jerseyjim

I THINK I was here in 2007...just after I bought my HHR....brand new. A nice car, and stone dependable. I still have the original battery....wondering how long that will last...78,000+ showing, but being towed behind my motorhome, most likely the "real" milage is 100,000 or more.
Anyway....brakes: I am now on my 4th set of pads....2nd set of rotors....and both sets were faced once, then replaced and once again, the brakes are starting to "pulse"....and now....after 7 years and milage, my mechanic says just heard that the hubs, as they come from the factory are defective...causing this problem. Only now? The best replacement pads I' ve had are a combination of metal(one side) and ceramic (the other side.) One side was blue the other pink. That lasted 30 thou...but I understand they are now over $100/set. Are the hubs defective...or is this just another way to get me to spend money? I intend to keep this car until it drops...I figure 150,000 or so. Any comments appreciated.

843de

The hubs aren't defective, are they as durable as they could be, no...but not defective.

They can fail at 40,000 miles or 200,000 miles, it's the luck of the draw.

The pulsation in your front brakes is known as "brake judder", and it's most common cause is the rear brakes needing adjustment. The automatic self adjusters on the rear drum brakes don't really function as designed. With the rear brakes contributing little to no braking effort over time, your front brakes overheat, the rotors warp, and the judder soon ensues.

A good practice to get into is the periodic adjustment of the rear brakes every 5,000 miles, or at every oil change.

Here's a thread on how to do it yourself and save money....

https://www.chevyhhr.net/forums/brakes-%7C-suspension-%7C-shocks-%7C-struts-24/proper-rear-drum-brake-adjustment-procedure-36754/

P.S. to the forum!

Oldblue

Hi, welcome to or back to the site, I have a 07 LT , I am just ordering up the parts for a brake upgrade to the SS 11.65 inch rotors.
I had the front hubs replaced at 60,000 miles and I have 145,000 miles now.
I would not spend the money on the combo pads you mention, just ceramic s will do
I would have the hub bearings checked for run out
There is a lot of info on these issues , use the search tool and search hub bearings, lower control arm bushings, brake judder ( $0.02 to Donbrew, it's his coined term) and ball joints, there are many reasons for any shake in the front end, I urge you to research and arm yourself before you lay your money down!
as for the battery mine died back in the spring of 2011 at 4 years old

badassbowtie

My $.02?

The rotors are junk from the factory...the hubs, not so much as 843de mention...rotors are one of the most common issues on this platform. I would definitely go aftermarket with rotors...I have owned 3 vehicles on the same platform, all had new aftermarket rotors within a few thousand miles

donbrew

The battery is either a 4 or 6 year battery from the factory depending on the MY.

jerseyjim

Thanks for the replys....the rotors (after originals were pulled) are aftermarket. NAPA. The first set showed warpage....and faced....the second set (now on the car) showed warpage and were faced...with new pads installed....and the same ol' pulse is starting to come from applying the brakes. Also...standing still, I push the brake pedal and the steering wheel jerks....just a little bit...the when I release, it jerks back. (Adjustment of the rear brakes? I'll check that out)

Something is very wrong here.

donbrew

The fact that adjusting the rears is a new concept to you suggests that as one problem.

Maybe you need to have a professional look at the brakes, I don't mean the "free brake check" at the local tire store.

Your hubs also need checking (front & rear), they could cause the "jerk" and "pulsing" and premature pad wear and tire "cupping". When they go bad they allow a noticeable wobble.

Disc brakes tend to drag a bit, worse if the calipers need work. Thus brake pads can wear and cause heat build up in the rotors while being pulled behind the motor home.

Why would the "real" mileage be different from the odo? Using a dolly? H'mmm, I'll have to look at exactly where the Car reads the mileage from, I thought that if the trans is turning the miles rack up, got me thinking now.

Your mechanic seems to be a uninformed and possibly not the best choice, or you just heard him wrong. I think that a mechanic that relies on rumors instead of facts is not reliable. I am trying to be delicate, please don't take offense. That's what I got from your original post.

Oldblue

I concur with Donbrew, adjust the rear brakes, lube the slides on the front pads and calipers and double check the lower ball joints and LCA rear bushings, sorry if I repeated anything, only I can't be more delicate than a jackhammer sometimes, these issues pop up and it is so frustrating not to be able to hands on address the issue and confirm our experience.
Well we lived and learned the hard way, and so endth the lesson!!

badassbowtie

Just to clarify something....I agree with the fact that the rear brakes aren't doing their job andthe fronts overheat...the problem that I have with that is, when I got my SS, the rotors warped in the same fashion, with 4 wheel disc brakes. There is not the same adjustment for the disc brakes. Mine were working well in fact, they got replaced at 60,000 miles or so... I firmly believe in my case, the rotors are junk also, and its not just the rears fault...

As for the OP:


the steering "jerk" while sitting still could be a suspension issue too

Best thing to do is to have a second opinion on the car if you ask me...

Oldblue

LS/LT with frt disc and rear drum, or SS with 4 wheel discs, the OP does not mention which he has, so can we confirm if you have which of the aforementioned models?