Is hhr noted for thin paint? My 2011 white HHR is getting a number of chips. Will a bra help? Guss

 

Welcome-

No not too thin, least doesn't seem to be on my white Panel..
It is water borne paint. & The style of the front of the hhr is suspectable to chips..

A bra does help (so others have stated)..

 

welcome to the site guss. The bra does stop the rocks, but it creates other cleaning challenges. Here is something that fixes chips with ease.. http://www.drcolorchip.com/....

 

Have you used this stuff. Does it really work as well as the demo would suggest? Being somewhat of a skeptic I have to ask.

Has anyone else used this, and if so any comments?

 

i have a few as well..this car drives me nuts how prone it is to chips and rusting lol..feel like stripping the whole thing and re painting

 

I have used the Colgan bra on all my vehicles. It is a big help, and fits like a glove. I know of no better and I have tried numerous others. You get what you pay for. No problem of discoloration on any of my vehicles. HHR colors seem very prone to chipping, even though I try to keep a safe distance.

 

I HAVE AN INVISIBLE BRA ON MY 07.....HAVE HAD IT ON FOR 5 YRS......STILL DOING ITS JOB AND LOOKING GOOD. 3m makes it ....SC

 

Thank you for your advice on paint and bra. Does the bra have to be taken off after rain? This HHR site is great, we love our HHR and have had it for 1 year.I am starting to add some goodies to dress up the car,at 68 this will probably be our last new car. thanks guss

 

The invisible bra is the way to go as we had one on a Porsche Turbo we owned a few years ago. You could see it very close up and I ended up taking it off as it did make the color appear slightly different and in the So CAL sun was turning a little yellow.

Most all paint in the US and also Europe is now water based which is way more prone to chips. Most race car drivers I knew used vinyl wrap on their car which held up a little better.

I used to go to Tijuana, Garage Los Ponchos, and specify "Mexican" brand Dupont paint which was the old fashioned stuff and my race car held up very well. I live about 10 miles from the border so it was easy until a few years ago and now it is a nightmare. I complete strip, ding removal, rust repair and repaint on my race car was about $1800 or so with a three stage color of my choosing.

 

The paint on the HHR is just like any other paint to day. It is a water based clear coat base cost and is no different than any other paint. Now the real issue is the shape of the vehicle. Where many cars have only a tapered bumper the HHR exposes the top and sides to front impacts. it is one of few cars that will get stone chips to the top and side of the hood. Or even the exposed front of the roof where it dips.

Paint today because of the EPA Is also not as hard and can chip too vs. the paint from a 15 years ago.

People can say what they want on bra's but they are only made for limited use. If you keep it on for long times it will get dirt under it or water and either discolor or scratch the paint. Now if you have a lighter color it is less noticeable but if you have a dark color it can be a real issue. I own and use a Colgan just for trips on my show car of more than an hour.

If you want real protection use a clear bra and put it on before there is any damage. Once there is damage it will show through the cover.

I wanted a black or red HHR when I bought one as I can more easily match the paint in touching it up. Paint and some Maguire's sanding blocks and then buffing it out can make most marks go away. It is something easy to learn and if you get the right product is easy to do. Metallic paints are difficult to match the metallic at times and need to be shaken or stirred well.