There have been threads about the firewall thing. Only happens with the clutch pedal, I guess it's metal fatigue from getting flexed too many times.

Fuel lines and brake lines rust out in ALL vehicles. You should look under a snow plow truck, they only last a season or so in VA, and we don't get it bad.

 

I meant that the "technicians" are only capable of replacing parts, not fixing problems by doing things like fabricating and welding a reinforcement on to a firewall.

That's why they aren't called "mechanics" anymore.

If they offer a bolt on replacement/fix for the problem, I don't get the complaint. Are you expecting GM to fix your car for free until the end of time? I believe you got a written copy of the warranty when you purchased the car, the end date/mileage is pretty clear on mine.

 

Had the same problem on my 1976 Monza. The dealer could not fix it so I had to put a .090 thick piece of metal on the firewall to support the clutch bracket. Strange GM has not fixed the problem yet.

 

Funny thing, I was under my HHRSS looking for the source of some squeaks and found rust on the fuel line, right between where 2 sections of heat insulation come together. Appears the little gap there lets salt in there with no way for it to rinse out. I wash the underbody of my car all the time to prevent rust and this is about the only place I found any. Guys might want to check yours in that area by the rear exhaust pipe just in front of the rear axle.

 

Yes I have to say compared to my old Honda CRV the 07 HHR is very poorly made. I had 227,000 miles on the CRV when I gave it to my daughter when she wrecked her car and the only thing I had did to it was brakes and normal maintenance items. The front end components on the HHR are junk and rarely make 100,000 miles, mine wore out at 87,000, the rear brakes are terrible with no recall by GM to fix what they screwed up. I have to have a four down towable vehicle as I full time RV so I was limited to what to buy but now I realize I should have went with another Honda.

 

Funny, my brake line just started leaking due to rust - on my 1997 cavalier.
I'll get under the hhr for a close look as soon as weather and time permits.

 

I was a mechanic, then a "technician" at a city fleet services department for 32 years. Most "technicians" are considered parts changers. And most of them don't even know which parts to change if they cannot hook the vehicle up to a computer. We never rebuilt engines/transmissions because of the lack of manpower. Bad ones were just replaced with new or rebuilt ones. I am also a hot rodder/amateur drag racer. My improvising skills made me very good at what I did. I had to "rig" a lot of things, and they held together. There is a big difference between truly understanding how things worked, and what you learned out of a book.

A warranty does have an expiration date/mileage. An obviously bad design does not. My '01 Malibu, the car I had before I got the HHR, was a solid car, I bought it with 95,000 miles on it, and ran it up to 238,000 miles before selling it. In the beginning I had a lot of problems with it, all because of a design problem. GM's use of orange Dexcool, and then recommending extended coolant change intervals. Dexcool plugged up everything, and dissolved the intake manifold gaskets. Many owners wound up having to spend as much as $2000 on their cars to fix the problem. I did mine myself. A class action lawsuit was filed against GM over this, and GM lost. But before a penny was paid, they filed for bankruptcy, absolving them of any responsibility, so nobody got paid.

As for this problem, I'm not sure what it involves. My HHR is automatic, and has no clutch. If this is a problem that could happen anywhere, then it is a design problem. If it only happens in the rust belt, then it is something to be expected. Nothing will hold together where they put salt on the roads. The HHR does seem to have some cheap steering and suspension parts. Mine already has a noticeable shimmy in the front end at speeds of 75 mph. So did my Malibu. I just drove it at 60, and it ran fine. Car quality has not improved as much as most people think it has over the past 40 years. The HHR is a cool car, but it was made by GM. It could be worse. It could have been made by BMW or Mercedes Benz.

 

GM to Finish Paying Dex-Cool Class Action Settlements
By Sarah Mirando
April 6, 2011

The Detroit News reports that a new GM Dex-Cool settlement has been proposed and the company has already approved claims totaling $1.3 million for 6,685 GM owners and must still review another 4,614 claims. Under the new Dex-Cool class action lawsuit settlement, owners will get stock in the new GM that will be sold for cash to cover the claims. The amount of stock each class member gets will not be known until the bankruptcy court formally approves the liquidation plan and sets a date for the transfer of stock to GM creditors. The GM Dex-Cool class action lawsuit settlement covers 1995-2004 model year vehicles, including no-longer-built models like the Pontiac Aztec, Grand Am and Gran Prix. You can find more information on the settlement at www.motorsliquidationdocket.com.

Don't post allegations without citations? 10,000 vehicles were originally covered by the lawsuit, and that included the "sludge in the radiator" claims.

 

I'm not sure what your experience with BMW or Mercedes Benz is but having owned vehicles made by all three manufacturers you mention over the years including a GM and a Mercedes at present, I experienced very little in the way of problems with the 2000 528i that I owned for 4 years and none with the 2010 C300 that I presently own.

 

We always said " it don't matter what your licence plate is bolted to , but keep it nice !
You will be bolting it to your new ride, when this one rots out!
Being in this rust belt has been a challenge for most be it helped teach me my cutting and fitting and welding skills over the last 50 years!