DAVCOXX

I have an 09 5 speed with stage 1 upgrade. Never really thought I got the performance out of my stage 1 upgrade that others seem to have gotten. I only picked up a few psig of boost (18-19 max). Other than that it has ran flawlessly. Yesterday I was getting on the freeway and I thought it felt a little lazy. I flipped the RPD to display boost and I could only generate 2 psig. No surging, missing, bucking; just no power. Max Hp on the RPD is 75. Usually will run up to about 260Hp. Finally got an engine trouble light today but the car still runs smoothly. I'll have to go through the posts ( a lot) in the forum about boost issues to guide the service department in the right direction. At least it is not intermittent. Those are the most frustrating.

russruth

I love driving the SS but they do have problems. My stage 1 kit took 4 trips to the dealer to resolve (just a bad install, nothing more), the brakes are now wobbly and being replaced at 20,000 miles and 4 weeks ago on a trip from L.A. to Vegas one of the fuel pumps blew and sent the car to limp mode 50 miles out.

Try driving the last 59 miles to Vegas at 50 mph, it's an interesting experience.

Now I have the hard brake pedal on start up, but hate taking it to the Santa Monica dealer as I'm afraid they'll mess it up even more, especially since it has the stage 1 upgrade.

Each time (except for the Stage 1 fix) Chevy did a pretty good job of warranty, (the brakes I'm having done privately so not to wait 4 days), but I have worries that is is a car that will make it medium to long term.

It's a shame, because so much of this car is right, so much is almost right, but the things that are off are really off.

Now to decide to keep it or replace it with something more reliable and flexible (and as much fast fun).

DAVCOXX

Well said!

gmdealerguy

Sorry it is happening to you. I have been through MONTHS of frustration with boost issues. I even started a lemon law with GM just to get out of the car. My dealer soldered my wires(map sensor connectors) and it as been ok for the last few weeks.......but I do question the lifespan of soldered wires. I have since stopped the lemon law but the car is either going up for sale or will be traded in. Great car with stage 1 for power.....but not a well thought out install. Fun factor for car is 10........reliability is 4-5 for me. The more I see what I spent for it and how cheap and basic the interior you get is, the less its worth it...to me.
Good luck.

hyperv6

From what I am seeing the biggest issues are with the install of the Turbo Upgrade.

Many have had issues with boost problems and most are solves with them either reconnedted or soldered.

Also some have had clearance issues with the AC compressor and lower Map.

Generally it is a good kit but some dealers just seem to have install issues with it or trouble shooting.

One only has to look and see most of the kits have had no issues but when one does it seems to never end. This leads me to feel it is more install issues than anything.

Per the GMPD engineer I spoke to the solder should be fine but you need to support the connection with a shrink sleeve to cover it and support it. The connection being supported should protect it. THe shrink sleeve is like a cast on a broken leg.

I think much of this may have been avoided if GM could have just made a plug in connector to hook up the new map. But it is what it is.

This whole deal just shows how inconsistant the service is at many dealers. There are just good and bad service departments.

I have seen similar issues with many other cars and makes over the years that are much worse. As far as the HHR goes it is not perfect but far from the worst I have seen.

By reading this web site and using it to judge a vehicle is not a good way to do it. Web sites attract issues like a moth to a flame. We see most of the complaints. Few people post my car is great and I have no issues.

bartSS

I honestly havent had any problems with mine and theres a little bit of mods done to mine as well

foolmoon_design

I am sad to hear about the same problems over and over again... Iam thankfull that we got a car with little to no problems.

We did the brake fix, turbo upgrade, sway bar, and a few other goodies... with more to come... the only major hic-up we had was with the ignition cylinder, and Chevy replaced that for free even after BtoB ended.

Love the car hate the issues

Doctuh

My HHR has had no factory part break since I bought it 1/10. I always try to purchase the most trouble-free version of any vehicle, and I believe that the non-turbo manual-transmission HHR may just be it. Only talking about failures, I have avoided the automatic transmission shifter pin failure issue that seems to haunt all automatic HHRs, at least through the first couple of years of manufacture. By not having a turbo, I have avoided turbo issues. For instance, I read about replacing the entire turbo because a waste gait can't be obtained separately in a timely fashion. This was during the warranty period, and I would hate to think what would happen afterward. On top of that are statements of how much an improvement the "stage 1" modification is for the turbo - after a few return trips to the dealer to get it installed correctly. I bought what I did due to cost, option, and power considerations. However, right now, the automatic transmission and/or turbo scare me!

russruth

I'm not sure if that is necessarily true.

Most people who have had problems with the car the problems came from either GM's cost cutting, or the dealer install, but few were self inflicted. If your running fat tires, dropping the clutch and have changed the turbo, then yea, it's self made, but the stuff that usually happens to the SS doesn't come from the owners.

In fact I think the few SS owners I've seen on this forum love their SS and want nothing more than to drive it for a long time. They bought a Chevy because it was a Chevy and put up with the BS because they want to drive it, not lemon law it.

I also currently have an EVO 8, Infiniti FX, Trailblazer SS and Chevy Van and out of all of them I'd pick the HHR SS to drive because for some reason I really love this car, though I would not pick it to drive across country, because it a little over a year it's had a lot of issues.

If you go onto the Evo forum, they are all very positive about their car and most recognize if they have a problem it's usually self inflicted. I know I drive the Evo 8, tens time harder than the HHR SS and I never have the feeling the Evo's gonna break down, I always have this niggling feeling that any moment my HHR will go into limp mode.

I just have this thought that with the HHR SS, chevy had a great idea, but just never really finished up on the car. It could have used a few better pieces like the headliner, door handles that don't feel like plastic spoons and a more thought out drive train and computer system.

After the fuel pump failed it made me think that if GM tried to save 4 bucks on interior pieces how much did they try to save under the hood?

Chevy also should have advertised the heck out of this car and would have sold 100x's more had they marketed to the right crowd. I have a lot of 20 year olds that work for me and all of them somewhat diss the HHR SS until they see it and drive it and they now look at their VW's, Mazdas a different way now, but there are so few Super Sports that Chevy never really made a presence with this car like Mitsubishi did with the EVO, Suburu did with the STI. We all know that GM is famous for introducing a mild car, then two or three years later making an enthusiast version that is viable, then killing it off three months later.

Consequently my Mitsu dealer knows the Evo's inside and out and can do ANYTHING to them, even making hundreds more horsepower at the sign of a check. And I do mean anything because there is such a huge enthusiast market for their cars. The dealer I bought my SS from would NOT even order, much less install the turbo upgrade and the dealer that did order and install it did it wrong and knew nothing about it. I mean nothing so no wonder the hot rodders of today are buying R32's, Evo's and Hondas.

Which is what worries me about this car more than anything, because parts are scarce for the SS. When they installed my Turbo Upgrade wrong, the dealer just read the manual and kept saying it was the actuator which was on backorder for months and would have kept the car at the dealer for many months. With this forum and peoples help I did a lot of research and found out it that few actuators fail, it was just the install, but to give the dealer some credit at that time (a year ago) GM was absolutely no help in tech service to the dealers. The rep they gave the dealer and me to speak to was a very young girl that didn't even own a car.

She mentioned a TSB about the glove box might fix the turbo issues. (honestly).


I also think all of us have a certain view that with Government insistence that there is a lot of pull to make Chevy the eco brand. I doubt seriously if anyone will be writing songs about driving their Volt to the levee unless they are pushing it off for the insurance claim.

I'm not really dissing Chevy, (well I guess I am) but overall I more than anyone would love to see American cars continue and be something special like they were when people really did write songs about them.

I'm fortunate that I've worked in every part of the world and though I respect everyone I've met, America really is a very special place where we had real ingenuity, made exciting, blow your mind cars, tee vees, furniture, clothes, just about everything that was cool came from American culture and if we didn't invent it we made it hip.

Lately when I wanted to buy two new cars I bought American because I just thought in today's world it was the right thing to do, plus I love black chevy's. The Trailblazer SS might be old tech but you have the feeling that this is the car that GM knows how to make. Big engine, big car, with a rumbling exhaust.

The HHR SS is the car GM needs to make, good mileage, but fast, a touch of American heritage with the ability to add some cool to it and with modern conveniences. I think chevy had a real Halo car with this thing had they just taken it one step further and invested rather than packing it up.

The SS is so close, but in some ways so far.

IMO

American & Proud

russruth,

I Agree on the Advertising of the HHR.

Heck the only advertising for it I ever remember seeing was the few custom shows on Satelite/Cable TV.(in 2005 or 06?) When they took and Customized a few.

Chevy SHOULD have kept the momentum going. Advertising it to Young and Old.

They should have Pushed the Panel for small business Deliveries, like they wanted it to be used. And for Enthusiasts alike.

Another Big Mistake Chevy made was Not offering the Panel with the back seat.IMO. Dad (the car enthusiast) would like the COOL factor and with a DVD and headrest monitors Mom(the Practical one) and the kids would have bought more of them.

As soon as my Audio/Video install is Complete, I will be looking for the rear seat and seat belts for my Black interior.

With how Cheaply the headrest monitors can be bought pre built ready to install they could have offered that option for ALOT Less than they are.

Just last nite I saw a Scion Commercial (I don't even know wtf a scion is or who makes them.) It was one of those Boxy Ugly looking wagon types, But it was simply done, the car was rotated taking shots and youthful rock type music was played, and I thought, damn CHEVY should be doing this with the HHR, Not getting ready to kill it off.


See the USA in your Chevrolet
America is asking you to call
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America’s the greatest land of all

On a highway, or a road along the levy
Performance is sweeter, nothing can beat her
Life is completer in a Chevy

So make a date today to see the USA
And see it in your Chevrolet

Traveling East, Traveling West
Wherever you go Chevy service is best
Southward or North, near place or far
There’s a Chevrolet dealer for your Chevrolet car

See the USA in your Chevrolet
The Rocky’s way out west are calling you
Drive your Chevrolet through the USA
Where fields of golden wheat pass in review

Whether traveling light or with a load that’s heavy
Performance is sweeter, nothing can beat her
Life is completer in a Chevy

So make a date today to see the USA
And see it in your Chevrolet.