Sandhog

Hey folks,
I wanted some advice on what may be a problem,and not sure how to aproach it.
Ive always bought new Chevy's so if theres a loyalist,Im it.I took delivery on a new HHR SS on March 31st.It was raining when I picked it up,so I just gave it a once over more or less,and all looked fine.Anyways,on the way home(about 25 miles) the TPM went off,showing a RR tire monitor had gone dead.I reset it and the next day,it went on again.Called the dealer and arranged to have it fixed.I also had bought a new Impala SS from the same dealer in 2006,and had to bring that in also for a TPM that had went bad.I dropped off the Impala one day,and then the next day,took in the HHR and drove home the ImpalaSS.
They called and I went and picked it up.On the way home the LR TPM went off showing a bad sensor.The next Monday,they came to my home and picked up the HHR SS and dropped off a loaner.They also came and made the switch the following Wednesday with a $30 gas card for my trouble.
Anyways on Sunday I went out to the curb and noticed on my way back that there was scratch's and a small ding on the ground effects under the rear valance.It isnt noticable from above,looking down at the bumper,but from a level look you can seeee it real well.
It looks as though someone backed into a curb or parking lot block.I know that I didnt do it as there arent any at work and none in the driveway either.I called the dealer and notified them of the damage.The service associate told me that thier mechanics would have notified them if they had damaged the car,and I would have to bring it in so they could take a look.
They seemed to have the "We didnt do it" attitude before even seeing it,so I get the idea this may be a bit of a confrontation as I can be a bit quick tempered.
Hell as far as I know,it may have been there all along without me noticing it.A friend of mine said it looked like it might have happened when it was unloaded from the carrier.I have also noticed that the right side of the hood sits higher off of the right fender than does the left side b y about 1/8 inch or more.it is noticable but the hood and body panels seem to line up elsewhere along the hood line.
Anyone else had a problem like this and if so,how did it turn out.I guess Ill take the car in on Saturday so they can take a look at it.
Thanks in advance.

an08HHR

https://www.chevyhhr.net/forums/show...+pressure+rear

https://www.chevyhhr.net/forums/show...ear#post254723

pg318

I read in an automotive trade mag a while before getting mine about some of the features that went into the HHR, and the body panel pressings are unusually complex for a budget car, Audis and Mercs can get away with some of these geometries because they spend more on maintaining pressing dies and jigs to high standards, but the hood pressing on the HHR is out of line with the normal price/performance ratio (so the article claimed). On mine the hood gaps are a fair amount larger than some I've seen, but no different from the normal variation I've noticed. Positioning the hinges, the stops on the radiator top rail and the latch can only move the hood complete, the curvature of the sides seems to be what's varying, and that's a result of the panel springing during seam rolling. Guess that GM overreached their abilities here.

pg318

Here it is - http://www.autofieldguide.com/articles/080501.html

hhrcrafty

Hood gaps are going to be dictated more by the adjustment of the hinges and latches than the stamping of the hood. If you'd ever spend some time with people who assemble these vehicles, you would be assured that the gap standards at assembly are very precise. In addition, it would be impossible to stamp the hood without clean dies and get ANY kind of consistency for quality production. In the case of the hood lines varying up to 1/8 inch, I would chalk that up to normal expansion and contraction of the surfaces depending on weather conditions and operation of the vehicle. GM has actually been stamping metal like this for a long time and I doubt you'd find any inconsistencies in quality compared to Audi or Mercedes at ANY price point.

xzombiex66

that was a nice write up

pg318

The gaps hood-door, and hood-bumper cover on mine are all around 3mm, and the beltline crease lines up perfectly. The fender to top of the bulge on the door is also perfect, there's nothing that can be done to improve the hood-fender gap without messing the others up. Maybe the fender can be repositioned, there's a fair amount of clearance around the mounting bolts, but I'm not going to break the paint seal. I've been through the temperature ranges from -15F to 80F, the gaps are pretty constant. Chevy's own photos in the HHR brochure (p17 and 18 in the 2008) show larger gaps on some.