TrueDelta.com Vehicle Reliability Research

**DMAG** · 05-08-2005, 12:28 PM

For those that do not subscribe to Allpar's weekly newsletter, I'd like to make sure you know about this new service that takes YOUR input about YOUR experience with YOUR vehicle to determine quality and rating for each make and model sold. Thanks Dave (Allpar owner), for pointing out this great service

See below:
(text from Allpar.com, with minor additions in red)

When shopping for a car or truck, do you find a reliability rating of "below average" or "above average" insufficiently helpful? TrueDelta ( http://www.truedelta.com ) is initiating a new type of vehicle reliability research to provide more practical, more readily comparable reliability information. Four stats will be reported: times in the shop (TiSH), days in the shop (DiSH), chances of getting a lemon (Lemon-odds), and chances of no trips at all (Cherry-odds).

With this data you might learn that, compared to a "much better than average" alternative, your "average" first choice is likely to visit the shop 3.2 times instead of 1.5 during the first five years of ownership. And that the chances of getting a lemon are 12 percent instead of 5 percent. These are purely hypothetical numbers because the data just don't exist right now. But if they did exist, you could make a much better-informed decision.

TrueDelta needs your help gathering this data. Please join the research panel by visiting http://www.truedelta.com and clicking on "auto reliability research." Panel members will receive a very brief survey via email once a month. In months without a repair visit, they'll just have to respond "no visit." In months with a visit, they'll still only have a handful of easy multiple choice questions to answer. To keep the effort required very low, questions concerning what was repaired will only be asked in supplemental surveys when an unusually high repair rate is reported.

Survey results will not be publicly available. Through at least September 2006 TrueDelta will only provide reliability reports to panel members and affiliated forums with a significant number of participating members. (lxforums.com is an affiliated forum, just select "lxforums.com" from the drop down box when joining the panel) Even after this date, members will receive more data, more promptly. They won't have to wonder how common the problems being reports in the forums truly are. They won't have to wait until April to see the color of a dot.

The more members there are for a model, the more quickly serious issues will be identified. Ideally, such issues will be identified only a month or two after they creep up.

To help make this happen, please join today.

**mkaresh** · 05-12-2005, 01:36 PM

Thanks for posting this, Anthony.

At this point there are 10 2005 300s and 42 2005 Magnums in the database, plus 21 2006s (counts updated 4-19-2006). This is a solid start, but more are necessary.

I'm forming this panel because I personally believe consumers need better reliability data. If you'd also like to have clear, comparable data on vehicle reliability--times and days in the shop, not just dots--then it is very important that you sign up. Especially early on every single participant will be valuable. The larger the sample, the better the data will be and the more quickly issues will be identified.

Some of you might be concerned about the amount of time participating will require. I personally guarantee that it will require very little. I'll be keeping the surveys short and simple because I understand that people's time is valuable.

You can look at the price comparison part of my website to see how seriously I take speed and ease of use. Nowhere else can thorough price comparisons be made nearly as quickly.

I am very receptive to input if you have comments, concerns, or questions.

**DMAG** · 05-20-2005, 12:40 PM

Small update:

Because most people quickly forgot how many days their vehicle was in the shop, surveys will be emailed monthly. If there have been no repair visits a minimal response will only be required every third month, to verify you are still active. Even when you have a repair to report, the survey--a handful of simple multiple choice questions (no typing)--will take at most five minutes to complete.

C'mon guys! This is a GREAT service! Join today! It's FREE!

**RadarmagneT** · 06-02-2005, 05:59 PM

I as going to sign up, but there are only 2005 or older models listed (even has Magnum/Charger 2005?)

**mkaresh** · 06-04-2005, 04:30 PM

Good point. I've made the change.

**mkaresh** · 06-09-2005, 02:54 PM

I now (barely) have enough LX owners signed up. More would still be very helpful--the larger the sample is the more accurate the results will be--but it's now possible to at least get the ball rolling. I currently plan to send the first surveys out in early September and will post a notification here when this happens.

Note: Earlier I'd planned to start the surveys in July, but have decided to delay this for a number of reasons. Among them, I'm going to be busy getting 2006 prices into my database. Also, the rate at which people have been joining the panel has picked up significantly, and I'd like to allow time for more vehicles to become eligible.

**mkaresh** · 08-31-2005, 02:18 PM

I haven't forgotten about you guys. There are now 46 LXs enrolled, a good number. If you were properly signed up you should have received the first of my mass emails on the 24th. If you signed up but did not receive one of these emails, first check your spam folder, and if it's not there please get in touch with me. If it is there please instruct your spam software to allow email from truedelta.com.

The email announced that the 1000th vehicle had recently been added to the sample. I still have more Charger / Magnums than any other model, but the Subaru Legacy is only one vehicle shy, and others aren't far behind.

I'm still hoping to get the first surveys out next month, but it's going to be a very busy month for me. I'm rushing to get 2006 MY pricing data into my database, and I'm also running out of time to file a patent app for innovative aspects of my site.

Thanks for hanging in there.

Edit: I forgot to mention that a few weeks ago I attended the SRT Track Experience. Good experience, if less of a driving course than I expected. Easily worth it if it's free with the car--it's included with all SRT models sold since January. Not so sure if you have to pay $300, like I did. The details are in my review at Epinions: http://www.epinions.com/content_193671499396 .

**mkaresh** · 10-20-2005, 10:35 AM

After delaying the surveys because other tasks were more pressing, and to allow the panel more time to build, the research will begin in early November.

If you've already enrollled, thanks. Please remember to instruct your email program to accept email from www.truedelta.com. I have sent two mass emails so far, one in last August and another in early October. If you were enrolled at the time and did not receive these something isn't set up right. In this case, please contact me at michael@truedelta.com.

If you haven't enrolled, this is your last shot to be in from the start. There will eventually be hundreds of thousands of panel members, but I'll always be especially grateful to those who helped me get the research off the ground.

Some stats:

The panel currently includes 1662 vehicles, with about 12 joining on the average day.

Of these, 48 are LX's, 42 of them 2005s. These will be the only ones included in the first survey unless the number of 2006s gets to at least 15 over the next ten days. There are 6 right now.

Thanks to this forum, and Anthony in particular, I still have more LXs in the sample than any other car. But the Honda Accord and Subaru Legacy/Outback have been gaining, with 46 of each as I write this.

Thanks, guys. Let me know if you have any questions.

Michael

**RadarmagneT** · 10-20-2005, 12:15 PM

For 06's you might want to post on chargerforums.com too.

**bravid** · 10-20-2005, 12:16 PM

Maybe I'm missing something, but I added my two cars now where do I fill out this survey?

**mkaresh** · 10-20-2005, 02:05 PM

You will receive an email in early November, and every month after that, with a link to the survey. Unless the car is in the shop, a response will only be required four times a year to report an odometer reading, which will verify that you're still active.

I should add that the number of 2006s is now up to 8, so if I get 7 more I'll start them too.

**Dilliam** · 10-20-2005, 02:06 PM

I need to sign up and post all the wonderful (scarcasm folks) luck that I am having with my new Charger.

I just got it back after three straight weeks in the shop. Still has the same problem as what it went in for. Have taken it to two different dealers with the same result.

**mkaresh** · 10-20-2005, 02:13 PM

Originally Posted by Dilliam

I need to sign up and post all the wonderful (scarcasm folks) luck that I am having with my new Charger.

I just got it back after three straight weeks in the shop. Still has the same problem as what it went in for. Have taken it to two different dealers with the same result.

I'll only be collecting data on problems that occur after people sign up. The results become biased if people are able to sign up and report problems that have already occurred.

If you look at the survey you'll see that it asks if the problem has been fixed. This will help identify models that have a high frequency of problems that dealers don't seem to be able tof fix.

By reporting days in the shop as well as times in the shop, it'll also be evident which manufacturers provide the best parts and service support.

**RobAGD** · 10-20-2005, 02:39 PM

I dontthink they will be mailing the surveys until they meet a number of people goal for gathering data.

-R

**Dilliam** · 10-20-2005, 02:46 PM

Originally Posted by mkaresh

I'll only be collecting data on problems that occur after people sign up. The results become biased if people are able to sign up and report problems that have already occurred.

If you look at the survey you'll see that it asks if the problem has been fixed. This will help identify models that have a high frequency of problems that dealers don't seem to be able tof fix.

By reporting days in the shop as well as times in the shop, it'll also be evident which manufacturers provide the best parts and service support.

I can still sign up then and report the next time it goes back to the shop, any day now, for the same problem.