In response to member feedback and continued learning on my part, beginning this month there will be a few tweaks to the Vehicle Reliability Survey Form. (The more extensive revision three months ago is discussed here.)

First off, in months when no response is required (like this one for most people) it will now be possible (but not required) to click a link in the email to “check in.” This will prevent follow-up emails from being sent. No odometer reading will be necessary, just click the link.

Second, the survey now asks for the amount paid by a warranty or the manufacturer for the repair, if known, in addition to the amount paid by the owner. Many people include what they paid for maintenance in response to the existing question. Please report only repair costs, not maintenance costs.

Third, there’s a new outcome to select from, “Successful repair – only updated software with reflash.” This will enable simple reflashes, which are increasingly common, to be separated out from more difficult and costlier repairs.

Fourth, go ahead and report replacements of brake pads and rotors. These will still be excluded from the overall results, but (when data are sufficient) brake job frequency information will be available as a separate stat–by popular demand.

Fifth, all light bulb replacements will now count. I initially excluded all but headlamps because I’d always found it very simple to change a turn signal or tail light. However, I’ve learned that these days changing a light bulb is often far more complicated than it used to be, with fancy access covers and special clips. To enable light bulbs to be potentially excluded from future analyses, they are now listed as a separate system.

Finally, and probably not until next month, the survey form will ask if previously reported incompletely repaired issues have been attended to. In other words, the system will now track individual issues over multiple repair trips, where these are necessary (order parts, first repair unsuccessfuly, etc.). For various reasons, people who report a trip were parts were ordered don’t always report when they returned to the shop to have the new parts installed. The revised process will help prevent incomplete information.

Thank you for all the feedback. Keep it coming.