Marcruger

Hi Gang, I have what seems to be an easy solution the the console noise. I found on mine that it comes from two sources; 1) plastic rubbing together, and 2) the metal snap-in clips. My car has had lots of creaks/clips/squeaks from the forward console area. I tried Armor-All-ing all of the parts, but that only worked for a day. This time, I discovered that it is the upper, forward console part....the big ring shaped part under the chrome shifter ring. My car is an auto. I bought some hobby thin foam sheets in black (buy your interior color) that have sticky-back adhesive. I cut narrow strips and fixed them around the top edge of the lower front console. Alcohol wiping helps adhesion. I also added the foam behind where the front screws attach under the waterfall area. My '09 has the storage cubby in front of the shifter, and I "foamed" under the edge of that too. Anywhere plastic touches plastic, use the thin sticky-back foam. It sure seems to have worked for me. No noises in the first ten miles....there we hundreds of chirps and squeaks over bumps in that distance before.
Tip #2 - I discovered the WORST squeak of all came from a metal spring clip under the top front console piece. In mine it was the rear clip behind the shifter. This would squeak/chirp with the upper console part out of the car! That is how I found it. The spring clip has three "fingers" on each side of the plastic. The two outer ones on each side engage the part you snap into. The two center "fingers" dig into the plastic protrusion and hold the clip to the main part. The center "fingers" on that clip were digging into the plastic protrusion, and every time they vibrated or moved, they made a squeak like a toy noisemaker. Ugh! I simply loosened the center fingers a little with a screw driver, and the noise went away. I am thinking this may be the source of noise around the waterfall along the HVAC and radio areas. Those clips holding that plate on may be chattering. I also thought of super-glue on those inside fingers, as that would prevent movement. Let the glue dry before assembly! The clips should still work fine, it would just be glued to the main piece.
I hope all of this helps someone. Those chatters were reducing the enjoyment of my HHR. Each bump elicited a squeak. For now, it's quiet. :-) God Bless, Marc