This is just a warning RANT for anyone planning on ordering accessories for your HHR.

If you punch in "HHR accessories" in a google search engine you will get AutoTruckToys right out of the gate. Followed by other accessory sites like JCWhitney whom we all know, HHRaccessory, AndysAutoSport, PFYC, gmaccessorieszone, carid, Autoanything, Ebay, Amazon and so on.

Off all these Amazon is probably the safest and fastest depending on what actual Amazon store you buy from, but many accessories are just not available on Amazon. All the others are mostly "superstores" or are linked to superstores. Meaning it doesn't specialize in the HHR, although some of the websites sure make you believe they do. I avoid most of these, and Ebay I have refused to use for many years.

I bought my first HHR. A 2006 2.4 LT1 with most of the LT2 options. 5-speed manual of course, manual or go home. 80k miles, well taken care of. It was a country auto so it had plenty of chips from gravel. So I sanded her down myself and got it painted professionally. I decided to get all the chrome add-ons and other useless but fun stuff. I ordered from multiple sites just to try and grab the best price on each item.

BIG MISTAKE.

OUT OF ALL THE PLACES I ORDERED FROM, only one really came through.

http://www.cruisermotorsports.com/index.html

Don't know why or how, but this place had almost everything I wanted IN STOCK. Most items were priced well. And me being in Wisconsin and they being in California, I still got everything I ordered within 3 DAYS OF ORDERING. The HHR plate frames I could not use being they hide my tabs, they didn't send me a free return label but they are reimbursing me my shipping costs. I highly recommend this online store.

THE WORST was AutoTruckToys out of Tennessee. I ordered 7 items from them on March 12th, paid with debit card. Got a generic email with a copy of my order, order number ect. After nothing had arrived by March 21st I called them. ALL ITEMS WERE ON BACKORDER. OK. I'll give you another week I said, they said items should ship out in a day or two. Come March 28th still no order, I called, ITEMS STILL ON BACKORDER WITH 1-2 WEEK DELAY. I cancelled my order there and then, started refund process. To this day I have yet to receive my refund. When I called this morning, April 6th, to see if they had even begun the refund process I began on March 28th because my bank had seen no activity of one, they say "sorry". The lady informed me they have so many refund requests and with only one person working on them it can take 2-3 weeks to process a refund. UNACCEPTABLE! My point being NEVER EVER buy anything from AutoTruckToys. They have been the WORST experience for me with online purchasing ever, and I have bought A LOT of stuff online over the years.

As for all the others shipping took forever, a few items went back for looking used or damaged, and a spendy pedal set from AndysAutoSport turned out to be a "drill only" set when it clearly stated it was a "bracket type" cover connection. So being I don't feel comfortable drilling holes through my pedal plates I sent them back, they sent me a free shipping label through email which I printed out, still waiting on that refund as well.

I just found it interesting that one smaller store had 90% of what I wanted in stock and it arrived to me within 3 days, when all these larger stores either didn't have anything in stock(and failed to tell me until I asked) and/or their shipping and customer service was horrid.

Thanks Cruiser Motorsports out of Moreno Valley, Ca.

 

Never use a debit card with an unfamiliar online vendor. (Some say never use a debit card online) Use a regular credit card. With a regular credit card you have recourse with both the vendor and the card company. The credit card company can reverse or put the charges on hold. With a debit card, it is just like you handed them cash.

 

yup, credit card or paypal is best.
I got my grille from autotrucktoys. Not a perfect fit, first one arrived damaged due to flimsy packaging, but they did send another at no charge.
Its true, you usually get what you pay for, so dont take the cheapest route, and do some research.

 

Actually, my debit card is with a credit union and I have both avenues of recourse available. I was refunded for all but one item, you can read about that in my reply to my original comment. Thanks Breadfan. Metallica fan?

 

I'm politically against paypal so that's a no go. I had used them for years, very reliable and safe I agree but when they went to war on independent media outlets and banned certain companies from using the service for political reasons I dumped them for good.
As I told Breadfan here, I'm just as protected with my debit as a true credit card being I bank through a credit union. I've had Visa do some Joe Pesci stuff for me a few times.

Yes, don't go cheap. That's good advice for most projects. There is a shop in the city here that carries about 6 different grilles for the HHR and it's amazing how different the quality is between prices. As for the items I ordered they were mostly top of the line. Weather floor mats and some chrome/Stainless pieces. I just couldn't believe how little they had in stock and how bad their return and refund process is. Read up on what's going on now in my reply to my original comment.
Thanks prod. Canada dreaming...

 

JUST A NOTE on Cruiser Motorsports, they may not provide free return shipping labels but they refund you your shipping, just include a copy of what you paid to ship item/s back. Great customer service and a small enough company to where you are not talking to an operator but an actual salesperson.

UPDATE: The HORRIBLE AutoTruckToys did refund me most, not all, of my order. Being they obviously have an issue with customer service and a huge lack of communication, one of the items I was suppose to be refunded was SHIPPED JUST TODAY! WTF? I just happened to call again today to see what the hold up on the refund for the last item was and I was actually not surprised to hear something surprising. Yes, they sent out an item I had asked for a refund for, about 2 weeks after I did the "paperwork" for that item's return over the phone. They have no record of that call. Amazing. I remember being put on hold for 10 minutes, yet they do not have a record of it.

So here the wait begins again. Not only can't I do the return procedure at this time, again, but I have to wait until item arrives AND THEN do this all over again. So total time from requesting refund to actual full refund should be about 1 month and a week. And remember, this all started because they claimed items were in stock but they were not.

My worst internet commerce experience ever is still ongoing.

REPEAT. DO NOT BUY ANYTHING FROM AUTOTRUCKTOYS out of Tennessee.

 

I stand corrected. What I said apparently applies to only the rest of us non-credit union folks. I did not realize a Credit Union would kick down cash to your account on a debit card if the vendor refused a refund or dragged their feet on it. With a credit card, I'm not out any money while the matter is resolved. With my big bank, I'm out the money in my account on debit card transactions until it is resolved.

I like Metallica's cover of that Budgie song but the reference is to the original meaning: Someone overly fond of money.
I decided to forego the starving musician hobby and make money my new hobby so I could afford nice things like HHRs.

 

I have bought several items from them never had a problem, delivered when they said they would.