Smoke Wagon

so as many know, I just bought a used 2006 HHR 2LT from a dealership. My GF Brenda works for that dealership in the parts department. she has access to the R.O. records(repair orders). So today she pulled up the RO for what was done to the HHR upon trade in.

The report states the following:

replace front pads/turn rotors/clean and adjust rear brakes
rotate tires
run "ozone" cleaner through A/C HVAC system due to dog odor(great )
inspect front strut cartridge and replace for leakage(warranty)
inspect and replace L/S transaxle seal-leaking(warranty)
investigate ticking sound from engine-found catalytic converter to be source-replace catalytic converter(sweet...new cat)
replace windshield(I knew it looked new!)
service transmission(flush/cleaner/refill)
oil change
air filter replaced

so basicaly...new cat, new windshield, new front strut(s?) new axle seal, new front pads, new air filter, tranny service, fresh smelling cabin + I knew I smelled dog in the rear cargo mat...DRAT. Oh well...I'll deodorize it again myself, and if it wont go away...86 it.

For those wondering about the repairs...car has 33k miles on it.

I am fortunate to have Brenda working there so she could pull up the recent work order so I'd know what was recently done, and what to expect in the near future.

karen1953

That is great!

solman98

That was a list of repairs on it. Wonder what the old owner did to to.

But I am suprised the did a tranny flush.

Smoke Wagon

Looks like the old owner had a dog, drove behind gravel trucks, took off-road excursions, and ignored leaks probably due to the driveway being dirt

Not sure what the old owner did...but I do know that it's in good hands now.

as for the tranny flush-it's a A/T, to be honest, its a code on the RO...probably generic for 'service transmission via pan/flush/filter/cleaning agent/drain/fill' ...whatever.

I have it in writing from the dealer, so should something go wrong with the tranny after warranty, and I find out it wasnt serviced properly...guess who gets a visit?

Hotrodbob

That does not sound bad based on what you say about the past driver. Should do better with you.

old motorhead

Just drive the hell out of and enjoy...........motorhead

Smoke Wagon

just waiting for the warranty to expire...2700 miles to go

once that happens...I'll do some "playing"

Harpozep

I'm glad you found out what went on in your car's recent history. Most of us who bought used just have mystery miles and the odd moment or two when we see something that we should have caught before we bought the car and wish we had done a closer look.

But most of us fanatics here in the forum are trying to treat our HHRs as well as we can considering they are daily drivers.

Smoke Wagon

Harpozep...I hear you. When I bought my last used car from a dealership, I was totally in the dark as to its history. But then one day I emailed my salesman and asked "what was done to this car when you guys got it?"

he pulled the vin, and wrote back "new front and rear brake pads, and rotors, full service, all new fluids, and 4 new tires and alignment"

I knew right then I just bought a car that had a good $1500 worth of things I wouldnt have to worry about for a LONG time.

I was right...the brake pads lasted over 80k miles(I have a long commute, mostly freeway)...I put almost 100k miles on it in 4.5 years.

we ALL know that many message boards out there are filled with questions regarding problems/issues...some people might happen upon this message board and read the topics and think 'it seems like these HHR's have nothing but problems"...I am quick to discredit those theories...many people only post when they have a problem...rarily do you read such posts/topics that start out "Hi gang...I have put over 30k miles on my car and havent had any problems-just routine maintenance...just wanted to share"

so...back to the info I received today-I know we can typically find cars out there from private party sales...but often times dealers will perform more work to a trade in to prep it for sale than a private party would.

I am not a mechanic by trade, but I do work on my own cars. I have only brought a car to a dealership for recalls...nothing more. I bought my last car knowing very little about it(like the HHR's) but over time I began to modify it, learn about it, repair things that broke, learned their quirks, and before long, I was working on other examples for friends.

That car is a Lincoln Mark VIII....a car that in its prime, was considered a highly advanced car filled with all kinds of technical devices that no one would dare work on themselves.

I've done air suspension rebuilds, engine swaps, head swaps(module 4.6 DOHC engine), tranny swaps, tune ups, interior mods/stereo mods, and have parted out 3 of them...

I plan to learn as much about the HHR's...unfortunately, hte best lessons come from repairs
But thanks to message boards such as this, I can learn from others before I get my hands in on the stuff myself.

SIRESMERPH

so you got someone one the inside huh?!?!?!? it's going down tonight then..lets do it!!

sorry a lil movie wannabe action there...sorry.

but really that's cool you got someone in there!