HHR Update

[Mazda616]

First, I got two Dorman brand keyless entry fobs at O’Reilly’s. That made it to where I wouldn’t have to go to the dealer to have them programmed as these came with their own OBD-II dongles to let me program them myself. It took 5 minutes. Voila. Car has keyless entry and remote start again.

Went to a local locksmith next and got a second key made. Now, I have two keys and two fobs to give my aunt.

Last, I went to the car wash and it had it washed and vacuumed out. She is coming to get it this weekend, hopefully.

Total investment by her will be $6,200 as she is paying me back for the key fobs and the key. She ended up getting $8,350 for the RAV-4 instead of $7,350 as they initially proposed.

Interior shots:

That weird spot on the tailgate is really the only thing wrong inside. Looks like someone had something mounted there at one point in time.

The Dorman remotes programmed fine but initially made the security light illuminate. It went away once I locked and unlocked the driver’s door with the original key, though.

I’ve really grown to like this thing. It’s a good little runabout. I think we did good for $6k in today’s market.

[DuckDuckGreyDuck]

@Mazda616 it looks like someone maybe had rigged up a way to open the hatch from the inside?

[e90m3]

@Mazda616 So you like unloved red GM cars? You're got a type.

[BeaterGT]

@Mazda616 I must have missed the initial post but I love it! There was an SS HHR for sale near me and it was seriously tempting.

[foghat1981]

cleaned up well and seems pretty solid for your aunt. Nice work!

Since it's so far out of sight/out of mind it's probably not worth it, but I bet that trim panel in the far back could be replaced fairly cheap from a junkyard donor.

[WhoIsTheLeader]

@Mazda616 I like this car more than I really should. It's just such so honest. I'd recommend picking up a headlight sanding kit for those lights though. The kind with a drill chuck adaptor, sandpaper, and some polish isn't usually that expensive.

[Ad absurdum per aspera]

I kinda liked the HHRs I encountered even in rental-car trim. They were unapologetically utilitarian and succeeded in providing utility, yet not penalty boxes to drive.

My (modest and manageable) quarrel with them is how an entire kindergarten class, crossing guard and all, could hide behind that A pillar. It's a big blind spot in an unexpected place, and in a potential close-quarters pedestrian situation, moving your head around to see what's there is a good idea.

[Mazda616]

@e90m3 said in HHR Update:

@Mazda616 So you like unloved red GM cars? You're got a type.

Ha. Never thought of that. I guess I do.

[ITA97]

@Mazda616 said in HHR Update:

@e90m3 said in HHR Update:

@Mazda616 So you like unloved red GM cars? You're got a type.

Ha. Never thought of that. I guess I do.

If we extend that a little further on the colour wheel to things with red hues, even if not strictly red, I think your former S-10 fits with the type too.

[XJDano]

@Mazda616 I’ll have to pick one I’ve this key fobs up, my key fob hasn’t worked in years. I took it off the ring.

[barnie]

Nice! My brother put 140K miles on his 2010 HHR before he curbed it and messed up the left control arm. It sat until my friend came to visit last month. She had a 1-way ticket here so they dickered a bit and she bought it.

We replaced a few bits like a control arm bushing, tyres and A/C compressor. She just finished meandering from ATL back to her home north of Sacramento. 35 MPG and nary a problem. These are underrated vehicles (car or truck?).

[i86hotdogs]

@BeaterGT I've seen a handful of SSHHRs (pronounced sshhhurrrs) on marketplace. All around $5k. Very tempting to buy

[i86hotdogs]

I almost bought an HHR as my second car ever in high school. I was very disappointed in the amount of head room despite the shape of the cabin. I honestly had more head room in my 2005 300 over the HHR