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HHR Electrical/Lighting Questions

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Comments

  • amyf2amyf2 Member Posts: 9
    What's the "IPC".......Im having tail light issues too.....

    tx, Amy
  • amyf2amyf2 Member Posts: 9
    Yes I am......anyone figure this out yet? Mine has been to service 3x and they've traced wires and checked a circuit board.......nothing.
  • hawktraphawktrap Member Posts: 8
    Amy, they had to change the whole fuse box in my HHR. It was loose and cuasing the lights to go out. It's not the bulbs in the tail lt's or in the dash It's a defective fuse box or lousy istallation of the fuse box by the factory. I also continued to have my course control drop out after the new fuse box was installed. Either the AC or vaccum leak is the issue. after the steering wheel started to peel and a dozon paint chips on my hood and squeling brakes... I traded my lemon HHR WITH 6,000 MILES ON IT; TOOK A $5,500 HIT and bought '09 GMC Envoy. GOOD LUCK :lemon:
  • amyf2amyf2 Member Posts: 9
    Thanks for your reply. What's happening now is that I took it in on MONDAY this week, and by WED it was blown again. Drove to the dealer, the techs were all gone, so the service mgr put in a fuse for me and I went home. NEXT DAY, the fuse was blown again after work, drove to the dealer, no one was there, so a remaining service mgr put a fuse in, and that one blew before the hood was down! He put in a 25 in the 10 slot to get me home. We're taking it to the original dealer to get this resolved, hopefully once and for all. Im going to talk to them about the Instrument Panel Cluster (?)... IPC.... that someone blogged about on here, as well as what you've suggested as a bad fuse box. So far, we've got over 19K miles on this car, and knock on wood, no other issues as there have been on this blog. So far, this is just a pain in the [non-permissible content removed] more than anything. It seems to be happening more and more... this time 3x in one week. I'll keep everyone posted as to what this ends up being, so if it happens to others.......they will know what to ask for. Thanks again.
  • hawktraphawktrap Member Posts: 8
    Amy tell them to wiggle the fuse box and see what happens. I believe that is the issue.I did love the car but lost faith in it with all the issues I was having including no emblems on the car "HHR". i BELIEVE MINE WAS HIT IN THE BACK HACTH @ THE DEALER and they tried to cover it up. My dealer is out of busines,Bill Heard. I was i touch with Chevy and was invoking the lemon law. :lemon: But just got to the point that I didn't feel safe in it. Nor wanted to waste any more time fighting with Corporate Chevy. Which kept changing the people who where suppose to help solve these lemon issues and fix the car.One spiecalist to another where leaving; hers's a ph# 866-790-5700 ext 41240 Yvonne Johnson @ Corp Chevy if she is still employed.Patrich was @ ext 41180 this should lead you to someone that may CARE! good luck :lemon:
  • egadgetguyegadgetguy Member Posts: 7
    Bill Heard? RU in Auburn AL? I got my 06 at glenn smith in Opelika in 06.

    It was used, but no real probs til now [two years later] and I am having the T/C issue, Thanks for the #s. I have to call tomorrow. I did check the fuses and many of them were loose. Interesting... :surprise:
  • hawktraphawktrap Member Posts: 8
    Las Vegas NV. GOOD LUCK and HAPPY NEW YEAR :lemon:
  • tlaydee1tlaydee1 Member Posts: 1
    Well i have had my 2006 HHR for about 2 mths and it started to have a Jerky movement while in idle, the car dealership said it was nothing, probably due to sitting in the car lot for a while. So i dismissed the problem until the shaking/jerky movement happened more often. So took it to a Chevy Dealer and they told me they couln't find the problem and the computer diagnostic found nothing wrong"YEAH RIGHT" About two days later the car's engine decided to power down and shut off during 5:00 Rush hour traffic on the freeway. It did start right back up then the engine light came on and stayed on until i turned the car off and restarted then the light went of. " REALLY PISSED OFF" I Then took the car to firestone for $127 and they told me that the "Internal Computer Module" needs replacing but i can only get it fixed through the dealership. Know i have to take it back to the dealership and pay for another diagnostic for $110 for them to figure out which component of the module is broken. I am VERY irritated as to the Chevy Dealership couldn't find the issue before. I am especially worried about how much is this is going to cost me $$$$$$. To get this issue fixed
  • backtojapsbacktojaps Member Posts: 1
    my sn says it all, back to [non-permissible content removed] cars. this lump gets so so mileage , 23-25 mpg, with a semi decent ride and every possible option. too bad i am on my third dome light, my fourth taillight, i carry spares in the glove box like an old jaguar. last straw was the remote clicker died on a car les then three years old. replaced the battery, nothing. bob baker chevrolet wants 100.00 to reprogram a key fob !!

    screw these losers, foisters no quality machines . many sourced overseas as quality american cars. crap is crap, and make the land of nippon i go
  • dmathews3dmathews3 Member Posts: 1,739
    Buy a Camry so you can have bigger problems like the high pressure oil line blowing and no replacements avail. so car sits in shop for weeks, or the rattlely dash, the hesitation when stepping on the go peddle to name a few. My HHR has only seen the dealer for oil changes. Did you get a bad one or just a bad dealer. I look at all cars as having problems but does the dealer fix it the first time or give me a line of s--t of fix it half as- so I have to keep bringing it back
  • poncho167poncho167 Member Posts: 1,178
    And when your Japanese import starts giving problems are you going German next?
  • KCRamKCRam Member Posts: 3,516
    ...let's keep this topic to the HHR. There are plenty of discussions on American vs foreign brands in the Automotive News and Views Board.

    kcram - Pickups/Wagons Host
  • amyf2amyf2 Member Posts: 9
    I guess I havent been on here since they found my Electrical problems with the tail lights and internal console lights.......the service dept kept my car for A WEEK, and tore pretty much everything out of it. The guys saw the fuses blow right in front of them, and they couldnt find the problem. Finally, after tracing and retracing the wires from the front end to the back end, the technician finally found a SMALL SCREW THAT WASNT SCREWED IN behind the radio panel, and that's what was touching wire to wire, blowing the fuses. Once the screw was taken care of, I havent had any more fuses being blown. So finally, things are back on track. I love my car so far, havent had any other issues......knock on wood.
  • amyf2amyf2 Member Posts: 9
    I had similar issues, and it was a small screw not screwed in place behind the radio panel that was causing wire to wire interaction, blowing fuses left and right. Ive seen on here that others have had to replace fuse boxes... but mine was as simple as a tiny screw. Now, it took MONTHS for us to figure this out, and the technicians kept my car for a solid week to finally figure it out, but it was finally taken care of. They had to trace the wires from front to back, took out my seats, pretty much dismantled my poor car... and finally found the screw out of place.
  • amyf2amyf2 Member Posts: 9
    just wanted to report that my remotes quit working too... I saw on here others had the same post. I went to my dealership recently, and they had to replace both remotes and reprogram. So far so good, I just think the originals were of poor quality. The little metal piece inside wasnt soldered on very good, and popped up, thus, not keeping the battery in place.
  • poncho167poncho167 Member Posts: 1,178
    Hopefully that was the issue with the remotes but I have read that if you carry a cell phone close to your key fob that that could erase the remotes memory.
  • michaelp6michaelp6 Member Posts: 5
    I use the rear power outlet to plug in a small fridge while traveling on weekends. Two weeks ago the power outlet stopped working. I checked the fuse, and it was fine. I replaced it anyway hoping this would correct the problem, whoever it didn't. I now need to remove the power outlet to determine what the problem is. Does anyone know how to remove the rear power outlet?
  • dmathews3dmathews3 Member Posts: 1,739
    Did you check the refrig somewhere else to make sure it is working?
  • michaelp6michaelp6 Member Posts: 5
    Well of course. It works fine plugged into the front power outlet.
  • dmathews3dmathews3 Member Posts: 1,739
    Have you tried something else plugged into the back one? I have had plugs quit working for what I thought was no reason only to find that the item just didn't fit it correctly. As you can see, I don't have your answer but am trying to at least give you some ideas. How about a tester that has 2 wires on it so you can at least test it to see if it is getting power to it.
  • michaelp6michaelp6 Member Posts: 5
    I appreciate your help. I did try plugging other things into the outlet and nothing works, although they all work in the front outlet. I can't figure out how to remove the outlet to see what the problem might be. I guess I will just have to break down and buy a Chilton's Manual on the car to find out how to remove the outlet.
  • dmathews3dmathews3 Member Posts: 1,739
    Well you got me curious so I went out to my 08 HHR to see if I could figure it out for ya. I have the top on the line HHR with every option including leather seats and I don't even have a outlet back there. What year is yours? Also if you don't know about it there is a HHR at www.chevyhhr.net/ they have a forum there that will have your answers as that site is full of HHR owners.
  • michaelp6michaelp6 Member Posts: 5
    Mine is an 06 with all the options. The outlet is on the passenger side of the center console near the rear cup holder. I will go to www.chevyhhr.net and see if I can get some help. Thanks a bunch.
  • dmathews3dmathews3 Member Posts: 1,739
    I didn't even think about that location as I was looking clear in the back. Yep, I have one there and took a second look. I don't know, it don't look like it would pop out but may. Only other thing I can see is to pull the whole console. Better give chevyhhr.net a look see and sign up. A great group of people and you may even want to join one of the local clubs in your area.
  • recovery2010recovery2010 Member Posts: 3
    They should give you a loaner that is what the dealer did for me when they pimped my ride. Put a power sunroof in it and leather seats at no cost ot me. I drove it for a week and a half no problem. If they are doing that for you then they will be more prudent about the part.
  • tim146tim146 Member Posts: 4
    Several times over the last few years my 2006 HHR LT has had a problem that the Chevrolet service department cannot correct. When driving or after just starting the car, it occasionally/randomly/infrequently chimes 3 times, the vehicle theft light on the dash lights up, all analog gauges perform repeated full sweeps, the information display cycles through bogus readings, the shifter clicks wildly, automatic shifting stops, engine stutters but keeps going and power steering goes out completely (this last one doesn't always happen). Brakes seem fine. This has happened about 6 or 7 times since I purchased the car used in July 2006. When it happens, I drive straight to the service department and leave it running for the technicians. They see the theft light on, and the lack of shifting, but by the time I get there the gauges seem to behave again. They have replaced various wiring but have yet to fix the issue. The last time it happened, the service department kept it for almost 3 weeks trying to repro the problem but couldn’t so they gave it back unfixed.

    It happened again last week and it’s quite scary when it happens while on the highway. It's back at the service center but they're ready to give it back again without fixing it. I've contacted corporate to see if there's anything they can do, but beyond asking if I still have a warranty (no) they haven't been able to do much.

    Anyone else have a similar experience or suggestions on what might be causing this?
  • ray80ray80 Member Posts: 1,655
    Really nice mess of troubles you have there :( One thing I remember when the 06's came out was some people noticed fuses in underhood fuse box were not tightly seated, an easy thing to check and correct (and while there, perhaps a check of connections to fuse box would be in order). For whats happening inside of cabin, one thing that may be common is BCM which controls a bunch of stuff inside, loose connections, water intrusion from leaky sunroof can cause troubles in that area. (may as well check fuses inside cabin as well). Going back to big picture, a questionable level of electric suppply can reak havoc with electronics and engine stuff. Loose battery cable (at either end) or shaky condition (sometimes works, sometimes doesn't) alternater could cause this.
  • tim146tim146 Member Posts: 4
    Thanks Ray80. This has been my little slice of fun for a while... ;)

    The Chevy service guy (their top electrical troubleshooter) did do a bunch of tests and replaced parts of the harness so I would think he already checked these things, but who knows. I'll ask when I pick up the car today - they still haven't found the problem but don't know what else to do. I'll also try poking around over the weekend to see if there's anything obvious.

    Thanks for the ideas. If anyone happens to think of something else, please let me know. I like the car and would like to keep it, but only if I can get this issue solved.

    -Tim
  • bluestreak4bluestreak4 Member Posts: 2
    I have a 2006 HHR that I bought new Jan 2007. I have had very little trouble with it. A few problems were mentioned here in the blogs, but has anyone else had their headlights go out on then for a second or two? Mine has done this twice. I was driving at night and was turning right. I gave my right turn signal and brighted my lights so I could see the driveway better and the lights just went out for a second or two! My husband thought I did something screwy to it to make it happen then a few weeks later it did it to him!! We took it to our dealer and they had not heard of the problem and could not figure it out. Does anyone have any ideas? Also, we went to the mountains this weekend and our brakes now make the car shimmy. My husband thinks it might be cheap thin rotors. ??
  • ray80ray80 Member Posts: 1,655
    Yup exact same problem with the lights sometimes, high beams on, turn right signal light on and everything goes out. It is most likely something in the turn signal/ light switch.
  • tim146tim146 Member Posts: 4
    Didn't find anything obvious with the harness, battery checks out, and fuse box seems nice and tight.

    The GM corporate folks have recommended that I get a VDR (Vehicle Data Recorder) installed from the dealership so that the next time all these issues happen, it will log a bunch of additional info about the current state of the car.

    I'm hoping to get that done today and will keep everyone posted on what happens...
  • bluestreak4bluestreak4 Member Posts: 2
    I'm going to call my dealer tomorrow and see if I can get it looked at again. I'll tell them to check the turn signal. Thanks for the suggestion and also letting me know I am not alone with this problem!! :)
  • rstruthersrstruthers Member Posts: 29
    This will be the second time I have had to change the heater fan speed control resistor.. I have found it on line for as little as $32. It is easy to replace, under the dash behind the glove box door. But I wonder why it fails at about 12 months.
    There is also a squeal in the motor bearing. I guess that will be the next thing to replace, found it costs about $120 but I don't know how hard that will be to get out.
    2006 HHR LT. :mad:
  • imidazol97imidazol97 Member Posts: 27,147
    edited April 2010
    Without checking back to older posts in HHR or Cobalt, is that the problem where a cover that diverts water away that's under the plastic piece of the heater air intake leaks and lets water go down to where the resistor is? Others have replaced that or cobbled an effective fix.

    I noticed it because I own a Cobalt which is similar to the HHR in design.

    Edit: I found it in another topic with the HHR cluster.

    http://townhall-talk.edmunds.com/direct/view/.f1d1639/7#MSG7

    Here's a llink to the whole cluster. You can subscribe to the whole thing and anytime someone posts you'll have it as an unread post

    http://townhall-talk.edmunds.com/WebX/.f0fe44a/

    Good luck finding it. Sounds like the squeaking fan motor may be a result of a leak as well as the resistor unit.

    Report back and tell us what you find.

    2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,

  • chevy_hhr_2006chevy_hhr_2006 Member Posts: 1
    edited September 2010
    I am relieved to find someone else out there with the same problem that I am having with my 2006 Chevy HHR LT.
    Tim146- My car is doing the exact same thing as yours. Mine is actually back in the shop for the third time for this issue in the last year.

    When I first got the car, within 3 months, I noticed that maybe after a minute or two of driving, when I came to a stop, the car would jerk forward, it would idle up and down, my foot was completely on the brake, but it acted as if it wanted to go forward. It would do this several times then stop. I immediately took it to the dealership where I bought it from. They installed one of those devices that records data from your car while it happens (you hit a red button on the device and it records for I believe 30 seconds) Everything came out clear.

    This problem has continued for the last 3 years. Recently in the last year, when I first turn on the car, all of the gauge lights flicker, the 'power steering' and "low fuel" light flicker on and off, the shifter knob clicks wildly, the motor idles up and down, the temperature gauge, gas gauge and mph gauge float up and down at random trimes (the car is parked and e-brake is up, the car is not moving when this happens)

    When all these lights are going off, I then try to shift into reverse and with each gear I go into, it makes a very loud "CLUNK" noise and the car jerks voilently. I drive it, then when I stop the car, it feels like its about to turn off completely, but at the last minute it turns back on again. As I'm driving and the transmission is switching through gears, the car "CLUNKS" again and jerks forward violently (almost like when you press the gas pedal too hard before letting out the clutch in a standard car and it jerks forward a couple of times) When I come to a stop, it feels like its about the shut off, then it turns back on within a quick second.

    The first time, they told me it was a belt to my AC that causes it, they replaced it and $1200 later, the car acted up again 2 weeks later. That time, they kept my car for 2 weeks, they even had master techs from GM come to look at my car. They concluded that it was electrical and my computer. They replaced my computer, 'rebooted' the car.....4 months later I'm having the same issue. I dropped it off this morning (its so bad they know my name at the dealership :( ) So more testing will be done.

    What can we do about this? There has to be more people out there with the same issue? At this point, I'm concerned about safely, or my car possibly shutting down completely as I'm driving. I plan to get rid of the car soon, with only 9 more months of payments, I hate to do it, but at this point, if this is going to be a 4-6 months issue (The car only has 40,000 miles on it) I can't afford to keep up with this.
  • laurcourlaurcour Member Posts: 1
    This is exactly what my HHR does, it has been going on for six months and I had to have it towed to the dealer again today. I get the standard answer every time from them: Well it's not doing it now so we don't know what it is. This was bought as a certified used car in 2008 from Chevy and I purchased an extended warranty. I have three more years to pay for this piece of junk and it isn't safe to drive. Between the electrical/computer problems and the vibrating brakes, despite 2 sets of pads and 3 sets of rotors, I want this car fixed or gone. Did they ever find a resolution to the others that are facing the electrical issues???
  • bigred32bigred32 Member Posts: 1
    We own a 2009 hhr and the other day I got in it as normal ready to go and had no radio, no turn signal chime or seatbelt chime, and the speedometer and gas gauges would be normal then drop to zero, back up to my current speed and the gas guage from empty to half where it was....anyway I never lost power or anything just the weirdness of no chimes or tunes, then when I was on my way home I pushed eject on the cd player just out of frustration and everything was back normal again? We replaced the keyless entry key fob battery because I thought maybe that had something to do with it? It is ok as of today everything is normal but does anyone have a clue as to what caused this? I have not taken it to a dealer yet should I? :confuse:
  • egadgetguyegadgetguy Member Posts: 7
    I would check the fuse box to see if all of the fuses are seated. I heard this sometimes works. there are two actually, One on the right side of the console and one under the hood. under the hood, it looks like a battery is in it, it's not. That's in the back with the spare tire. [TIP] Also, don't jump the car using the rear most red terminal under the hood as a neg. It's not and you can damage the car's electrical. :sick: Use the metal of the car as ground. :shades:
  • featherstonjfeatherstonj Member Posts: 1
    I have experienced this problem for over a month. I left the car at the dealership for one week and they profess that they cannot duplicate the problem.
    When driving and making slight adjustments for curves, etc., the dash lights, speedometer, rpm, radio and turn signals go dead momentarily. This only happens when making a turn, even a slight turn.
    If anyone can tell me the problem, I can inform the mechanics to fix it.
  • wytchwoodwytchwood Member Posts: 1
    edited October 2011
    I have a problem with my 2008 HHR where sometimes I have to be driving 5-10 minutes before my instrument panel and radio lights come on. This is usually in daytime and my headlights are always set to auto. After reading all these posts I'm now concerned that I may not have brake lights so will check. Yesterday I drove a bit, they had come on shortly after I started it up, but not right when I started it up. Drove a bit running a few errands. After the last errand got in and started car to drive home and noticed I had no instrument panel or radio lights at all, got all the way home and still no lights. Took it to dealer once before about this, said they'd have to keep it a few days. Picked it up and didn't think to check it before I left the dealer, drove it home in a downpour so I'm watching the road cautiously then realized I had very dim lights on my instrument panel when with the downpour and lack of bright sun, they should have been bright. Then noticed they had turned the instrument panel brightnes switch all to the way to the brighest setting, and IP lights were dim at that. I was so mad, I called the dealer right away and told him it wasn't fixed and that switching the IP dimmer switch to the brightest setting wasn't a fix for the problem. He said, "Well, you'll have to bring it in so we can take a look at it." I was livid, they just had my car for 2 days. This was a certified used car and I bought a 5-year extended warranty in 2009. I'm so fed up with this dealer. They had stripped my lug nut covers which caused my wheel cover to loosen and a thin strip of metal came out from underneath wheel cover and was banging around inside my wheel well.. that was the beginning of my problems with the dealer, so now I take the wheelcovers off before I take the car in and when I get home I put them back on and tighten them myself with a hand tool. Anyways, thanks for letting me rant. I'm going to check the fuses tomorrow morning and see what I can find..then I guess I'll have to have a talk with the servcie manager....again. I love the car but it's getting to worry me with all the problems I see others having.
  • ray80ray80 Member Posts: 1,655
    Just a thought on the lighting. I see this question every year in various forums and for various vehicles as we get into fall and sun angle and brightness lowers as we move into fall /early winter. When in auto mode the sensor thinks its getting dark out and switchs from daytime running lights to regular headlights. For the IP and radio this means dimmer setting for night-time mode.
    The solution is to take it out of auto-mode (do without DRL's in daytime and remember to turn lights on at night), or, as the dealer did, turn dimmer switch on bright so the change is not so noticable. It can happen in sumer also if you enter a dark area for long enough (as in getting stuck under a underpass for a bit).
  • hhr_lemon1hhr_lemon1 Member Posts: 1
    Just got an 09 HHR (Lemon) :lemon: your comment about being concerned about safety and the possibility of the car shutting down completely, struck a note w/me. I am having that problem. :sick: The last instance was while on the interstate. I was lucky enough to be able to pull off to the shoulder but had I been in the inner lane, I'd have come to a complete stop and I shudder to think of the possibilities. This has happened several times and of course, no reason for loosing power or for the dash lights shutting off or the brakes not working (which caused me to rear end a car at the car wash) GMC opened a case file and has told me they will do what is necessary to find the cause of these problems......in the mean time can I hitch a ride? :lemon: :confuse:
  • gmcustsvcsarahgmcustsvcsarah Member Posts: 1,964
    Hello hhr_lemon1,

    I'm glad that you made it safely through the most recent incident on the interstate you described! It looks as though you have a case going with us already, which is great. I wish you all the best during the repair process, and look forward to an update on how everything goes.

    Best,
    Sarah
    GM Customer Service
  • gjweinertgjweinert Member Posts: 2
    Hi There, I bought the HHR LT2 in 12/06. A year later both one of the key fobs stopped working. I opened it up to replace the battery. I also noticed the metal clip to hold the battery in place lost its soldered point. Put in a new battery and used scotch tape to keep it in place. The piece of tape had be long enough to stick out of both sides when you snap the plastic cover back in place. Then you can trim off the excess tape. The same problem occurred with the second key fob and I did the same simple repair. Saved the ridiculouse quote for a new fob and programming it. Chevy should take ownership of a bad quality product and replace them free of charge to the customer!

    Hope this helps for a simple fix. Jerry
  • gjweinertgjweinert Member Posts: 2
    Hi Sarah, In October of 2010, we started the drive from Portland OR, to Phoenix AZ. The 2006 HHR LT2 had a check Engine Light come on after about 5 miles, called the selling dealer service dept. Said to open the gas cap and screw it on tight. The engine light turned off and all looked ok. Drove about 250 miles to Grants Pass OR. Next morning check engine light came on. Did same thing with gas cap, no joy. Turned car off and on 3 times. Check Engine Light turned off. Drove over the pass into California going downhill and all the lights on the dash started flickering on and off, warning lights flickering on and off. Car shut itself off while on the freeway at 65 mph. No Power Steering. Fortunately, coasted off an exit. Called Redding CA Chevy Dealer and he said to come in, no appointment needed. After waiting 1/2 hour, Car started and cautiously drove to Redding Dealer. Explained the problem. Turned on the car and only check engine light came on. Turned it off and on. Check Engine light went out. Excellent Technician found CHEVY TSB for all the error codews that showed up, that said to check all electrical connections with computer processor modules, ECM, many others. Use some kind of "jelly" not sure what it was, on the connectors. The TSB said to do this with no guarantee it would fix the problem. There where about 12 error codes from the main diagnostic module. After 4 hours of unplugging and plugging all of the connectors, the problem seems to have been fixed. Have not had any electrical problems since. Loosing all power while on the freeway was extremely scarey and unsafe. I called Chevrolet and they conferenced the dealer and I was informed that Chevrolet would not reimburse me for the expense because only a diagnostic was performed in accordance with the TSB from Chevrolet. Since no part or fix was performed, I was out of luck. Safety did not concern the rep from Chevrolet and the case was closed. Since a TSB was issued, and its a known safety problem, why has Chevrolet not done something about this safety issue?! Jerry
  • CaptainJimCaptainJim Member Posts: 1
    Have a 2007, the only issues are dash & radio light coming on and off only in the daytime. Every onescomments sure have helped. Thank you
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