I wish I had seen this site prior to purchase. I would have got the 2.4 probably and most likely the running boards too. As is though, I have no major damage to the body from lack of running boards and my 2.2 runs pretty well. I turned over 17K miles today!!!

CBL

 

Got my 1LT (2.4 with 5-speed) in October and still love it! My only issue has been stone damage to the rear quarters before I had the running boards installed -- at a discount. Mileage is consistently 28 - 30 MPH and it is easy to drive. I still have people doing double-takes when I 'cruise' through parking lots with it. (Would like a bit more HP, but that is not really a problem as I did not buy it for racing.)

 

Issues, issues.... although I've got mine, it's nothing compared to yours! (sorry to hear that).
I was reading these posts prior to buying my HHR, but I tend research before nearly ANY purchase - big or small (what a pain). Wouldn't say any posts have been a deterrent - more of a heads-up than anything.
Mines been in 3X for a front-end shake and they can't fix it either. Guess it could be worse... but that's not bad for a 1st model year vehicle (although I agree there shouldn't be a problem with anything).

I guess you'll have to shop the new-car market again and see what it has to offer. Just be sure to see what other owners are complaining about PRIOR to purchase.
I think you just got dealt a bad unit.

 

well its been in the shop 10 days straight now this time and i believ im at 20 21 days total out of service time..

dont get me wrong i still think the HHR is a killer little ride but i think it just soured me to the whole thing!! i was looking at some new ones on wed. when i went in to get printouts of all the service that has been done to date and i still ha dthat wow its cool feeling but im just gunn ahave to really think about getting another one!!

i did reseat all my fuses long ago. i have owned my hhr since the end of sept 2005 so ive had time to figure out all the bugs from reading here and the other boards. but reseating didnt help unfortunatly..

well i'll see how it plays out here and let you all know..

 

I got mine Aug 6th and no problems either(knock on wood)only I have 16000 miles on mine.
HUSKYSHHR, sorry to hear about your problems and dis-satisfaction. I wish you luck with what ever car you end up with. :twothumbs

 

I enjoy my HHR. Got it in Oct 06 and just passed 12K miles.
I haven't had any real problems at all.

I stated and again restate in a different way to be understood, that there are MANY threads on this site that deal with PROBLEMS! This, that and the other. Some small, some not so small.

I mentioned in the past that the door panels are 'cheap.' It's not an attack on the car, it's just a statement. I know Chevy was trying to keep the price down, and evidently a little padding and cloth covering is costly! I saw the panel before I bought the car. The total style of the HHR outweighed the panels in my mind.

But look at the list of the threads and see how many are about problems and other threads that aren't titled a problem but later problems are mention in the threads. (This counting is for you bean counters)

A Rep should be aware of the "complaints" so they can improve the vehicle.

If you think a problem is to be ignored, well, we call that denial.

I'm not trying to attack members, owners, makers or... there are just a number of complaints, which I have hopes will eventually improve the car at Chevy.

 

In addition to this forum, I also participate in several other car forums, owning an Infiniti 2003 FX 45 and the new M35X. In general, forums seem to bring up the "complaints", regardless if an HHR or another brands, including such high-priced cars such as Infiniti, Lexus, BMW, Mercedes and all other brands.. I am going to go so far as to say that if someone (before purchasing a new car) studied all of the comments on the forums for that new car for several months, very few cars would be sold for fear of buying one of the problems mentioned.

Some problems are minor, some are not and that is why we have lemon laws. What is sad is that some of the unsolved problems are often easy to fix, if the dealership is qualified (or lucky). Information on this and other forums can be a big help to the dealer, if brought to dealer's attention. If nothing else, the dealer will at least believe that problem(s) exists. New models often require more fixes until things stabilize. That is the price we pay to get a nice car like our HHR, or most any other new model. If all car buyers waited for 2-3 years to get all of the bugs out, few new models would make it.

That being said, my HHR has had only one problem (radio pop), which seems to have gone away during the past 2-3 weeks. My dealer is aware of the problem and will be reflashing my computer in about a week or so, when I bring it in for the first oil change. I plan to change to Mobil One oil, as have had good luck with other cars using that oil (better gas mileage and what seems to be more power).

Your chances of getting another HHR "lemon" are probably less than getting another lemon with a new model Jeep, Caliper, etc., as other cars may also have some bugs and problems. If you really like the HHR, why not give your dealer an opportunity to put you into another (late build date) and go from there? Another option might be to try another dealership service department, as some are better than others.

Fritz45

 

I agree! This is my FIRST Forum as this is my first cool rather than a car that was for "Purpose- work, utility".

I ahd a Porsche but it was a money vacuum. Sucked it up!

Thanks for the perspective, Fritz45.