Good Bye to our HHR

 

HHR pulled by our American Eagle

HHR pulled by our Jayco Melborne

HHR pulled by our Dynamax Isata 

Marcia and I married in 2011, nearly 15 years ago.  Knowing that we wanted something that could be pulled behind a motorhome, we bought a 2009 Chevy HHR.  (HHR had a six year production run from 2006–2011). 

The most common questions we got were, 

a) How hard is it to pull an HHR with a motorhome?   ans:  It is VERY easy to pull an HHR behind a motorhome...so much so that you can forget that it is there.

b) What does HHR stand for??  ans:  This is one I did not know until writing this blog.  It stands for Heritage High Roof.

When we traded the HHR in for our new vehicle, it had around 174,000 driving miles, and around 130,000 towing miles.  We purchased it used with about 29,000 miles on it.  It was a rental car through a car rental agency, but I do now know which one.  We put about $500 each year into repairs, tires, oil changes, etc.  Bought it for $10,000, and add registration and sales taxes...it cost us around $19,000, including repairs, but plus the cost of gas.  I can only guess how much gas cost were since the price fluctuated so much over the years.  We got $1,100 as a trade in on the HHR to put towards our new car.

 

Introducing, our NEVER TO BE TOWED, 2024 Kia Soul.  The KIA Soul is considered a SUV, but some call it a station wagon.  (A sixteen year production run from 2009–2025, with three-generation runs.)  Yes, they are not making the Soul anymore.  The reason for stopping?  "Move to EV vehicles."  Under current administration rules toward EV's, you gotta wonder if they stopped production a bit too early...   Total cost, including taxes (7% on first $5,000 and 6% on the rest), license, dealer fees, preparation fees, etc, we paid $19,200.

No one hates dealing with Car Salesmen more than I do.  Overall, I left home at 2 pm on Monday, arrived back with the Kia around 5.  I get home, I don't see a Key FOB (to lock and unlock vehicle without a key...some will even start a vehicle) but I lock the car from the inside as I shut the door, thinking the key will let me in.  Guess what?  No key hole.  THANK GOODNESS the salesman needed to follow me home so Marcia could sign papers.  He showed me the "secret key hole", he unlocked it, the alarm goes off, it takes him about 15-30 seconds to get the alarm off, and the "hunt for the FOB" begins.  As I write this, a key locksmith came by today, brought a FOB, programed the FOB, the key which came with the FOB, and the key I got when I bought it (he said it probably lost its programing).  All is good.

PS:  The color is Mars Orange, AKA: Burnt Orange.  Yes, looks red, but in full sun you can really see the Orange color.  I doubt it will ever leave Florida.   

 

Changes Are Coming

 

Well, it is time for some changes...

HHR pulled by American Eagle

HHR pulled by Jayco

HHR pulled by Dynamax

We have been RVing, in general terms, since 2012, although I had lived in a 5th Wheel from late 2005 till 2011 when I remarried (to Marcia in February) and we bought an American Eagle in November of that year.  By March 2012 my daily duties at the Library I was the Director of essentially ended and we hit the road in April.  Shortly after we got married, we bought our 2009 HHR LT in Pine Bluff.  The one thing that has been consistent in our travels has been the HHR.

In 2022 our HHR essentially got COVID.  Well, it got sick...the Check Engine Light was on and nothing I did seemed to help it.  With some help from Arny and his buddy Steve, I changed the Air Filter, Spark Plugs, Coils, Fuel Injectors, Air Flow Sensor and Throttle Body along with the O2 Sensor.  (I think I covered everything).  That pesky Check Engine Light just would not stay away.  We came home a bit earlier that year in late August, and I took the HHR to a local shop I had used before and they said it was a bad computer.  They replaced the computer, and the spark plugs (again because the richness of gas mixture it was getting made them black) and the check engine light remained off for about 50 miles.  But it was still running real good, so I did what I do, ignored it.

Brings us to 2024.  The HHR has over 270,000 miles, and that does not count the over 100,000 miles from being towed behind our 3 different motorhomes.  THAT is a lot of miles.  The suspension is worn, the idiot light still on, and gas millage dropped down into the lower teens from its normal mid twenties.  

Time for another HHR...which they don't make anymore...so this was going to tough to do.  We like the HHR for two reasons...easy to tow, and easy for Marcia to get in and out of, it has been the easiest car for her to get into and out of with her MS and her advanced age.

LUCK was with us, a 2006 HHR, with only one owner who had the oil changed every year and who drove it about 4,000 miles a year (via carfax) was available from a local car dealer for $6k.  Figuring we could get $500 for our HHR, we had the funds to pay for it outright.  Went over to see it and BAD LUCK struck.  A previous potential buyer wanted it, they put it in their shop for a check, and they failed it due to suspension problems.  Although it was still in their yard, they could not sell it as it even at a discount to me who promised to have the suspension worked on.  GRRRRRR!

So we took the HHR to Wray's Automotive on Wednesday, the place that fixed the breaks for the motorhome last year.  First, the engine...  All it turned out to be was a faulty Air Flow Sensor, which he said the one we put in back in 2022 was CHEAPLY MADE!  He wrote up an estimate for the suspension work, where they are going to put in new shocks/Struts front and back, Suspension Control Arm and Ball Joint Assembly, Tie Rod and Coil Spring for rear.  At just over $2k, we should have a much smoother and safer driving car which we hope will last another 100K or more...that work will be late next week.

So, the BIG CHANGE is that we are looking to move to a Class B Van, with our eyes on a 2024 Thor Dazzle, among other RV Vans.  Went by General RV in Tampa and Marcia was able to get into and out of the Dazzle without a problem.  Also looking at a few other Thor B Vans, but trying to stay away from any that were made in 2021 and 2022 due to problems manufactures had due to COVID and product shortages.  Dazzle has only been around for two years now.  The van is 21 feet in length, 6.5 feet width, on a Ram ProMaster 3500 XT with a V6 gas engine.  

But we have put this on hold right now in order to try and sell our current motorhome (which is well used and shows its age) AND so the Doctor can try to fix my knees (which are well used and show their age).

So this past Tuesday I visited Coastal Orthopaedics and Sports Medicine: Dr. Peter Candelora.  As this was my first visit, it took nearly two hours for them to get all the info they needed and for the Physician's Assistant to do a quick evaluation.  Essentially I need to come back on the 14th of March, have both knees fully X-rayed a week or two before my visit, and he put me on Diclofenac 75mg twice a day in place of Advil.  After two and a half days of being on this medicine, my knees both feel much better...nearly tolerable.  Unfortunately, this drug is not a long-term solution since long-term use will ruin your Liver and Kidneys.  Nothing is easy in life...no quick fixes.

So our search for a RV Van is on hold, unless a GREAT Deal comes along.  In the mean time, we will search out a buyer for our 2005 Dynamax Isata which has been a very good home on wheels for us.  No use in buying a new motorhome, just to let it sit around until I recover from knee surgery "IF" this leads to that.

Two Week Update - Pics From Mother's Day, Visit with Aunt Mary, A/C Problems, Car Update

 

On Mother's Day we had mom over for Hamburgers, Salad, Deviled Eggs, and a special surprise visitor...

... Pattie's daughter Ashley who not only surprised Grandma, but surprised her mother too!  It was an enjoyable afternoon, mom stayed for a good four or five hours, and it was a memorable Mother's Day for all.

Earlier this week Mom and I went to visit her older sister Mary.  It was a GREAT visit despite the news the day before that their youngest brother, Paul, had passed away.  Mom came from a family of ELEVEN children.  Mary is number #8, mom is #9.

About 18 months ago Mary, and her oldest daughter Debbie, moved to Elk Grove, which is south of Sacramento, from Escalon, about 80 miles south of Citrus Heights where we stay when we are in the area.  Elk Grove is only 30 miles away, so it is much easier/shorter of a drive.  It was interesting to hear them talk about their family, especially their mother who raised 11 children nearly single-handedly since Grandpa was more into the bottle than the family at times.  He died when mom was only 12 years old.  Of the eleven kids, ALL of them were successful in life.  Something like two butchers, three teachers, three nurses, one insurance agent, and one engineer or scientist, or both (Uncle Paul).  The eleventh gave his life in service of his country in WW2, just a month before the war ended.  Grandma sure taught her children how to work...as did my mother teach all six of us....as did most of my Aunts and Uncles teach their kids too.

I mentioned before that the motorhome Air Conditioner had gone out on us.  I thought it was due to the capacitors, but when I replaced them, it worked for about 5 minutes and stopped.  Took it to the RV Shop that we trust here in Sacramento, and Nick said that the coils must have a leak, it won't hold Freon, and it needs to be replaced.  As he looked into a replacement, he found that YES, he can find an A/C and get it in within a few days, BUT the thermostat we have won't talk to the new A/C.  To put in a new thermostat, he would have to run all new wires, BUT, the new thermostat won't talk to the furnace.  There IS a computer type board that one can get which would allow the old thermostat to talk to the new AC while also talking to the old furnace BUT...there are none of these boards available right now, and the waiting list for one is VERY VERY LONG.  So I bought a Black and Decker portable AC to get us through this summer.

We located it in the passenger's driving seat, and vented it through the passenger window.  With the much appreciated help from my brother-in-law Arny, we fabricated the exhaust to fit the window to a "T".  There is no need for tape, as the window rolls up and holds the exhaust in place.  All of the plastic pieces were pieces provided with the purchase of the machine, and it was cut down and riveted together by Arny.  

When we travel it will all need to be put into the bedroom, but that works for me!  Total cost was $475, and it is quieter and just as efficient as the rooftop AC which, if we can ever get on, will cost somewhere around $2,000.  Perhaps some day the computer type board will be available...but for now we are in the cool, so to speak.

As for our HHR, well, it is working just fine, but I have not cleared the check engine light yet for what we hope is the final time.  Some of the articles I have read say that the HHR's computer can take up to 200+ miles to retrain itself.  I am just about there.  I also have a tire pressure sensor out on the front driver's side...so I need to get it over to Discount Tire to have them look into that.  I "THINK" I put four new sensors on when I got my last tire change 2 1/2 years ago, so perhaps this won't cost us anything.  It sure is a pain in the butt to see that flat tire symbol on every time I drive it, let alone the check engine light.

Our fearless cat hunter enjoys being "on duty" each and every day.  So far she has stopped one Grey Cat from sneaking up on a bird or squirrel, she chased a Black Cat she found napping next to the HHR back to its yard next door, with a slight tackle in the process which sent them both rolling on the ground, and just today she saw the Black Cat walking across the Cul De Sac and gave chase again to its home, where it took refuge under a car.  These incidents don't include the many times she has seen a cat up on the fence and chased it away.  So far I have identified five or six cats in the neighborhood which are tormenting this poor little girl.  I think she is having nightmares about them!

So all is good, and I will TRY to write again before so much time passes...but don't hold your breath.

Automotive Fix?

 

The last time I took a picture of our HHR was December of last year on our way home.  Back in the middle of March, a check engine light came on and every week it seemed to run rougher and rougher.  Knowing we would be at Sandy and Arny's house within the month, and knowing the vast amount of knowledge, experience and tools available there, I decided to chance it and wait until we got to Citrus Heights to do the work.  We bought it in early 2011, it was a 'rental' which was put up for sale at a car dealership.  Not sure what work they might have performed on it, but over the past 11 years we have put around 130,000 miles on it, pulled it behind motorhomes for at least another 100,000 miles, and it has been very reliable for us with just a few problems prior to now.

Thinking that it was just the Spark Plugs, I went to O'Reilly Auto Parts and picked those up and put them in on Monday.  $45, and it seemed to be better...but only short lived.  

(Black things are coils, spark plugs under them)

Monday afternoon I took it to O'Reilly Auto Parts where they ran check engine codes. Not only did it need the Spark Plugs, but also Ignition Coils (one for each spark plug), Throttle Body cleaning or replacing (this gadget allows the air into the cylinders), an Oxygen Sensor (we put that in back in 2016 so I skipped putting that in even though I bought it), Mass Airflow Sensor (which works in conjunction with the Throttle Body).  Ok, that's another $325, not including the Throttle Body which we decided to ignore for now, and all of the parts would be available Tuesday morning.

(O2 sensor left, Mass Airflow sensor right)

By Tuesday afternoon it was working much better, and I even went over to visit mom afterwards.  But on the way home, it started acting up as if I never did anything.  So we decided to take out the Throttle Body, and it was DIRTY DIRTY DIRTY.  Arny soaked it in some 'stuff' all night, and I put it in Wednesday morning.  Worked like a charm again...until it the engine warmed up.  Arny's friend Steve has a code reader which works on his phone, real neat, and the top code was Throttle Body and O2 sensor.  We still held off on doing that O2 sensor...but got a new Throttle Body.

(Throttle Body)

So I went back to O'Reilly Auto Parts and ordered a new Throttle Body, $220.  I 'almost' turned the O2 sensor in for credit, but thought I could do that later just in case (smart thinking that time).  Thursday I picked up the new Throttle Body, put it in and the HHR worked better than ever...until it warmed up.  Steve came over late afternoon and ran his code reader again, and it pointed to the O2 sensor...which I had but did not put in due to how hard it was to get to it.  

(Code Reader, sends info to your Smart Phone via bluetooth)

So far I had done all the work except cleaning the Throttle Body.  With the O2 sensor, I was going to have to rely a bunch on Arny.  So Friday mid-morning we first cleaned the engine (Arny likes to work on clean engines).  Around 1 pm we started on the O2 sensor which took us about an hour.  WOW, now it was really working like a charm.  Took it around the neighborhood, let it get nice a warmed up, and it was working perfect.  Took it for a 12 mile run north on the Interstate, got off and right back on headed south...perfect...until the check engine light came back on...but it still worked flawlessly.

Did a bit more research and found that the computer can take awhile...even up to a few hundred miles, before it relearns everything.  So for now we are claiming victory...but there is a chance we might need to do a bit more work if I want to stop this one check engine code from popping up.

I never finished our trip...here are just items.   With the loss of our GPS/Music, we "HAD" to have something.  I remembered that I had a speaker which is powered by USB and/or Solar, which would connect via bluetooth to my Kindle Fire.  Speaker box above, Kindle below (I have a keyboard attachment with this Kindle)

 

I downloaded some tunes to the Kindle so it would work with or without Internet, and we enjoyed some tunes the final few days to Citrus Heights.

I guess our Amazon Prime was up for renewal, and Amazon hunted us down, twisted our arms, and now, after another $120, we are good to go for another year.

Typical view of Mojave Desert, I-40 headed to Barstow

Gee wiz Dorothy, I don't think we are in Kansas anymore....  Gas price in Barstow (thank goodness we filled up our tank in Arizona)

Gas price on Highway 58 near Kramer Junction.  This station has been open for about a year.  We stopped and let Indy play in their Doggie Park...she enjoyed that a lot.

Joshua Tree in bloom as we head toward Tehachapi Pass, and then Bakersfield

One of MANY rough bridges we had to cross...only 150 miles to put up with....

 

Pictures taken Friday Evening

Yes, they had the tree cut back

She just LOVES this yard...as did Skruffy and Bubba

Lots of Hummingbirds this year

Fewer Doves due to Cats

It is Spring, Finches Looking for Action

Fewer Squirrels, again Cats

I'll Keep Them Fricken Cats Away!!!!!

Madness, Nearly Sadness, Surely Insaneness

Yes, it is “that time” again….March Madness.  This year, as we have for many of the past ten years, my kids and I fill out our “brackets” at cbssports.com, and then we follow, the best our busy lives can, the results of the games.  However, there is one thing we all try to do….and that is to watch Arkansas Razorbacks “if” they make it to the big dance….and this year they were second in the SEC, and they played last night.

Although it was not a “good game”, in fact it was a pretty ugly game which included a shoe being tossed out on the court, it is ALWAYS GREAT when Arkansas wins…and they did pull out the big “W”….but it could have gone the other way, which would have made this a much sadder blog.  Above is on of their players, Michael Qualls, who had a few good dunks.  (Picture was cropped from a “gettyimages” and is shown here purely for educational purposes.)  I am hoping that they have one more good game left in them….one or two of the kids hope they have a few more good games in them.  The way they looked last night, I think we will all be wrong unless they get a fire lite under their feet.

Above is the current “score card” as of 4 pm eastern time Friday.  I am highlighted in orange.  We have a complicated scoring system which rewards one for picking a underdog team.  As is typical at this stage of the game, I have the lead….but by Sunday I expect the lead will have changed hands….because my picks tend to be fairly conservative.  One thing three of us have is Kentucky as the overall winner, while my youngest son Ryan thinks it will be Wisconsin.  Always a good time.

On Monday while Marcia was at Bible Study, I got a few more pictures down at Crystal Beach.  This White Heron was just walking along looking for a good place to rest.

   

I saw these folks come out from the other side of the small wharf (shown in previous blogs), and wondered if they were headed o the other side…about twenty minutes later I took the second shot and they were getting close to the beach on Honeymoon Island. 

This time of year the Osprey are watching over their nests, and if you look, you can see these nest scattered all over the place.  Seen some Bald Eagles too, but not while the camera was handy…

Next week the “packing up” will be in full force mode.  So far this week I have finished up a few small items with the motorhome, including getting the oil changed, and the back of the HHR is ready to go with the GoGO, hand cleaning gel (orange bottle), ladder (under the checkered blanket to keep the rattles down) the HHR – RV lights (box just beyond the GoGo seat) and the air compressor for emergency tire refilling (you can just see the blue hose beyond the checkered blanket).  That’s a lot to take in the HHR, and no mention about the storage area under the platform that the GoGo and everything is sitting on….under there we have our two Safety Lighted Collapsible Traffic Cones, an atlas, and a few other odds and ends.  Amazingly insane how much you can get into such a small space.

Speaking of “insane”, I have not given an update to the sewer project along the street in front of our Condo Community lately…..this is the project which has caused, un-officially of course, around four sink holes in the area, but none in our Condo Community.  Above is what it looks like just outside the driveway entrance to the Condo Community.  When we first got here in October, the work was to the right of the entrance….they have progressed to the entrance and to the left of the entrance.

Here is the road to the right, our main road to the rest of “humanity”….it is bumpy, dirty, dusty, but finally open.  When we were forced to turn left, that added a good 5-10 minutes to anywhere we were going.

This is the main sewer pump station, the one which, when they were digging the hole to place the pump station down into, they found lots of water, and in pumping out that water with a four inch (perhaps five) hose, it pumped a bunch of water out, leaving underground holes which caved in…hence, sink holes.  They seem to have most of the pump station ready, and are putting up the brick wall to “hide” from everyone’s eyes…. also covering up a portion of the Condo’s pretty wall.
The insanity of this “might” be done when we get back in December…..Marcia thinks not….I just don’t know.  Perhaps the entire road will get swallowed up by another giant sink hole…..