I have a 2007 HHR LT with 343k on it. Unfortunately, I'm now fighting a losing battle with rust. I did a tire rotation today and noticed that the passenger side rear frame rail is rusting from the inside out. Attached is a photo to provide a general idea of where it is located. The photo was taken from the front of the passenger side rear wheel well, facing up towards the frame rail. Over time, sand, dirt, and salt/salt brine entered the hole on the side of the frame rail and rusted from the inside out as it built up/got caught in there.

Given that the average price of a new car is ~$50k, and my HHR is just fine otherwise, does anyone have experience with repairing or replacing the rear frame rail components? I don't see anything about it with a quick google search. If so, how much did it cost, where did you get parts, and who did the work? Wanted to see if I have any options, as I'd prefer to keep this car going rather than buy a new one for tons of money, or a cheaper used car that who knows what the previous owner did to abuse it. Thanks for any responses.

 

Thing is the HHR does not have a "frame". The engine and transaxle live on a cradle, that passes for a "frame".
Any welder or body shop could do the repair. That does not look like rust through. It actually looks like it is the bottom of the battery.
All of the clumpy looking stuff is panel bond, basically epoxy putty that is used instead of welding. You could just treat the rusty looking stuff with phosphoric acid (navy jelly) then smear epoxy putty in the holes.

 

Thanks for the response, donbrew. I am aware of everything you mentioned. The rear section of the HHR is a unit body, but it does have frame rails that are welded in longitudinally, as do all unit body cars, which provide the structural integrity for the body and for the rear suspension mounting. Yes, it's not a frame per se, but the frame rails are 3/4 square (open at the top) and are spot welded in. For clarity, I've attached a better photo which is from the rear of the car facing forward towards the passenger side rear wheel. The frame rail is highlighted in red. The area highlighted in blue is where the frame rail goes downward, following the contours of the front of the rear wheel well, which is where my rust problem is located. It is nowhere near the battery.

There are small access holes in this area of the frame rail, so you can see where the salt and grime get in. There are three areas of the frame rail that have fairly severe rust, which is coming thru to the outside of the frame rail from the inside. If I were to hit these areas with a pick-ended body hammer, it would most likely punch through the frame rail.

My question remains to the group, has anyone repaired this area with new metal or had it replaced? Replacement would involve cutting a large part of the frame rail out (while also drilling out the side spot welds) and welding in a new section. The damage has not broken through the frame rail yet, but it will soon, so naval jelly or other treatment will not solve the problem. Thanks again.

 

A member in Michigan made his own rocker panels and mig welded those panels, a thicker material would be needed to bend into shape and be welded into repair the rust area you cut back to rust free steel. A car rotisserie would be a big help. Rust removal and new panels welded in is a losing battle as the metal was made from rusting old ships and cars so just when you think you are rust free….think again!
As for the cost, depending on the shop the area of the country you live in and the extent of the repair area. It might be better to get a southern body with a blown engine or transmission and swap everything from your HHR to it. Cost maybe $1,000.00 and a lot of your time if you’re able, but if you’re paying someone it’s again way to expensive!

 

Thanks Oldblue. I've had great success welding in a rust-free fender panel on my HHR after the original fender rusted out, so not afraid of dealing with welding. No way I would replace the body, that's way too much work. It would always be cheaper to repair the rust-free body with a new engine, rather than swap out a million parts.

I did notice that the frame panel seems to still be available; I'm inquiring about it now with a Chevy dealer up in NJ. I think you're right, hiring a shop may cost a fortune, but I'll see if I can find a shop and at least ask. If it's $5k or so, I still have to weigh that against buying a new car or good used car. Here in VA, the sales tax and personal property tax alone would be over $5k, so it may be in my favor to spend some money and just get a good repair done. I could potentially do it myself, but that's a LOT of work and a lot of down time for the car. Thanks for the advice, I'll have to think about what I can do. I'd rather not have to sell it for parts as it's a great car otherwise.

 

I understand your worries, and fixing this is a great idea, but if It makes you feel any better, from what I can, failure is far from imminent. Simply taking steps to stop further rusting might suffice to make It good for the life of the car. Maybe. I wouldn't have a strong opinion unless I saw it in person. My perspective is from a lifetime in the rust belt and a tiny bit of automotive sheet metal design experience.

 

Giving an assessment would be hard. How is the rest of the car for rust? Are the rockers and below the gas door rusted? At 343k how is the engine and transmission?

 

I may be able to delay the rust by a little bit, but the damage is done, as it's rusting from the inside out. No way to fix that permanently without replacing all the rusty metal. That being said, I supposedly found the last GM frame rail in the US for this car, which I've purchased for a very good price. At the very least, I'll have it ready to go and when the time comes, look into how much it would cost to replace.

Thanks for all the replies.

 

I was just looking at our HHR today and I will tell you the one we have is rusting in the same spot as well. So, I'll state this is another common rust area.