Thanks to this thread today I replaced my sway bar end links with the Moog ones on my '07 HHR. I wasn't really getting a clunking sound per se, but did notice a bit of noise when hitting bumps. I am pleasantly surprised in that the noise is gone and the entire front end feels stiffer with less "play" (for lack of a better word). It only takes a second to see that the Moog links are of much better quality than the stock ones.

 

I have an 07 HHR with 53K miles, just started clunking on the front pass side. Guess I need to get it into "MY" shop and and check it out. I live at the end of a 1/4 mile dirt road in the country, so it doesnt surprise me. I have to maintain my own road, so if its rough, I have nobody to blame. Will post back what I find.

 

Well,
finally got my hhr up on jack stands,
I found the spring on the strut loose at the top of the strut,
nothing else is loose, but I was able to grab the spring and rock
the car, it started clunking,, wont do it on the drivers side,
I talked to the owner of a Big O tire store,
told me that the bolts may have backed off a bit on top of the strut,
I will check that.. maybe all I need to do is tighten em up,,
we'll see

12/02/2010 -- Nope, they're tight, guess I need to make an appt at the dealer.

 

Stryker, just wanted to thank you for the pics/info about changing the ends out. Got a pair of Moog end links from my local place(and yup they have zerks! ) and the plan is to replace 'em today. If i was smart and thought ahead on this i prob woulda changed out the sway bar bushings while i was in there, but oh well,, next time.

Just seeing your pics(even tho i knew what/where there were) helped out and really appreciate the info passed along, i'm sure it'll make things that much easier for my work today.

 

I am outside the 3/36000 base factory warranty, but I do have the GM extended warranty, which in my case has a 200$ deductible each occurrence, so since it is the season for spending money, I decided to wait until tax time to address this. Merry Christmas,,

 

Just joined and wanted to say thanks to Stryker for posting pics. I have a 2008 HHR LT. Pic'd it up in Dec. 07 and have changed the sway bar bushings and end kits under warrenty every year!!!! This year twice - within 2 months of eachother!!! Only 34K Kilometers on odo. Not impressed with GM and thier faulty parts. Looking forward to the summer and change them out again with MOOG. Thanks for the part number!

 

I just turned 110,000 and only now replaced the sway bar links.
By the way it's an 06

 

There are 3 major front clunk/rattle sources (I have had them all) The first to show up was the intermediate shaft (you feel it in the steering) then when it got cold the front right swaybar bushing shrinks and clunks. Mine was so bad you could feel it under the passenger floorboards like someone was hitting it with a rubber mallet. (my dealer insisted that it was the link and replaced the links instead. (the links fail too but usually at more than the 3000 miles that were on my car at the time. the third is the power steering gear box on the column. It will rattle on bumpy roads. That one is how I got GM to extend my warrenty for free as the column is expensive! Back to the bushings, I have replaced them many times and it only works for oh wait doesn't work. I am going to try a shim under the rubber bushing to make the clamp tighter as they don't clunk for awhile if you lube them with a rubber safe silicone grease or better yet a non hardening high pressure pipe compound. Now that I know the clunk is just the bushing and is not a safety concern, It doesn't bug me as much. Also mine only does it below 40 degrees F. Anyway this is just my experience with my 07 hhr LS others may be different. (mine has the 25mm sway bar)

 

I went to the trouble AND expense of replacing the front sway bar with an Eibach bar. Did it make a difference? Why Hell no. Replaced the rear one myself. Did it make a difference? Why yes it did. Result? The one benifit I got from installing new front bar was new, good poly bushings (that you CAN grease) that hold the bar to the sub frame. The end links are a real joke. It looks as though they figured that it would take 1 lb of material to make an acceptable part, so they contracted for parts that only use 14 oz of material. OH BTW, my wifes POS Lexus had a clunking noise that I couldn't pinpoint . Broke down and took it to the Toyota lot where she bought it, and lo and behold it was a rubber cushion on top of the strut. It keeps the strut from hard contact with the top of the strut tower. Never in my 55 years would I have thought to look there. So I don't know, but if the H has struts, then wouldn't it have these also? Just wonderin'

 

Is it just me, or are my swaybar bushings quieter in cold weather?