My dissatisfaction with my 06 HHR
04-13-2012, 04:51 PM
#1
Thread Starter
Join Date: 11-16-2009
Location: WV
Posts: 1
My dissatisfaction with my 06 HHR
Hello to All! First of all thank you to all the posters, you have saved me much time and money with your how-to's and part/repair info.
I am a life-long GM buyer. I've owned Impala's, Monte Carlo's, Chevettes, Citations,Cavaliers, Grand Prix's and Saturns. In fact one of my cars has always been a GM product.
In 2009 I sold a Saturn L200 (very poor design and build quality). I purchased a slightly used (3500 miles) 2006 Chevy HHR LT. The car now has nearly 50K miles and has had one issue after another, luckily I have done all the repairs myself. (all mileages are approximate):
12,000 miles- brakes and rotors shot, replaced with aftermarket, still going strong.
18,000 miles- sway bar links rattled and replaced
25,000 miles- defective shifter broke and replaced
34,000 miles- right front wheel bearing replaced
40,000 miles- bearing noise in blower motor (still works so I'm letting it go at this point)
44,000 miles- struts leaking and noisy. Front End sounds like it is going to come apart over every bump.
other issues- CHEAP interior, carpet and seat stains and will not come or stay clean. CD player skips frequently.
I take very good care of all of my vehicles (oil changes, tire rotations, wash/wax)
Bottom line is this: I unfortunately have given GM my last chance. I was always impressed with their products up until about 1998. Everything I've owned since then has been inferior design and quality. It's a shame but I'm on the verge of buying my first Ford or dare say it foreign car (been driving for 30 years and never owned a foreign car). I drove a Hyundai, and it ran and rode circles around my HHR.
If anyone is interested in a nice, clean, well maintained HHR with 50K miles. I will sell it for $8000.00. Brand new tires and oil change. I wish GM could get it's act straight.
I am a life-long GM buyer. I've owned Impala's, Monte Carlo's, Chevettes, Citations,Cavaliers, Grand Prix's and Saturns. In fact one of my cars has always been a GM product.
In 2009 I sold a Saturn L200 (very poor design and build quality). I purchased a slightly used (3500 miles) 2006 Chevy HHR LT. The car now has nearly 50K miles and has had one issue after another, luckily I have done all the repairs myself. (all mileages are approximate):
12,000 miles- brakes and rotors shot, replaced with aftermarket, still going strong.
18,000 miles- sway bar links rattled and replaced
25,000 miles- defective shifter broke and replaced
34,000 miles- right front wheel bearing replaced
40,000 miles- bearing noise in blower motor (still works so I'm letting it go at this point)
44,000 miles- struts leaking and noisy. Front End sounds like it is going to come apart over every bump.
other issues- CHEAP interior, carpet and seat stains and will not come or stay clean. CD player skips frequently.
I take very good care of all of my vehicles (oil changes, tire rotations, wash/wax)
Bottom line is this: I unfortunately have given GM my last chance. I was always impressed with their products up until about 1998. Everything I've owned since then has been inferior design and quality. It's a shame but I'm on the verge of buying my first Ford or dare say it foreign car (been driving for 30 years and never owned a foreign car). I drove a Hyundai, and it ran and rode circles around my HHR.
If anyone is interested in a nice, clean, well maintained HHR with 50K miles. I will sell it for $8000.00. Brand new tires and oil change. I wish GM could get it's act straight.
04-13-2012, 05:15 PM
#2
Senior Member
Join Date: 11-21-2010
Location: Canada
Posts: 890
Sorry to hear that, I do know the 2011 LT with leather interior they have gotten all the bugs out. My girlfriend has a 06 LS and only needed stabalizer bars replaced so far.
Last edited by Tyler Harvey; 04-13-2012 at 05:47 PM.
04-13-2012, 05:16 PM
#3
Senior Member
Join Date: 10-21-2008
Location: hemet, calif.
Posts: 1,831
I have an 2006 HHR 2lt bought from a Chevy dealer 3 year lease turn in. I have over 56,446 miles only problum the VVT solenoids thanks to Whopper I fixed myself 20 minute job about $105.00 in parts changed the Firestone tires still have the original battery still love the HHR.
04-13-2012, 07:23 PM
#5
Senior Member
Join Date: 10-03-2010
Location: Cypress Texas
Posts: 405
All of this can and does happen to any car. I still enjoy mine, even knowing I will have to spend a little $ here and there. I have just under 80K on mine and hoping to get 4 times that amount out of it.
Been a member since 11/09 and your only post is to say you are leaving GM.
Not trying to start anything, just seems odd to me.
Been a member since 11/09 and your only post is to say you are leaving GM.
Not trying to start anything, just seems odd to me.
04-13-2012, 08:09 PM
#6
Senior Member
Join Date: 04-22-2009
Location: Southern California
Posts: 763
The HHR is no different than any other car, some are very problematic, some are virtually problem free. My 2007 is fortunately pretty reliable and trouble free. In 35,000 miles the only problem was a bad instrument cluster, replaced by the dealer under warrantee, when it only had a few thousand miles on it. Other than that, standard things, like the oil gets dirty with use, the tires wear with use. I should add that the 35,000 miles is what is registered on the odometer, but it probably has another 12,000 towed miles behind our motorhome.
04-13-2012, 08:32 PM
#7
Senior Member
Join Date: 02-15-2010
Location: Minneapolis, MN
Posts: 1,706
OK, go buy a Hyundai Everycar then. Fine with me. Thanks for your contributions here. Oh wait, this is your first post? Never mind...... I think we need a new category in the "Introduction" section for: Hi, this is my first post, I have an HHR, I hate this car, I'm selling it now and getting a ________ (fill in the blank), I'm never going to buy a GM again. OK, Bye. There seems to be a lot of posts like this lately.
PS: After you get done spelling out how and why you hate the car so much, don't offer to sell it. Do you really think anyone's going to want it after you list all the problems and say what a problem vehicle it has been? Doesn't make a whole lot of sense to me....
PS: After you get done spelling out how and why you hate the car so much, don't offer to sell it. Do you really think anyone's going to want it after you list all the problems and say what a problem vehicle it has been? Doesn't make a whole lot of sense to me....
04-13-2012, 11:00 PM
#9
Deceased
Join Date: 06-30-2010
Location: Kannapolis NC
Posts: 25,739
Hmmm, well its a first year unit, and they can be a bit more problematic. You've run it for 46,500 miles and had a maintenance item on average every 7,000 miles or so, not seeing anything that awful about that.
Your brakes crapped out because the rears were probably never adjusted, that added to the "Only OK" nature of the OEM rotors and pads did them in.
Some of those repairs should have been covered by the warranty since you bought it very lightly used, that is if you got some sort of warranty with it.
I'm glad that you found our site here helpful, that's what its for among other things, if you decide to keep your HHR that would be great. If you're still set on letting it go, please make a separate post in the "For Sale" area of the forum.
No vehicle is perfect, read up on Hyundai, they got their act together...but Sonata owners are still having issues with steering, premature tire wear, and braking issues.
Your brakes crapped out because the rears were probably never adjusted, that added to the "Only OK" nature of the OEM rotors and pads did them in.
Some of those repairs should have been covered by the warranty since you bought it very lightly used, that is if you got some sort of warranty with it.
I'm glad that you found our site here helpful, that's what its for among other things, if you decide to keep your HHR that would be great. If you're still set on letting it go, please make a separate post in the "For Sale" area of the forum.
No vehicle is perfect, read up on Hyundai, they got their act together...but Sonata owners are still having issues with steering, premature tire wear, and braking issues.
04-13-2012, 11:10 PM
#10
Moderator
Join Date: 01-23-2009
Location: Fredericksburg,VA
Posts: 24,738
Jeez, I thought a bad head gasket at 212K was the worst. Brakes (4 times), shocks & struts , sway bar links & bushings and bearings all replaced once (at least), control arms (once) now at 250K, looking around for a used A/T, just in case.
All in all, normal wear and tear. I beat the heckie-poo out of my cars this is a 2008 LT.
Let's a get new cars when the brakes wear out because nobody ever adjusted the the rears. I don't see a future in *****in' and moanin" about brakes, shocks and bearings, since they have always been "weak" points for "American Cars". Nobody ever noticed that Toyotas and Hondas have the same problems, because there are so many more of them and more of the owners don't know that there is a problem..
"rotate manufacturers not tires".
All in all, normal wear and tear. I beat the heckie-poo out of my cars this is a 2008 LT.
Let's a get new cars when the brakes wear out because nobody ever adjusted the the rears. I don't see a future in *****in' and moanin" about brakes, shocks and bearings, since they have always been "weak" points for "American Cars". Nobody ever noticed that Toyotas and Hondas have the same problems, because there are so many more of them and more of the owners don't know that there is a problem..
"rotate manufacturers not tires".