[Dr. Sivana]

My wife’s 2011 Chevy HHR original battery just died. I did not know car batteries can last 11+ years.

They sure don't in Phoenix. I have had problems in both my wife's Toyota 2018 Avalon and my '94 Roadmaster (since sold due to emissions issues).

It doesn't seem to matter what brand of battery (Toyota, NAPA premium, and had to throw in a Walmart battery because it was what I could get a friend to deliver on a late Saturday).

It sounds like you HHR is a great little car. If your big news is replacing an 11 year old battery, you are car blessed.

[entropy12]

Yes. 1 new battery from Chevy dealer for $198.
Plus 4 new tires at 60k miles. That is it. Still had everything original but I worry about the drive belt.

I installed the new battery myself, located in trunk. But when I removed the old battery, I should not have closed the hatch back door. It got locked and there was no way to open it since there is no key hole in the hatch door. I had to use a small screw driver to trip the lock open through a tiny hidden hole on inside of door.