Brought it in today. Complaints:

2100 miles on a brand new car. Black crap loaded up in the tailpipe. 16 MPG in town mileage w/NO leadfoot, warm up, excessive idle, NO hills, etc etc etc.

They scan it and of course since thereare no codes, I have to accept that its running ok and its my driving that is causing the crappy MPG. So what about all the black soot in the tailpipe? Dude says, there are no codes.

Rear bumper making noise as if it isnt mounted correctly.

Again no problem found, live with it.

I would like to know if there is a number I can call to complain.

 

There is an 800 number in the owners manual front or back I can't remember which.

 

Ok. The car is still there as of this morning. The black crap in the tailpipe is a result of " detergent in the gasoline " Now this sounds plausible. They ordered the new rear cargo side trims. Torqued down the hatch side strikers. The clunk in the rear is from " Aftermarket springs and sway bar " They said they would get under and see if all was tightened properly. As for the mileage, when I went to talk to them the average mpg was at 18.3 and my gas was down to almost empty ( from about an 1/8 left when I dropped it off ). I will change the oil and add the K&N air filter and see where that goes. I still cannot get more than 230 or so miles from a tank of fuel.

Bottom line is: No codes, no problems as least as far as the dealership is concerned.

Just Freakin Wonderful

 

You seriously need to find a new dealership.

But, call the 1-800 and complain about the service. And I'm guessing you have the stock springs and no added swaybar?

 

One quick question is are you running aftermarket rims and if so are they a larger diameter than stock? If so, you are getting better mpg than you think, because the odometer is indicating less than actual traveled miles.

Maybe have them check/recalibrate the speedo while they are at it.

 

Unreal. I herd that I was getting super bad MPG @ 25/27. When my girlfriend drives this car she gets 33+. Mine has all of the mods, springs, CAI, Cat-Back, Sway bar, and I drive the car really hard. There has to be a problem, some where, something is not right. Checked my tail pipe, there is a little black dust back there, but I have 35k and I think that is normal for me. I would just keep taking it back intill you get a good drivability tech to figure out your issues. When I worked at a dealership we would see all sorts of wierd things. Maybe you have a very restrictive exhaust that was made or assembled wrong, maybe you have a fuel issue, there is no good reason you should be getting milage like that, and quality aftermarket springs ans way bars dont make noises like that. Dont be fooled by the dealerships.

 

Hey there Nick.
No, they are the stock 17's. I drive around Long Beach on a daily basis. About 11 miles a day. Our cars are so heavily managed by computers. The tech told me that the EPA or whoever has made it so that the sensors are so sensitive, any variance will set off a code. Also that there are hundreds of variables that determine MPG. Ok, sure. All I am going by is the general results that 90% of the HHR owners here are reporting. I am getting WAY less MPG than the majority. It seems that I am going to have to accept this and get the same mileage that my 400HP Marauder got driving the same way. Go figger.

 

Look at the bright side, you could have bought a $60k+ bimmer that if you don't drive more than at least 8 miles a time the battery will go dead.

True story.

 

Understood Jay. I have little recourse here it seems. I wont take it back to the same store repeatedly, they will just blow me off. If I call the GM hotline, they will just call the dealer and they will get the test results. I posed the question of why most of you are getting better MPG to them. Of course they couldnt answer that and told me its my driving habits that are causing the ****ty mileage. I might rent a car for a week and drop the car off at the dealership that I bought it from a long ways from where I live. I really dont know what to do. The techs cannot do anything until if and when a sensor triggers a code.

 

I wouldn't accept it so readily. Chevy touts the HHR's "great" gas mileage, so they should make good on it. If you get no satisfaction, raise it to a regeonal customer service rep. Mine is 1 1/2 years old, just turned 8000 miles, I drive it hard, and I'm averaging 25 with mixed city/freeway. Thats both reported by the DIC and by math when I fill it up.