Have 4k miles on my 2011 LS. At 2000 miles I put some 17" Cobalt wheels with new 225/50-17 tires. Car was starting to make noise from the front. I took in to the dealer for first free oil change. Mechanic says tires are cupping on outer edge, front wheels, and due to the wheels and tires not being original that didn't come with car. I say BULL. Been putting larger wheels and tires on different cars for 40 years. They rotated tires so will see what happens,

I have brake problems too that when stopping it sounds as if the brake pads are rubbing on metal. Have to take car back in Monday for them to replace the pads. i

 

If your tires are actually showing cupping @ 2000 miles then you have an alignment problem.

When you change from Stock Specs you also change other things.

1. Check to see if the Cobalt wheel offset is different then the stock wheels.

2. Is the width of the wheels proper to accomodate the different size tire ??

If the above 2 issue are OK, then I suggest an all wheel alignment "Pronto" if you value your suspension and your tires.

Rotating won't fix anything.

SF

 

And unfortunately, once the tires start cupping or any other odd wear pattern, they'll do it until they are worn out. You may be able to minimize the noise from the tires by rotating them front to back, but it won't eliminate it totally.

 

I would guess its an offset and alignment problem. I'm told by the alignment shop there are no alignment adjustments for the rear wheels on the HHR, so alignment would be front only. You might add a camber kit, while you are at it. Why they are not stock is beyond me, but I added one to my 2007, which allows a more precision front end alignment.

 

The so called "all wheel alignment" has a purpose. They align the front to match the rear so your car is not dog legged going down the hiway.

If the front is not tracking the rear properly ...you got a problem.

Example;

I owned 3 New Chevy Venture Vans and drove them a total of 200,000 miles.
These vans were all ordered brand new by me, and all of them had the same problem from the factory.

20,000 miles on all 3 Vans and the rear tires started whinning and howling.
Very bad cup on both rear tires.
The first time it happened I thought I had a failing rear wheel bearing because of the noise, not thinking I could have a tire cupping problem on the rears.

Each time I took the Vans to several Chevrolet Dealers to fix, they all gave me the same story.
There is no bulletin on this issue and it must be something you are doing, or just bad shocks and tire balance.
Well the Vans ran perfectly smooth till the howling started.
A plain old front end alignment did not catch this problem.

After 150,000 total miles of putting up with this nonsense I finally found a front end shop in a small town near me that when I mentioned this issue to the owner/operator .. he said immediatly, Oh Yeah no problem .. the rear axle is out of alignment ... would you like me to fix it ???
I looked at him and told him all the unhappiness I had had trying to get Chevrolet to fix it and he told me that he used to be a GM chevrolet mechanic and he new of the issue but could not do warranty repairs to fix it. Hmmmm!!!

This is what he did .....

He shimmed the rear axle with some special shims that fit my Venture Van and then did an All Wheel Alignment.
Total charge was $75 for the alignment and $40 for the proper shim installation.
That not only stopped all uneven wear on the rear tires but the Van drove so much better on the hiway I couldn't believe it.

It's the same feeling you get when you finally find a Doctor that knows what really wrong with you .....

 

first time on here i am experiencing a problem on my hhr i bought this 2008 used i had the factory key fobs programed it also has factory remote start then i went on vacation for a week and come back to get in and the battery was dead and my key fobs dont work took it by the dealer they want 150.00 to tell me the problem has anyone heard of this happening.

 

You can try standing near the vehicle and pressing both the lock and unlock buttons on the remote at the same time for 10 seconds. This might resynchronize the system, it might also do nothing at all.

 

I don't remember what year it was but one of them needed the dealer to reprogram after a dead battery... I think there is a TSB on this and a fix.

 

My 2011 has some weird brake noises too. I noticed it first at about 1000 miles, a kind of groaning noise just before stopping. I attributed it to glazed pads so I did a few hard stops and that seemed to help but then came back again. I had the dealer look at it and they said they were fine so I did the hard stops again and it doesn't do it nearly as much anymore. I had the same experience on my Saturn Aura so part of that brake noise might just be the pads they use too.

 

Dear hhrss22,

I have read your post about your 2008 Chevrolet HHR being dead when you returned from your vacation. I understand the frustration that you must be experiencing with your situation with your vehicle and the dealership. I am sure that you are aware that you can contact other Chevrolet dealerships to get diagnostic pricing to see if there are others that are less expensive. I just wanted to put that idea out there for you.

Sincerely,
Michelle, Chevrolet Customer Service