This is something that i find to be really strange.

I was out last night and i had to go back to my car to get my jacket. I noticed i had left the moon roof open. I was on the passenger side so i just stuck the key in the ignition turned it to on and closed the moon roof. i turned it off and pulled out the key. The radio was still on. Hmm, i thought that is strange. So i shut the passenger door. Radio still on. So i opened the door and closed it again. Radio still on. Annoyed i went to the driver side and opened the door. Radio off. i know if you shut the car off the radio doesn't turn off until you open the drivers door, i shouldn't have to walk around the car and open another door to get the radio to turn off. What i don't get is why doesn't it turn off if you open any door? My colorado's radio turned off when you opened any door which made sense. If i hadn't have looked to make sure it turned off, there's a chance i could have drained the battery. I'm wondering if after a certain time it would shut itself off? I'm finding this rather strange.

 

The radio will turn off after about 10 to 15 mins. I noticed that when sitting in it at the store waitting for the wife. Had the key out of the ignition and did not open the drivers door. I also left my blue floor lights on one night. Came out the next morrning and the lights where out. started the car and they came back on . Did not drain the batteries at all.

 

I'm sure that radio would run for a week on a car battery.

 

most chevys turn off all electrical after 10 minutes when left on.

and the radio will run for 10 min or till you open the door butttttttt you can put the key on accessory and it will stay on as long as you want to listen,,, i do that all the time when working on the car

 

That's good to know. I didn't have time to wait around to see if it would shut off. It still doesn't make sense but as long as it doesn't stay on until you open the driver door i guess it doesn't matter. I still find it semi-annoying.

 

The "cigarette lighter" outlets always stay on though. That bugs me but i do find it useful sometimes. i would always forget to turn off my XM radio in my colorado and it took a year for me to get a dead battery. It's useful though when it comes to charging your cell phone and you can't leave the car running. (at work i will plug my cell phone in my car in the morning if it is near death and then go out and get it on my break and it's all charged).

 

Turning off the radio with all doors is just one more little item that Chevy didn't add. Most likely as a money saver to help keep the cost of the HHR down. All these little things do add up. But as cj mentioned the radio and lights are on a times system so they'll go off by them self.

Cigarette lighter socket's on most cars now day's do have power all the time. The reason for this is because in most cases they're no longer called "Cigarette Lighter" sockets. They're now called power ports. And the idea is: unlike a cigarette lighter that draw's lots of power, the power ports are usually used to power up items that don't consume tons of power, like a cell phone, I-pod, and that sort of thing that you can use without having the ignition on.

 

you have to have something to charge your phone when you arent using it
LOL

 

That's exactly the way it's supposed to be. That way if you let out your passenger, you can listen to the radio and put windows up or down for aprox 10 minutes without the key in the on position. I really like that feature, if the passenger door shut it off, it would defeat the nice part of it. Chevy got it right.

 

Check the owners man. The HHR has a battery drain prevention system, it will turn of any lights off after 20 min. even if you have a door/hatch open.