Has anyone else noticed that ice builds up inside of the front doors if you have running boards? I worry that when opening up the doors it is going to bend the front of the door. Only solution I know of is Spring.

 

Clearance is the same with the standard rocker covers. I can see the door bending as it carves its way through the ice that collects there. The pickup I traded for this had a conventional geometry at this point, with the doors flush to the outer rocker panel, and it did the same, due to water running down the pillar from the windscreen corner.

 

I have the same problem and I don't have running boards. I thinks it's water melting off the windshield area.

 

Check out this thread.
https://www.chevyhhr.net/forums/problems-service-repairs-42/ice-running-boards-11778/

I wouldn't really crank on it - the door WILL bend. The ice chunk is pretty significant. A hair dryer and some patience works. Just be careful not to burn the paint.

 

Does anyone know if the mud flaps will help with this problem?
It seems to only happen to mine when snow blows in there and hardens.

 

Nope, I have mud flaps and the ice also.

 

I don't want to sound like I'm ragging on you folks, I read some of your post about windows freezing,doors freezing, ice build up,snow build up and freezing ect. on your HHR and I just have to think is this the 1st car that you have had in the winter.

I lived in MA. for 30yrs. and have had all of that & more when I lived there. I know you will say the my blank car never did or nothing like this with my other car/truck,van to that I say YEA RIGHT.

What about a day and the temp gets up to say 40F and it's a nice day sun bright no snow on the ground. But as the sun sets the temp drops to 15-20 before midnite. At 6:00am you go out start your car sit there a min.or two put it in drive and as you start to move you hear this noise as if someone is tearing off your front fender. you stop get out and see the ground where you parked the afternoon before was a little mud is now a froozen block froze to your tire and as you started to drive off came around and took out your left front fender and inner fender to the tune of over $800 in 1974 money.

I just can't say That it is something with a HHR or any other car

Thanks; Hope you all take this as just a rant from a old fat guy. I still like to read all your tales so keep it up

 

This is a problem i havent had before. The gaps for the front doors seem to suck a lot of snow into the large cavity where the hinge is, then it freezes. The door is hinged such that when you open the door, it has to crush this big block of ice. I havent bent my door yet, but I can see how it may be possible.

 

Well I live in a snow area and I'm use to have snow transform to ice in my fender that you have to put yours car in a garage just to let that melt down because your wheel are rubbing the ice, but what they mean is there is ice forming in the inside botom front of the door, I never had that problem or heard about that before on other car but is a fact on the HHR' s. I used my window srapper to remove it... It should have a kind of hole to let the water out....

 

Sorry, but that was..... But I bet when it happened, it was like

Reminded me of a day when I lived in Montana. Several inches of snow/ice on the ground and it warmed up. Drove home afte work and had to park out front. Well warm tires, soft ice. Car settled into the ice. Next morning, ice of course had hardened back up and car was sitting in 4 nice little "bowls" in the ice. I have a pic someplace of the car running in gear and both back tires spinning (traction lock differential) with no one in it. It just would not pull out of those bowls.