ChevyMgr

MrCatPC,

Fix it yourself. 10 hours is BS!! Buy the patch and install yourself. Won't take more than an hour or so.

MrCatPC

ChevyMGR, thanks for the PM...

Dealer Service Writer gave me the worst-case-scenario estimate before they determined the source of leak was indeed butyl patch under the wiper cowl, so his initial "could be 10hrs, $1000 labor" had me worried too. That is, until after lunch when Service Tech was able to verify direct water intrusion under the top of wiper cowl, and Service Writer then relayed to me it should be no more than hour or 1.5hrs labor.

Thanks for the extra head's up, though. I have read a LOT of your posts (always thoroughly informative!) and appreciate the honest opinion, for sure.

For now: I have a temporary fix since more storms are INDEED on their way to southeastern South Dakota, and I don't have a covered parking space or garage at home. A double-wide strip of black electrical tape is now "sealing" the upper lip of my wiper cowl along the lower portion of windshield from mirror to mirror. It's a cheap-o-matic lo-fi techie trick, I know, but I always have black e-tape handy in my bag-o-tools for PC support, so I figure, why not? I am also positioning an icecream bucket under the HVAC unit and close to the upper left corner of passenger footwell, in the hope it will catch most of the runoff if my tape doesn't channel the water away completely.

I also had my dealership service guys check the in-cabin air filter to see if water had seeped into it and contributed to odor in the cabin, and yes, it was damp (they removed it entirely until I return next week for repairs), my Service Writer even saw the water running down behind the HVAC once filter was no longer blocking the view. Nasty!

The carpet will have to stay soggy for now as I'm off to fix an emergency software problem for a client. And so, for whatever reason, I'm going to end with this emoticon... ...eep!

I don't expect my tape to hold for long, so I better get movin'

Christoph (MrCatPC)

MrCatPC

Duct taped the existing (warped) patch w/out ordering new part this summer. No more leaks since then.

Now at dealer to get firm estimate on the repair & part(s) as well as wind deflector on sunroof (Wife drove up w/ Grandma & our boys, "sorry! We broke your car!"), hinge point of the support bar for the wind baffle had sprung and was bent nearly backwards from their attempt to close the sunroof...

At least it wasn't raining at the time (:K

I used to be a car owner who would just say "fix it" and pay my dealer whatever it cost, especially while major stuff was covered under my ext service plan, naturally. Now I am leaning toward mostly DIY repairs whenever possible, so this will probably be "please just order the parts" unless I just can't find the time & dry roof overhead to perform the labor.

I'll come back for more tips and part numbers if my dealer isn't sharing info.

Just wanted to say thanks again for everyone's advice & patience. Happy 1101!

jdarter42

I will have to tell my old man what you all said it took to fix my car. It does not set out of the garage much. Only time it is in the weather is when I am at work. Thanks for this post. I have found several answers to my problems with my HHR.

2008 HHR LT, Black, leather, 2.4L, chrome package, sun roof, and a lot of stuff I never use. LOL

kenworth007

2006 HHR leaking water under windshield wiper cowl. Easy DIY repair. Tools needed: Two sockets, 5/8 to remove wipers, and small socket, or open end wrench to remove cowl, can't recall size. Open hood, remove four screws holding cowl in place. Remove plastic wiper bolt caps at base of wiper. Turn cowl over and remove wiper fluid line. Completely remove cowl, then remove thin rubber cover over the hole to the A/C blower, and filter. Clean old sealant off if piece is reusable. Clean car surface. Re-attach with high quality silicone sealant. Let dry overnight, leak test, and re-install cowl, and wipers.

R CA HHR

Thanks for this fix, I have been putting up with this issue for about 2 years and with winter upon us it just happened again, I will be so happy when this is done this weekend.

MrCatPC

Mine required a new butyl seal patch, original was warped and cracked beyond use, but replacement worked this summer with no further leaks so far. No charge for "overtime" labor at the dealership since I patiently waited for them to redirect & test leak under wiper cowl with a water hose (once properly redirected at the magic angle it was visibly leaking down behind the dash)...

Thanks again ChevyMgr & all contributing here, I guess I never posted back on results of repair til now. "DERP!" ...72000mi down & more adventures ahead

sleeper

I know old post etc.. But FYI, later 2007 & newer HHRs' do NOT have this butyl patch. GM had eliminated it, so that is a non-issue for newer HHRS'..

MrCatPC

Correct! IF you're experiencing a water leak inside the cabin of a non-2006 HHR, you may have a sunroof track, sunroof drain tube clog, windshield seal, or door seal problem, but the ventilation hole under passenger side of the wiper cowl was redesigned for 2007+ model years. Per other posts/threads of this nature you can see some 2006 owners have *permanently* replaced the flimsy butyl patch with metal fabrication, etc., to mimick the 2007+ HHR body where there is no such gaping hole in this location...

Hence why ChevyMgr pointed out the specific 2006 issue for me because the dealership was convinced they would need to charge mega shop labor hours to test all those other possibilities. I was patient and insistent that I had seen the warped patch under the cowl & would not pay extended labor unless the patch did not satisfy my 2006 HHR's issue.

Another super-heavy and brief rainstorm last night: dry carpet on the floorboard a year after the replacement patch. However, when it fails next time I will pursue the bonding/sealing metal solution instead of the flimsy material (the car loan will be fully paid off by then). Thanks again, all who've contributed here! Exactly how long did NASA keep the circa-1981 space shuttle Columbia in operation anyway?? Onward, guineapigs!

MrCatPC

Last week after a fast heavy rain overnight, wife gasped from passenger side as we took first turn backing out of driveway that morning, her feet got drenched by water pooled in the same old place under the dash. Go figure! This time I'm self-sealing it as I don't see a tear or warped material on this 2nd butyl patch. Will probably have a friend help me weld it shut permanently if I can. Planning to run dehumidifier in cabin via long extension cable soon as I know leak is stopped.

The wiper cowl bolts on my '06 are 9/32" hex socket.

How many owners of our beloved '06 HHR editions have repeated this fix by patch replacement vs. WELDING shut?