well i have a 2006 HHR 2.4L LT and this the my first car and while driving it for about a year i have noticed how my car has many blind spots and it seems like while driving during night in poorly lighted areas the lights seem not to illuminate much of the road during turns is this a problem other people are having if so how could it be fixed

 

It took me a few weeks to get used to the HHR's blind spots also, but now it doesn't bother me that much. I do have to be more careful when making lane changes and I find myself always taking a second look before I merge or change lanes. I'm always extra careful when backing out of a parking space too. As far as driving at night, I think the HHR (mine is a 2009) has excellent headlights. I work the swing shift and do half of my daily commute at night and I've noticed no problems with illumination. According to the owner's manual, there is a way to adjust your headlights, maybe they just need an adjustment?

 

I would 1st ck headlight adjustment, page 5-38 in your owners manual. Very easy to do... If thats ok then you might look into getting some up grade headlamp bulbs like Silverstars or there are others that give more light.

 

You could also install some spot mirrors like I did. They help a lot. I also use Silverstars, they are a good bit brighter.

 

Took me 2 weeks of driving to get used to the blind spots but they were there when I bought it. As of now I do not notice them at all.

Lights work fine for me.

Just wish I had the 09 sun roof dome light. It is a little dark with a black interior at night.

 

Yes, the HHR does have a lot of driver visibility blind spots, probably not a good choice for a first car - I am assuming you are young. Personally I will probably never get use to the blind spots, but if I keep that in mind and always give a second good look I shouldn't have any problems/accidents.

As far as the headlights, my 2009 is just great in that respect with the exception of the vertical cut off. I find it annoying to be going down a hill and not being able to see the next ascend.

 

I had to do the spot mirrors also and I will repeat check the adjustment on the lights a wall at night works well for this

 

are we tallking about blindspots w/ the panel or the 4 door? Cuz i dont think the 4door's blind spots are any worse then anothe car or suv. It might be because I drove a 28ft moving truck for 2.5 years. But my wife who uses it as a daily driver has no problems either. As far as headlights I see no problems so I would check to see if they need to be adjusted as posted above.

 

How many of you adjust the mirrors to where you can see the side of the car while driving? Tell me, what do you hope to see there?Time for a wash? Adjust your mirrors to where they are just past the the body view and you'll see a whole lot more going on around you. And it reduces that nasty side blind spot..another bennie, more privacy as the guy behind you can't se you anymore...another, the guy behind with his too friggin bright lights can't get you either. If you need to see the rear bumper, just lean fwd a bit.
The only bad spot on these cars is the a pillar, its too thick, rear view and side view are normal.

 

I just got done reading an article in Popular Mechanics about this very subject. According to them, the proper way to set the side view mirrors is to lean your head against the driver's window then adjust until you can just see the side of the car. Then lean the other way an equal amount and do the same for the passenger side mirror.

It seemed a little extreme for me, so I kinda split the difference. It makes a HUGE difference on what you can see.