Damn, 3amigos! That's some bad luck with vehicles, but mostly because you list your HHR as "most in the shop". My HHR has treated me very well and I consider it to be the second most satisfying vehicle I have ever owned, next to my beloved Hillman Super Minx.

 

My first new car was a 72 Vega GT wagon. engine, GM replaced, leaked water when it rain and of course rust even after Z-bart.

I did have a 76 Camaro, my first winter beater. The car ran real well, but the roof was rusted through, the driver's door was held closed with bungee cords. The starter would shift out of place and I would have to crawl under and with a tire iron and pull it back into place. Until the winter was too bad to cold to slide under.

 

Don't doubt your stats, but I have to wonder why there is such a dramatic swing between those who have good luck and bad luck with the HHR.

My HHR SS has only been to the shop twice in 2 years and 26,400 miles. Once for the Turbo Upgrade which was an installation and the other was last week when I had them fix the LED on the passenger door window switch, mainly because the 3 yr b2b warrantee is running out.

Any "insiders" have any ideas as to why some of us are so fortunate re reliabilty while others are not?

The car that was most in the shop for me was an Isuzu Trooper, followed by a Toyota pickup.

 

I honestly think that I have been blessed with a "Black Cloud" car. My HHR has been in the shop now for 46 different items - from something as mundane as a bad factory pinstripe job to replacing all four of the Black Chrome Wheels because the chrome continues to delaminate, to much more serious things like bad struts, sway bar ends, clutch interlock switch, etc.

Honestly, I joined this forum because A) I wanted to see if anyone else was having the same issues, and a lot have had them, and B) Because I desperately wanted to love this car - but after all the issues I have had - I cannot wait to dump this thing or get into an accident and total it.

The little things that I didnt like when I first bought the car but thought I would learn to live with now really annoy me - cupholders that won't hold a water bottle, window switches that force you to take your eyes off the road (I have a manual trans car - and when it is in 3rd, I have to really reach to open passenger side windows), bad gas mileage, etc...

I am very happy that so many of you love your HHR's - but mine has taken that affection away. Also as a small side note... Sullivan Parkhill just ordered a new set of wheels (this will be the 3rd set on the car) and told me that now I may be dealing with the dreaded HHR steering column issues - 4 months and 4,000 miles out of my warranty.

 

Anything FORD made. Enough said. :p

 

x2.

 

Ask me this in 07 and I would have said an HHR. When my Trailblazer SS was in the shop which was often the dealer would give me a base model HHR as a loaner. I hated to step down from a 400 HP SUV to a 4 banger. Now that the SS is gone and gas prices are on the rise I love the used HHR LT that I recently picked up

 

Everytime I got a loaner car it was always a Ford Focus. I have to admit they were great on gas mileage!

 

My last loaner car was a Dodge Neon that I had the pleasure of driving (NOT ) for 2 weeks right after I got into my accident.The HHR is a luxury vehicle compared to a base model Dodge Neon. That thing didn't even have power door locks, power windows, or power mirrors. I'm surprised the thing even had a radio. I can't tell you how happy I was to have my HHR back once it was finally fixed.

 

We call Dodge Neon cars around here "hood rat" cars. lol One time I got a beat down ford taurus as a loaner car. Almost all the buttons were missing from it, the windows had to be rolled down, the seats were all ripped, the oil light kept flashing on it and it lurched while you drove it. I didnt drive it very much during the 4 days I had it.