Reliability FAQ

Why not just continue to rely on Consumer Reports for vehicle reliability information? Because its ratings are far too vague.

Will a "better than average" car "never break?" Will a "worse than average" car be in the shop "all the time?"

In contrast, TrueDelta's research will yield new stats (see list in sidebar) that can easily be compared from car to car and that directly relate to how poor reliability affects you.

With this information (check out the hypothetical reports), you might learn that your first choice, compared to your second, is likely to take two extra trips to the shop in its first four years.

Also, TrueDelta's results will average over ten months "fresher" than CR's, because they use an annual survey and do not post results nearly as promptly.

TrueDelta's research has been designed to require as little effort as possible while yielding top quality data.

Other researchers ask about problems that occurred during the previous year. But few of us can reliably recall repairs after a few weeks. So TrueDelta emails panel members monthly asking if the vehicle required a repair the previous month.

Most months no response is required. Only when the member has a repair to report is it necessary to complete the survey form. This will take only one to three minutes, as the questions are very simple.

To verify that members remain active, a second, extremely brief survey is required four times a year. Completing this survey takes just seconds. But it is very important, because only vehicles who report an approximate odometer reading at the end of the quarter can be included in the analysis for that quarter.The average time commitment for someone reporting on two cars will be (at most) 15 minutes a year.

The higher the level of participation, the better the results. Ideally, everyone who uses this information will also help provide it.

Because everyone is not an idealist, TrueDelta is offering a more tangible benefit. Active members will earn FREE access to this site's reliability information.

Firms like J.D. Power and Strategic Vision only report a fraction of the information they collect from vehicle owners to these owners.

Most is reserved for manufacturers paying large fees.

In contrast, TrueDelta believes that those who help provide the data should derive the largest benefits from their effort. Panel members will have access to the most detailed information.

If, like most people, you're likely to forget to return, sign up now. For the vehicle, just enter your current car. It will be easy to modify this information later.

The survey form posted on the website is just a sample, so people can see what it looks like. Encoded links to the actual survey, which has a "submit" button, are emailed monthly to the owners of those models on which data is being collected.

We might not be collecting data on your car yet. Models are added when at least 25 (per model year) have been enrolled. Current list of models

Some email services have overly aggressive spam filters, and these are not always easily visible. These sometimes reject TrueDelta's email, even though none of it is spam.

You can look for a way to "whitelist" TrueDelta by including it in a list of acceptable email senders. Some email programs automatically whitelist a sender if you send email to them, so sending an email to michael@name_of_this_site.com might do the trick. In the email mention this problem.

If this doesn't work, you might contact your email provider. If they cannot help, a different email address will be required to participate.

Because results are only available for a few hundred models so far, most of them are posted to the public site. Information on some models for which there was marginal data are available only to panel memebers. It is not currently possible to pay for full access.

The title of the email will include "response needed."Most months a response is only needed if your car was in the shop for a repair the previous month. But the first month a model is added or you sign up with an already active model, and at the end of every quarter after that, you'll need to provide an approximate odometer reading.

To report that you no longer have a car, go to My Garage and click the "change status" link below the car's current status.

To enroll your new car, click the link in the "Add a Car Here" box in the top right corner of the My Garage page.

If you didn't find an answer here, or have remaining concerns, please contact us. You can count on a prompt response.