A couple of weeks before Christmas I went to the closest city where I bought my HHR after work in the dark, to go to watch a local Junior Hockey game against the Russian Junior all stars. Like I mean a real dark road, 100 miles of nothing, 10 zillion trees on the side of the road, deer, elk, and some mysterious animals on the road. My seniors old timers hockey team was playing a local team of old guys the next morning so I loaded my hockey gear into the back of my station wagon HHR because that is what it for, right?

It was just myself and my overweight Border Collie “Tess” in the back seat. Tess back seat drives all the time and whenever I turnaround to back up she and looks at me as if to say “watch the hell where you are going you idiot, and don’t hurt MY car!” Maybe if Tess rode up front I wouldn’t have had this problem but she has the worst breath of any person or beast that I have ever encountered so that is not an option. They clean dogs’ teeth under general anesthetic and it’s hard on them, so I won’t do it.

As soon as I got out of town it started, the first car I met flashed its high beams at me, thinking I had forgotten to dim, I reached for the dimmer switch, what the heck I was already dimmed. 100 miles of every car, every truck, even the deer, where flashing their high beams at me until my eyes where weeping and burning. I tried everything, not dimming until they could see me dim, not using the fog lamps on low beam, everything except no lights and it was dark, first I was blinded when they hit their high beams and then pitch black blind after they went by. It was the hockey bag, it lowered the rear of the HHR and raised the headlights up too high,……………. I came home in the daylight.

This Monday morning I went again back to the dealer where I purchased my HHR to get my first oil change and tires rotated. It shakes like crazy afterward, must have a tire out of balance, but it was too late in the day to get it checked out, so I will have to go back. As someone mentioned here the Firestones on the HHR’s are nail magnets and soon after I got mine, a rear tire keep going down so I had it fixed (tubeless patch inside) it had the sharp end and about 4 “ of a rat tail file in the tire. Could the tire patch cause the out of balance (the tire was rebalanced after repair) and if so will I have to buy a new tire? Naw, I will just order an SS and keep driving my Premier until it comes.

So after the oil change I did some shopping and took my GF out for dinner and then headed home in the dark. Same damn thing, every car, truck, and airplane had to flash their high beams at me. I had 1 bag of dog food (of course) 1 small bag ice salt, and a bathroom sink/basin (really), that’s it and the lights where too high.

Not much of a station wagon, lousy rear shocks, can’t haul your lunch pail in there at night.

Good thing the SS has graduated load sensing front and rear struts, now I have a real excuse for getting one.

 

As if anyone needed another good reason

 

I've had an SS for a week, and (granted, only one evening in particular) the same thing happened to me. I keep getting brights flashed at me. Is this common for everyone. My old car had the worst headlights ever, so I'm glad to be dishing out the pain when it comes to headlights.

 

Are the lights being adjusted properly at the factory? I'd have the dealer check them out. There's a lot to be said for vehicle inspections that check the direction of the lights annually!

 

Old Ray......

If you put your load directly in the back, MAYBE it was to heavy and lifted the front end. Probably should distribute the load a little more to the front.....evn with the dog, one rear seat can go down.

I traveled last summer with a little over 700# (I weighted it out) and had no problem with the on coming traffic and headlights. But I did distribute the weight with ONE rear seat down.

 

I have tools ang work gear in the back of mine every day and have had no issues. I am betting the lights are out of adjustment.

 

I had a few people flash me thinking my highs were on when I first got the car. I just thought they were stupid. Then I added about 600 lbs. of audio gear in the back and the rear is 1" lower. Then everybody started to flash me. I would shine my lights into peoples rear views that were in front of me. Just the other day I lowered the front suspension only and now all is good. Followed a friend home and no complaints.