Sileny Jizda

My family and I are sitting on our thumbs this weekend. A little over a month ago we had to tow the old girl in because of a failed starter a little over a month after having some other work done at the same dealer. My wife, a little quicker than me, put two and two together and realized that after we start taking our cars to said dealer inevitably we end up going back after a month or two for something else. Too coincidental for her, and now me. The failure this time around? The starter again. I was lucky enough to get it started to get us home from out of town.

Here we are on a Friday night, no car, no backup, and the dealership is closed until Tuesday. She is supposed to head into work Tuesday night. On Wednesday I have errands to run for our exchange student and on Thursday we have to get her to the airport out of town so she can head home. I should be mad as hell but I'm disappointed more than anything. I can't afford to trust these guys at this point anymore with my car. They are too damned expensive with having to go back every other month. Sorry I just had to vent a little.

whopper

Yeah, cars and their maintenance. What a pain at times. It isn't at all likely that the dealer caused the current problem if that is what you are thinking - sometimes that is just the way things turn out.

I used to think that every time I treated my car to something nice, like a new set of wheels, I'd have a breakdown totally unrelated to the wheels within a week or two.

At least it sounds better than a Volvo dealer I had years ago - I'd take it in for 3 warranty items to be fixed - they would fix one, pass on another, screw up the third item even worse, and to top it off they would cause a new problem. I won't mention anything about not tightening wheels nuts, or having the gear lever come right out of the top of the trans. Sometimes you win, and sometimes it makes one crazy.

Sileny Jizda

It's still blows my mind this is the second starter in a month and a half.

DrTrapper

Can I ask a crazy question? Does your car have an aftermarket remote starter on it? The reason I ask is that the HHR I used to have(it threw a rod just before Christmas) had a remote starter on it and the remote starter caused the starter to go out. It was replaced for no charge by the dealer and the problem went away.

It's just a thought...but you might want to look into that.

geg

I do not know if it is accepted in the US..

if my Hippo is ill, I'm not going to the dealer, I go to the master
specialist who repaired my car before and knows all his sores
specialist who repaired my previous cars
as soon as I got the driver's license, I started to establish useful contacts. like all my neighbors
Now I have personal: tinsmith, locksmith, mechanic, electrician, tires-master, even a traffic policemen.
All these people are interested in regular customers. I'm interested in good discounts, unconditional guarantee of the quality of work, the possibility to ask for help on weekends and holidays.

Of course, if my mechanic changes jobs, all of its customers are in the trail behind him.

This is bad for the dealer, but it's good for everyone else.

Dear Sileny Jizda. I'm sorry for your loss. In your situation, I propose to establish ties. It is useful in any case. https://www.chevyhhr.net/forums/gene...45/#post804289

whopper

Are you saying two starters in the same car, or are you talking about two different cars?

Sileny Jizda

Two starters in the same car. The previous car we had also seemed to 'every other month' issues also when we took it to the same dealer. We don't have it anymore as it became to costly to keep. Our HHR was great for the first year having oil changes elsewhere. We went to the dealer once and we have the same pattern of every other month issues. The last one was a timing chain/belt replacement but I checked and it was due for it anyway according to Chevy.

It does have a remote start but I think it came factory. The remote was factory as far as I can tell and the VIN decoded as such from what I understand. After this mess We are looking at a mechanic that a few of the local PD officers use because they trust him.

donbrew

You know about the hood ajar switch? If the hood is ajar the engine won't turn over. If the switch in the latch is going bad the engine will not turn over.

You have not described the symptoms, so I'm spitballing.

whopper

The HHR has a timing chain (no belt), and as far as I know there is no scheduled date/mileage for replacement of the timing chain - only required when it is well worn.

If the first starter was replaced by a GM dealer, and it needed replacement a month later, it should have been covered by warranty.

Sileny Jizda

I recall reading somewhere that the chain needed replacement of at least checked at a certain mileage. Somewhere around 100,000. They told me that it was adjusted as far as it could be and should be replaced. The visit in the morning, if they a slot is available, will make starter number two that will need replacement. It's definitely the starter because I recognize the sound and the way it cranked over. The last week it seemed a little sick but nothing major. The night it gave out was a miracle it cranked over. I'm hoping for another in the morning to get it to the shop.