Hey guys I just drove off the lot with my brand new HHR and the dealer tried to sell me a paint sealint for $600.00 He told me they would need my ride all day and they would give me a loaner. Any sugestions on the best way to protect my new paint. Numerous people have told me do not put wax on a brand new car. Also is there a maintence sechedule for the HHR. My wife has a neon and in the back of her owners manual it tells her when the change everything oil, fluids, shocks, you name it, it is in there

Thanks guys glad to be apart of this community

Jeff

 

Welcome aboard. I am also from VA. I have had mine since last Sept. I have followed the "book" on maintenance for now. All oil changes have been done every 3,000 miles (after the first 6,000 I swicthed to mobil 1 syntetic) and rotated the tires after 7,000 and 14,000. Have not had any issue's and is still runs great. Good luck with your's and post some pics.

 

I've heard that sealant is a hoax. I wouldn't do it. Besides, it's just more time they have to screw up the paint on your new car. You gotta love dealer installed swirl marks free of charge.

As far not putting wax on a new car..... Well, in my opinion I think that's old school, unless of course your car was painted last week. The build date on my car, which can be found on the sticker inside the drivers door, indicated my car was built in March. I figured that should be plently of time, so I used a clay bar and a non-abrasive polish or wax. I'd stay away from abrasive "cleaner" type waxes for a little while.

 

I also found this right on the Chevrolet Website....

 

DEFINITION of SEALANT: Another way that auto dealers can get some dough out of your wallet. If it was that important, I think it would be done at the factory. As for waxing, I had a new door installed on my HHR (that's another story) at the end of May. They told me NO WAX for 2 months. It's a different paint they use these days. Less volatile vapors = longer cure time.

BTW - to our group! It is the BEST HHR forum on the internet. Also the least expensive! C'mon aboard and enjoy the ride!

 

Don't support their families that way. Save the $600 for some quality car care products and keep the change. Putting wax on a new car is a GOOD thing to do. It won't look as good as it can unless you do that. Your car has a clearcoat so the paint is sealed in a sense anyway, but the clearcoat is clear paint, so you have to take care of it too.

 

to chevyhhr.net - the best and fastest growing HHR forum on the internet.

The day I bought my car, they tried to sell me the exact same thing. Well...I had my boyfriend Henry with me who has been detailing cars for 30+ years and he told the guy...she doesn't need that...she's got me to take care of it. He then explained to the guy that he had worked for the largest Ford dealership in Colorado and it was basically a rip-off and just another way to run up the price of the car and that stopped the guy dead in his tracks. Then the guy tried to sell me the undercoating package and all the other stuff and he told the guy...I already told her about all these things before we got here and she doesn't want or need them on her car. Case closed...let me finish signing the papers and off the lot I went with my shiny new orange HHR.

Moral of this story: Save that $600 to do mods on your car. It will go a long way with taking care of the little things you're probably going to want to do.

Please be sure to share pictures of your car when you get the time. We love checking out everyone's new rides.

 

Living in Chicago, I considered it cheat ins. , We get some pretty nasty winters here , and it`s too cold sometimes to run thru a carwash, which leads to frozen locks and entire doors sometimes. Some of you guys/gals live in dryer areas. They put so much salt down here, the street is white, like it has snowed. Salt loves metal!!!

 

For $600 i'd want to know what kind of paint protection they were talking about. If it was the 3M invisible bra, it might be worth it. As far as caring for your car there is a maint. schedule in the owners manual. Caring for the interior and paint is another matter. I washed , and waxed my car the day after I bought it. Todays factory finishes can be waxed almost as soon as the car leaves the factory. Use good quality products, no dishwashing detergent or sponges. A good wash mitt, and car soap along with micro-fiber towles is the way to go. If you are wondering what to use do a search on detailing supplies and go from there.

 

Thanks everybody for your help. I cant wait to start the mods