sonofrags

I purchased my 07 in 2009. It has served me well. Little or no problem all along. Now over 255k miles and still relatively few problems. Trans problem 2 + years ago. Now, a few serious problems not uncommon to any car with this kind of mileage. First, when I would park the car I would get a slight Whif of gas. Also, when going up a long hill at highway speeds, if the auto trans needed to kick down a second gear, it would intermittently "miss" the gear causing the engine to rev up. Backing off the throttle would allow the trans to get the gear. And driving would return to normal.

The gas smell turned out to be a corroded fuel line on the area of the heat shield. Apparently, the corrosion was so bad, I was in danger of a fire at any time. There was also a catalytic converter problem requiring the cat to be replaced. The trans problem turned out to be a TCM communication problem requiring the TCM to be replaced. Apparently, this took the ECM with it. Still, the cost of repairs is far less than the cost of a new (used) vehicle. So life goes on, and my "Little Red Wagon" Will be back on the road again soon

JerseyJames

Yeah, with the information on this forum, it's relatively easy to diagnose problems and even "head them off at the pass" Most recent heads up has been the fuel line corrosion issues. Don't have any gasoline odors yet (2011), but I'm going to check mine and if still in good condition, see if there is some way to apply some form of protection to eliminate the corrosion issue. (ie: Rustoleum paint or maybe even a thin coating of something like wheel bearing grease...) any other ideas, feel free to chuck them my way!

sonofrags

If you have a problem, stay away from OEM lines. My mechanic uses a copper-nickel line that far exceeds the quality of the GM part.

Lethal Tendencies

Sonofrags, Is your HHR kept in a garage or outside when not in operation?