HHR What's the word?

Cotton wrote: In reply to yamaha: I'm specifically talking about SS panels. How is slightly over 200 ever made not "super rare"?

Damn. I really like those too.

We replace at least four ecotechs a month due to chains breaking. I don't care if they are oiled better '03 and up, they still break. In '07 they redesigned the ecotech, and the newer ones do seem to hold up better, but I have seen a few (very few) break. So I guess what I'm saying is I wouldn't even start to consider buying anything '06 or older with an ecotech.

In reply to 16vCorey:

FWIW, the service interval on those chains is promptly 100k for the LSJ.......

a chain with a service interval?

aussiesmg wrote: sharp looking

My in laws have a 2006 and where so happy they bought a 2011. Both cars have been great for them and they still have both of them!

Inside is a cheap plastic bucket, also tough to see out of. Better ride/handling than a PT Cruiser and better on gas. Inexpensive to maintain.

I rented a 2011 for a ~700 trip. Though the visibility could be better, I didn't really have an issue with it. I think mine was loaded with every available option and actually was a nice highway cruiser delivering an honest and consistent 30+MPG. In contrast, my father's PT Cruiser, while it seems to be reliable, only gets low 20s.

How do you identify which engine in the HHR is the 2.2. and which is the 2.4? I ask, because some sellers don't know and I noticed the engine "cover" on a few say "ECOTEC" but never mention the displacement. Anyone know the engine code in the VIN for the engines? Like one or two folks here, I was actually looking at a PT and an HHR...may not get past the look phase, tho.

belteshazzar wrote: a chain with a service interval?

I'm glad I'm not the only one having a WTF reaction to that...

SlickDizzy wrote:

belteshazzar wrote: a chain with a service interval?

I'm glad I'm not the only one having a WTF reaction to that...

Last time I checked (which has been a while) there wasn't one. I'm guessing after having so many failures they added that to the service recommendations.

aussiesmg wrote: Wife likes one locally, 2011 auto red with black trim and rims, sharp looking, but are they any good?

Since everyone has an a$$, I mean opinion, but seemingly no hard facts, heres mine.

I have owned two HHR's, yes two, and on purpose! The first one was simply the cheapest car I could find that had four doors, and a hatch, that I "LIKED"... It was a base model with the 2.2L engine and an auto the SWMBO could drive it. It was a very acceptable appliance. Tons of storage under the rear deck and with the seats folded down it could haul massive amounts of junk. I only had it till about 20K miles then sold it, so my long term test isn't valid. However my Brother In Law, is a Chevy tech and has told me nothing bad about them as far as reliability, and yes we talk about it often. HHR #2 was lots more fun. It had the 2.4L engine and a five spd. I added a short shifter and stock cobalt SS springs, and the little bugger was hoot to drive. I auto-x'd the bageezis out of it and suprised well everyone. On top of that it would even get 34 mpg at 65mph on the highway. Would I own another one, YES. Yes they are hard to see out of, but you do get used to it. Asside from that they are IMHO decent little cars. Just do the usual used car checks, and you'll be fine.

Paul

In reply to paulmpetrun:

So, what you're saying is, they're hard to see out of.

Unhappy to hear about how limited the run of Panels was, but that makes sense considering I've only seen one ever.
I heckle my best friend (female) mercilessly for choosing a PT when her parents bought her first car... HHR is way cooler looking if you're going for that style.

16vCorey wrote: We replace at least four ecotechs a month due to chains breaking. I don't care if they are oiled better '03 and up, they still break. In '07 they redesigned the ecotech, and the newer ones do seem to hold up better, but I have seen a few (very few) break. So I guess what I'm saying is I wouldn't even start to consider buying anything '06 or older with an ecotech.

You replace 50 Eco's a year because of broken timing chains? I find that hard to believe.

Something you have to consider, is that with a motor like the Eco, there are so many of them on the road (compared to many/most other motors), that even a small, or insignificant percentage of them with problems can look like big numbers.

Great. I'm running a Cobalt SS in HPDE and Track days. What does the preventive change cost? Why do they break? Does the tensioner fail? Chains don't actually "stretch, I don't think. The pins and rollers wear. I'll have the frequent oil change thing going for me.

To my knowledge, it's just a poorly designed tensioner. GM has an updated replacement part available.

Up until last week I had 375k on a 2004 Ecotec. Never touched the engine. I changed the oil on a fairly regular basis but that was about it.

I'd be driving it today but a guy drove through a stop sign and wrote it off. I guess I'm car shopping now.

Zomby Woof wrote:

16vCorey wrote: We replace at least four ecotechs a month due to chains breaking. I don't care if they are oiled better '03 and up, they still break. In '07 they redesigned the ecotech, and the newer ones do seem to hold up better, but I have seen a few (very few) break. So I guess what I'm saying is I wouldn't even start to consider buying anything '06 or older with an ecotech.

You replace 50 Eco's a year because of broken timing chains? I find that hard to believe. Something you have to consider, is that with a motor like the Eco, there are so many of them on the road (compared to many/most other motors), that even a small, or insignificant percentage of them with problems can look like big numbers.

At least. We've got four full time mechanics that just do engine and transmission installations every day. We do a lot of work for dealers that buy them at auction with bad engines, and we buy every ecotech we can, and still almost never have any of the pre-'07 engines in stock.

And I completely agree with you that a lot of the volume is because of saturation. That being said, we've got a rack full of Zetecs that we can't get rid of. Sure, there aren't as many Focii and Escort Zx2s as there are ecotech equipped cars, but there's still a ton of them out there.

its rare to kill a zetec......they're non-interference so when the timing belt tensioner fails, its cheap to fix. The problem with them is trying to get the damned valve cover to not leak.....

Chuckles, it is the tensioner inside the lsj that's on the service schedule, and it is deemed preventative.

I only ever had issues with my intercooler pump, door wiring, catalyst, and the damned power steering failure........theres a reason I don't have a gm anymore, 3 of those problems were out of pocket fixes.......and only one should have been(door wiring).

My company car (truck? wagon?) is an HHR, and I put a lot of miles on it. 28-31 MPG on the highway, depending on hills and speed limits (75-80 MPH on some of the roads out here doesn't help. )

The low roof/windshield is an issue for taller drivers. At 5'10", it bugs me a little. The A-pillars are too thick. The view out the back window is also not so good. And I wish they had dechromed the shifter bezel and instrument panel - the reflections can be an issue.

I've had no engine or electrical issues with it except ...

The electric power steering acted up, and was fixed. Not sure if that was electrical or mechanical. The assist just wasn't there, then it was back, then it was gone.

There is the "Nope, you can't take your keys out of the ignition!" issue, which has a work-around and has been fixed on mine.

The rear storage shelf is a bit wonky, but it does let me hide the expensive stuff from casual observation.

fast_eddie_72 wrote: In reply to paulmpetrun: So, what you're saying is, they're hard to see out of.

and if we could choose, many of us would buy a panel-version, for optimal hardtoseeoutof-ness.

So to summarize owners love them, mechanics do not.

That tells me exactly nothing

I considered one......I really did. But the overwhelming reason I didn't is due to the way I was treated by GM. I would see them as no different issues of ownership as what my ion redline was.

I even found a full panel SS with 5sp there towards the end of them too......for relatively cheap. Instead, I chose to get back into old sho's, and save as much money as these cars allow me. I have too many irons in the fire already. Thus far, I have not regretted my decision.