SHOTGUNPOINTER1

I have had no less than 5 GM key Fobs that have been repaired for this 2008 HHR. 2 came with the car new and 3 were replacements all had battery clip problems within 6 months and were repaired. Some lasted s while and some didn't. I went to the dealer to get a replacement and a service tech showed me a good size box of scrap Fobs and sugested aftermarket for us. He said that we are too hard on the Fobs and that the delicate design of the battery clips seems to be the problem.
That seems logical to me since we have spent what a top of the line aftermarket system would cost in replacement and repair.
This is the only compaint I have with our HHR that my wife loves like no other car.
Any sugestions on an aftermarket System???
Shotgunpointer1

db/sb

Interesting......we owned our 2006 since 11/05 until we sold it earlier this month and used the same 2 key fobs for the entire time. We bought a spare just in case but never had to use it. Maybe the earlier fobs were better.

MCT

For me, the problem lies in the accidental drops. The battery thickness puts too much tension on those two little soldered tabs.

Part of the problem is if you are repairing the tabs and 'cold' soldering the tabs during the repair. You have to have enough heat to make sure the solder is going to hold. I have re-soldered both of my fobs with no problem afterward. I hardly every drop my keys but for some reason the HHR's seems to fly out of my hands at times. Dropping the fobs is very hard on this particular design.

donbrew

If you just want to do the door locks, go to Advance/Pep/OReilly/Zone. For around $50-$70 fairly easy to install, you do need to install a resistor on one of the wires and splice into the BCM wires. The directions can be hard to follow.

I put one on my old 2008, before I realized that used car salesmen don't always tell the truth, mine said no remote door locks. BTW both systems can work at the same time.

You will not be able to use an aftermarket fob/system to reset the TPMS positions.

BlackknighT

Both of my 2009s had to be re-soldered as well as my both wifes 2005 Cobalts. And no we are not hard on our fobs. I have no issue with my 2003 Impalas Fobs-still original with the exception of batteries of course.

The main issue-not only is there a cold solder joint on the battery terminal/holder, but the terminal/holder itself is ****ed upward on an angle so when you push the buttons you are also pushing the battery and its teminal holder.

I've had my original 29 inch RCA monitor tv from when I got married 21 years ago only because it crapped out 15 years ago and I found and re-soldered all the cold joints made on the power supply board... Still going!

It's a shame sometimes that fingers get pointed at the customer for things that go wrong due to quality control issues beyond the customers control....