Hey all,

I'll be in the market for a newer car in the next year or so and I'm leaning towards a HHR, HHR SS, or a Scion XB. I've been trolling these forums for the last two months or so and I like most of what I see about the SS, except that it looks like it has sludge issues which are common to LNF engines.

Should I be worried about this enough to not consider the SS? As far as the regular HHR, I've read mixed reviews on those as well, so now I'm thinking about the Scion. I saw one member on here who switched to the Scion from an XB, and she seems to think that the move was a good one because of all the issues she had with her HHR.

Are the issues with the HHR's really not that common place, or are they?

 

I know I'm just one person....and I've personally owned both vehicles (HHR SS and a Scion xB Release Series Supercharged).

I never had ANY problem with the xB.....one of the best vehicles I've owned. I had lots of problems with my SS (after I had the GMTU installed) and all of my doors had to be repainted on tne inside lip because they started to bubble up and rust. The HHR SS is one fast car when it's tuned right and treated right.....but if I had to go back...I would have never traded in my xB for the SS. Again...I'm only one person.....lots of guys have never had any problems with their HHR SS's....and then....some have.

 

There have been a couple chevy bought back, they were both great folks. One got a scion, and the other got the volvo, both nice cars. I wouldn't trade my SS for both of them, but you know I'm a Fan. Life is a crap shoot, all cars can have problems, you just have to pick one you like, I have mine.

here is a nice lookin one.

 

Great advice from both of you, thanks!

 

I've never heard any sludge issues from the ecotecs. The SS IS coming with M1 installed, so where is this sludge coming from?

Toyota on the other hand....

 

I am selling mine...and others are available:

https://www.chevyhhr.net/forums/deleted-threads-41/sold%2A2009-victory-red-w-gmtu-july-2012-hhr-month-43182/

I have not had a single problem with mine, with any aspect of my SS (performance, rust, etc). It has been great to me. I'm only selling it because I placed an order for my dream car, and only have room for so many cars. I can trade it in when the time comes, but I'm really hoping it falls into the hands of an enthusaist. I had planned on keeping it for at least five years, possibly longer. Sadly, it does seem like some owners have had problems...on here, Sunflowerhippi and Gas Man come to mind most prominently, and their stories were nightmares. Their stories are even sadder because one could tell from their posts that they really WANTED to love their cars.

 

Sludge issues? What is this about?

 

Half the issues you see on the SS forum are people whom have had the engine harness hacked up for the GM upgrade, IMHO. I thought my HHR interior was cheap and mediocre, until I drove a Scion xB on our lot @ work. Yuck. From an SS standpoint neither vehicle is comparable.

The "sludge" issue referenced I'm pretty positive in the gunk that forms in the intake side of the head due to direct injection, your driving style, and I'm sure gasoline choice/maintenance can factor how bad such is, but it is an attribute of direct injection motors. I know Powell was working on a fix, but he also stated a certain driving style which I agree with helps prevent excessive buildup.

 

I think he is talking about the gumming up from the DI.

 

My standard 2.2 LS Panel has been pretty darn reliable. The motor has pretty good power for a little 4-banger. My biggest complaint now after having owned it for a few years is that the seats are not very comfortable during long rides (butt hurts). I would guess that the leather seat option or the special seats that come in an SS will be much more comfortable! I guess if I had to do it all over again I would've looked for those options instead of cloth.
P.S. I looked at the xB at first as well but the interior seemed pretty bland compared to the HHR's.