barfan1

I never got back to Monroe about money to change out the springs, I borrowed a spring compressor and it took less than an evening to change them so I moved on, more important things to worry about I guess.

dr_fosg8

Just got off phone with Monroe and they are shipping out 2 new struts under warranty that should have the correct springs. Warranty support said to call back after re-aligned and they may cover that too. Just had to fax in my receipt.

donbrew

I wonder why Monroe would want to recommend and pay for an alignment, unless the strut is a different length there should be no change in the adjustable bits of the front end. The only adjustable parameter is the toe, unless you have added a camber adjustment kit.

I still just cannot see any point that the spring could be within an inch of anything, which part of the coil makes contact? All of the sellers that I have checked for front springs list the same part number for Cobalt and HHR, I have not tried many, but... I have noticed that some places note "with A/C" ,all HHR have A/C I thought; do some Cobalts not have A/C? Is that the difference?

How do you mean "fail"? Break, or wear and tear related sag (coil spring really are not supposed to last more than 80,000 miles, by mfg suggested replacement)(but, then radiator hoses have a recommended life of 50,000).

dr_fosg8

Here is a shot of the drivers side. As you can see towards the top of the spring on the left side there is less that 1/4 inch of clearance. This goes away rapidly during a right hand turn due to the shape of the spring.



Here is a shot of the passenger side. You can see there is a lot more space on the upper right between the wheel well and the spring here.



Not sure why one side has plenty clearance and the other none but it is what it is. Hopefully the new struts they send me will fix it. Anyone with stock springs willing to post up some pics to compare?

And the reason for the alignment after strut removal I am not sure. I was always under the impression that any time you take apart any of the steering components the alignment should be checked. If I am mistaken please let me know.

donbrew

Before McPherson invented his magical strut you did have to re-align.

The magic part is that the strut itself is the camber and caster, if there are worn/bent parts the alignment will change, and if they are worn/bent they must be changed not re-aligned. For instance, control arm bushings are bad causing a camber problem replace can't adjust; unibody bent causing camber and caster problems needs body pull to fix.


Unless you have added an after market camber adjustment kit, the ONLY thing an alignment tech can change is the toe, and if that needs adjusting chances are you need some new parts there.

I just went out and looked at my front springs, they have a lot more room than that. Is there still a tag on the spring? Mine are marked XAC on the original and my "OEM replacement". I will see if I can figure out how to post a pic.

Try this link, it's the driver side wheel turned all the way right.
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/8941382/Nov23_0002.jpg

dr_fosg8

Donbrew, when did you get your quick struts? Monroe tech support said they have have good stock for the hhr since sometime in July. Maybe you bought yours after that point in time?

donbrew

That pic is the Original spring on a new strut.
The QS that I got are "OEM" I am not sure if that's a brand or a description, I know that there is a collision repair parts company called OEM, not Monroe branded. They were around $220 for the pair shipped. I have not installed them yet since I am waiting for new axles to arrive (I'm going to do everything at once, the car has 220K on it and has to last another 300K). I have changed out the struts 130K ago and the hubs 120K. Also new rear hubs, springs, brakes. Anybody got a new driver seat in the Northern Va area?


I just checked, the seller claims "GM Brand OEM parts". But, then he also claims FE1,FE3 and FE5.

alexrckid

have a phone number for monroe support..??

dr_fosg8

Well my new Quick struts came today. These are supposed to have the correct spring for the HHR now. Here is a pic of them side by side, dirty one on the bottom is the original one from February, top is the updated ones. There is a definite difference in the springs. The number for monroe tech support is 1-734-384-7809. If you have the old type, you will have to call in and talk to someone in the warranty dept. They will transfer you to a tech. support agent to verify the problem then transfer you back to warranty to get your info to get the new parts out to you. You will have to fax in your original receipt to the warranty dept. also. They had the new ones to my door in less than a week with Thanksgiving in the middle! Pretty good service to me.

barfan1

I am actually glad I put my OEM springs back on when I switched out the springs. Monroe quick struts work great and are easy to put in but myself and others have had problems with the Monroe springs rusting prematurely. The paint on the springs is extremely thin and in the salt and snow we have here I have seen the springs completely covered in rust in 6 months, meanwhile the 10 year old OEM springs that came off of the car had no rust.