March 2010
    Just bought 08 2LT 17500 miles, Mystique Blue, all options except cross ties, but has roof rails. Pleasantly surprised by overall balance of ride, handling, comfort, room, etc. Learned throttle response a bit lazy, but if you don't mind pushing the pedal it will move out quite well. Getting 26.5-28 mpg regularly and have put 1700 miles on it, 19200. Purchased 2/18--one month ago today. My 8 year old daughter loves it. The color especially. My wife said our daughter was talking to a friend how cool the car is and that it is the one with the 'plus' sign on the front.

    2018 VW Passat SE w/tech, 2016 Audi Q5 Premium Plus w/tech, 2006 Acura TL w/nav

  • riley34riley34 Member Posts: 12
    Traded in our 06 Buick Rendezvous for an 09 HHR 2LT. The Buick for its size was good on gas (20-22 mpg), roomy, quiet and smooth on the highway but very under powered and needed "Z" rated tires to improve handling. Between the spiffs on my GM Card and the deluge of GM rebate offers we decided to trade it in a year earlier than planned. Very surprised and pleased with the deal we got. The HHR just hit 10K miles. It has about 50/50 highway and local mileage. We get 29-32 mpg on the highway and 24-26 mpg around town with regular. It drives great on the highway, is very quiet and handles well even in a cross wind (the Buick did not). Our only disappointment is Flex Fuel mpg, it runs good but the 16 mpg around town, 20% less price and unavailability makes it hard to use.
    Used my friends Rogue for a week.....why do people throw away their money on this junk when the HHR is avaliable.
  • carol54carol54 Member Posts: 4
    I just bought a used HHR1 from my dealer. It had been used as a rental last year.
    I got it for around $10,000. That was with another new extended warranty on it.I have had it about 2 1/2 months now and have had no problems at all (yet).
    It is very roomy and comfortable and everything works great on it. We are very happy with ours.
  • jimmygedjimmyged Member Posts: 8
    Am I doing something wrong? This is the 3rd time I needed to jump start this vehicle. It only has 3500 miles on it and is still very much so under warranty. This past Friday I got out of work and it would not start, I jumped it in the parking lot and drove it about 35 to 40 minutes home "all highway miles". Saturday night my wife and I are leaving the Jimmy Buffet concert and we are sitting there listening to a rapid clicking starter sound! I call onstar for assistance and about an hour and a half later the wrecker shows up and puts the booster pack on the battery and she fires right up! Am I leaving something on that shouldn`t be on? Is that onstar capability draining the battery down? I know the battery looks very undersized to begin with, but is anyone else having this problem? I question the recharging system, but am thinking that something is draining the system down. For one thing does the interior lights stay on when the tailgate is open all the time? I notice that they are on a timer when you shut the doors they stay on for a little while. Can I shut this feature off so when the door gets shut they go out right away? Can I make it so the lights stay off when the tail gate is open? Does the radio display have anything to do with it? It was staying lit. Why doesn`t this vehicle have a fail safe system to save the battery supply?
  • sdasda Member Posts: 6,964
    Take it to the dealer. They need to do an electrical check. It is probably simple like a bad ground or faulty battery. Early on I had catastrophic battery failure on my previous car . Battery replaced, and no problems after.

    2018 VW Passat SE w/tech, 2016 Audi Q5 Premium Plus w/tech, 2006 Acura TL w/nav

  • laserbluelaserblue Member Posts: 313
    Yep! Probably a faulty ground somewhere.
    Go to the dealer and they will check it and fix it for sure. You can't go like this and it's on full warranty.
    Got mine on the 6 th of May 2010. It's a 2010 2 LT and I love it very much. At 300 miles they had to change my stick shift assembly because it got stucked in park. Bummer!
    Now it looks like everything is going great.
    Good luck with your problem. G.M will surely find the cause and repair it.
  • scont4pondsscont4ponds Member Posts: 1
    I have a 2006 HHR. Last week, I could not get my car key out of the ignition. Because i was leaving the next morning for a business trip my great mechanic showed me how to remove the key by using the button inside to release the key, as a temporary fix until i return home from my business trip. Now yesterday, i have no left rear directional nor any brake lights.

    Is this normal ? :sick: Unfortunately i am only going to be in my hometown for (6 hours - overnight) short period of time before i leave for a road trip in which i will be driving, and can not get a rental in time for my trip.

    I know my mechanic stated that the "shifter" has to be replaced.

    So any and all help is appreciated...
  • laserbluelaserblue Member Posts: 313
    It might not be of any help to your problem but let me tell you what happened to mine.
    I bought a brand new 2010 HHR LT2 and I had only 108 miles on it when they had to change the entire "stick shift assembly" because I couldn't get my HHR out of Park.
    I noticed that my key had a weird feeling when I pulled on it to take it out of the ignition (but it never got stuck).
    My mechanic told me about a switch behind the brake pedal that could be the problem with my "Stick shift" (I can't see the link between the two of them).
    My problem was my "Stick shift assembly" because I'm up to 1,200 miles now and everything works perfectly.
  • crappyhhr2crappyhhr2 Member Posts: 1
    My wife bought the car with 3 (Three) miles on it. Third day of ownership driver side halfshaft had to be replaced because factory forgot to place the boot on the CV Joint. One month later, the hub bearing went out and was replaced. The next week, the front brakes and rotors were replaced due to SEVERE shuttering. Within the next month, another halfshaft was replaced, yes driver side, due to "manufacturer defect". Then brakes, steering stabilizer, ball joint and control arm on driver side were replaced and she had not had it 6 months yet! Now, the lights have shut off on there own, the car has lost power and even shut down, the temp gauge climbs to the top, the fuel gauge reads empty when full and half when empty! But, the most irritating issue now is the power steering (Electric, of course) shuts of after 15 seconds of running. This is not only an inconvenience, it's DANGEROUS! Why has G.M. not recalled or even issued an alert on this car? We are not the only ones with the problem and there are numerous Cobalts with same trouble as they share the same sub frame. HELP! :lemon:
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