Those areas with the arrows point to the pinch welds that your emergency jack is supposed to go. If you are using a floor jack like a 3 ton or so it should slide behind that onto the frame of the car. I jack mine up where the posts would go on a lift

 

My first time doing any maintenance on '08 HHR SS. Tired of dealer ripping me off. I worry about bending the eggshell-thin unit body sheet metal. So, I just want to be sure. If I position an 8" length of 2 X 4 just inboard of the emergency jacking point, will that prevent any permanent deformation? Also, I'd like to lift both sides of the rear at the same time, so is there a safe adjacent place to place a jack stand? Thanks!

 

In the rear just jack up in the middle of the beam. No you won't bend anything.
I jack the front close to the rear of the tires on the subframe on each side.
Please use jack (axel) stands to support your car for safety.

 

I removed that info.

 

Good, please confirm your information prior to posting.

 

It came from a thread here, he had linked to it.

 

From in here, post #8 from ChevyMgr. A generic photo in the GM booklet , hmmm.

https://www.chevyhhr.net/forums/gene...or-jack-14470/

 

https://www.chevyhhr.net/forums/gene...or-jack-14470/

rookie mistake

 

I don't understand the angst. I always jack on the seam welds never bent one. Think I-beam, or why are floor joists set sideways instead of

 

The scissor jack that comes with the car has a groove in the saddle to accommodate the rib that protrudes down from the lifting point. If someone wants to use a different jack, they could make something with a similar groove if they don't want to bend the rib.

I doubt that bending the rib compromises the structural integrity of the vehicle at all.

I'll use the engine cradle rear bolt, the one shared with the control arm.

Some HHRs didn't come with a spare tire, just a bottle of goop. They probably don't have a jack either.