I live in the Central Valley of California where it has been over 95 and sometimes over 105 in the 3 weeks we have owned our HHR…

The engine runs at 195 to 200 and runs real well.. My question is…

It seems to me that the engine compartment gets real hot. I mean real hot almost to hot to even look at checking the oil or checking the fuse box or installing a Bra until at 4 or 5 hours after my wife get home from work (She works about 15 miles from home) She parks in the garage and the garage gets so hot I need to open the doors and put a fan in there just to be able to do anything in there..

Is this normal? I mean for the engine compartment to get this hot?


I really don’t think it’s the engine over heating… I just think it retains heat (a lot of heat) under the hood

Thanks Lee

We had a 2003 Trailblazer that never heated the garage like this little HHR does..........

195 to 200 sounds normal. With outside temps as hot as they are right now I think it's normal for a garage to stay heated like you describe for several hours. I know mine sure does after I get home in the evening.:red:

here in vegas it was 119 and my temp gauge on the hhr registered 211 while driving, and we parked in our one car garage and it turned into a sauna in there for about 4-5 hours also .

Same here. Afternoons in the garage with a hot HHR are pretty much unbearable - except for those box fans! :banana: :banana:

I just leave my garage doors open for a while after I get home. We haven't broken a hundred yet, but it's supposed to be 97* today. I bet with the heat index it will be well over 105*. The electric fans on my truck usually cycle on and off for 10-15 minutes until the engine cools down enough.