My 2006 HHR has 31,000 miles on it, mostly highway, and I imagine I'll need to replace the front pads pretty soon. What type and size socket does it take to get the pads off? Seems like every time I replace the pads on a different vehicle for the first time I have to stop and go to the store to buy a different tool. How many miles are you getting on a set of pads?

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You'll have fun here at ChevyHHR.net, enjoy your ride!

Hey Mike
Sorry I don't do my own Brakes but Some one will inform you real soon , So just stand By. I also have a 2006 HHr 2LT and I have 40,354 miles on mine as of this morning and I have had my Rotors & Brakes replaced 3 time by the dealership under warranty, If this is your 1st time changing them then I think you are doing real good. Good luck.

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Welcome to the HHr Site, You will have to fasten your seat belt and enjoy the ride. Once again Welcome.

Rudy (Z-Man)

I had my calipers off to paint them, and I used basic metric sockets to remove the retaining bolts. I don't remember the exact sizes, but if you have a set of metric sockets you should be in good shape....Just a tip....before replacing the caliper bolts, dab a small amount of anti-seize on the threads. This way if you end up keeping the HHR until the next brake change, the bolts won't give you any trouble......Regards

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You say at 31000 miles you have to replace your brake pads. How hard do you drive your car. Recently sold my 2000 GMC Jimmy with 91000 miles on it to buy my HHR and I still had the original brakes on it. Had them checked a couple of times before trips, but no problems were found. I will be very unhappy if I only get 31000 miles to a set of brake pads.

If you had 91000 miles on a Jimmey without replaceing the brakes you must have been useing an anchor instead of the brakes to stop!!!

Just do not skimp on the quality of the pads you use. The better the pads, the better they last and perform. I never skimp when it could be your neck you save.
Sorry I don't want to sound too bold, just think safety..

Just do not skimp on the quality of the pads you use. The better the pads, the better they last and perform. I never skimp when it could be your neck you save.
Sorry I don't want to sound too bold, just think safety..

Man, really great advise. Two things to keep your vehicle on the ground...tires and brakes. Make sure you do what is right.

And dbeat, you must not have done much city driving with 91,000 miles on the OEM brakes......mostly highway, right. But honestly, you should have contacted GM Engineering groups. They would have wet their pants to have a vehicle with the OEM brakes at 91,000 miles (was one of my previous duties).

They would have wet their pants to have a vehicle with the OEM brakes at 91,000 miles (was one of my previous duties).

Previous duty was to wet your pants? ;) :p:

:laughabov Good one....ya got me.:bow:

It's true, my driving was mainly around town, not heavy city driving but 7-8 stop lights to and from work and what ever other driving I was doing. Just an added note I was only 30000 miles into my first replacement set of tires. I went 60000 miles on the original and had plenty of tread left, but replaced them because I had a couple of winter trips to Virginia and West Virginia that year. My friends think I drive like a maniac, but I don't. Even though I made it from Brooksville Fla in the Jimmy to Chattanooga and was sitting in a hotel room up there in under 8 hours. Actually about 7 and 3/4 hours. Oh well so much for my story.

You say at 31000 miles you have to replace your brake pads. How hard do you drive your car. Recently sold my 2000 GMC Jimmy with 91000 miles on it to buy my HHR and I still had the original brakes on it. Had them checked a couple of times before trips, but no problems were found. I will be very unhappy if I only get 31000 miles to a set of brake pads.

30K and needing brakes, it doesn't suprise me at all for a front wheel drive GM vehicle.
The Cavalier, the outboard pad was built with less material than the inboard pad, kind of stupid if you ask me.

We use Ceramic pads at our shop, we buy the pads from Carquest, Im not 100% certain but I beleive they are made by Raybestos but put into a CQ box.
Some customers just want to stop, they don't want their rotors machined nor replaced so we just install the pads, it;s very rare for them to return with noise issues, and if they do return we defect the pads and have the customer serivce or replace thier rotors.