Someone Needed a jumpstart and it was cold so I just stayed in the car while the guy did the rest so of course he put the negative on the positive point of the power steering like everyone else that isn't paying attention so it of course blew the power steering fuse (which this forum helped me out so much with that) and then when I got the time I got the 60 amp fuse for the power steering while also replacing a rear headlamp that was blown so then when I later tried to get in the car to go to work the key fob wasn't working so I then unlocked the door manually using the key and then put it in the ignition and then it was stuck so I then again went on this forum and found the page in a online manual for an 2008 HHR and luckily I figured out how to get the key out of the ignition.

So then again I looked on the forum and they said that there is a "Main Fuse" while I found no such thing but I did visually check all the fuses and they looked fine and popped back in some relays that were loose and nothing it's real late (I work nights) so I really don't want to do the whole I've got a dead battery rigmarole in the dark.

oh I forgot this guy at the auto parts store was helping me out and told me to hold the brake and shift into reverse without the ignition on to see if the rear brake lights are working and I have never done that without the engine being turned off could that have caused something to have a problem?

Any help is strongly appreciated. Thanks!

 

The main fuse is in the back spare tire well by the battery.
Have your battery load tested , that jump start could have caused a problem with it.

 

Is a "rear headlamp" the same thing as a tail light? Was the battery dead after the bungled jump or after the bulb change? How old is the battery?

 

The "rear headlamp" that I speak of is just one of the rear bulbs. The Battery was fine when I parked the car in the driveway after going to the auto parts store at 11am and then at 9pm the battery seemed completely dead!

The age of the battery is unknown as I bought the car used earlier this year. But I Did Take Some Photos of it and the fuse as I had a hard time seeing the fuse myself

Edit: So I Finally Found A Wrench to get to the date sticker and it wasn't punched out but the dates range anywhere from Jan 2010 - Dec 2015 Meaning The Battery is anywhere from 5 - 10 years old

 

That is a very short life battery, only warrantied for 40 months. You perhaps left the key in the on position(maybe to listen to the radio while you worked on it?). Or even left a door open? The interior lights are supposed to turn off after a minute or two, but it doesn't always function properly. Your battery would be dead from any of these.

I'm noticing aftermarket battery terminals and hold down clamp, the terminals could be dirty or corroded, or loose, where the cable enters the terminal, or where the terminal clamps to the battery posts.

The negative cable near the large fuse in your picture looks like it may be damaged? It looks frayed, hard to tell from the angle.

 

Good eye, Donbrew, that battery could be the problem, I suggest installing a new proper sized battery with new cable ends.

 

I Will Definitely Clean That Trunk out before replacing anything man does my car look awful compared to yours. Also what should I replace this aftermarket stuff with? could I maybe get some of this stuff from a junkyard I live just down the road from? What Battery Should I Get as I'm looking for a balance of good reliability and a good price.

Thanks for all the help so far

 

I like AC Delco, some prefer AGM batteries some like Diehard it’s really your brand loyalty, as for the cable ends , you could just clean up what you have , or get new bolt on clamps like this, most automotive parts palaces have them

 

That ground lug is awful!! Get a new cable, the mysterious black plastic thing is very important don't disconnect or toss it.

If you think the dead battery has something to do with replacing a taillight bulb check around in that compartment (the panel you removed to get to the light) there is a ground point that may have been disturbed in there.