I wanted more up-to-date car reliability information that included actual repair rates. So in late 2005 I started getting people together to make this possible. TrueDelta now reports absolute repair rates that make the differences between cars much clearer. Results are updated four times a year, so it's possible to track cars closely as they age.
Over 200 Corvette owners have already signed up to participate. A good start, but more are needed to provide full results for all years. So I'm grateful that this forum has given me permission to post this thread.
Participants simply report repairs the month after they occur on a one-page survey. When there are no repairs, they simply report an approximate odometer reading four times a year, at the end of each quarter.
To encourage participation, participants receive full access to all results, not just those for the Corvette, for free.
We currently have preliminary results for the 2007 and 2008. Both are better than average--28 repair trips per 100 cars for the 2008, and 39 per 100 for the 2007.
We'll have a third prelminary result, for the 2006, when results are updated next month.
For full results, which would be visible on the site to non-members, we need 25+ responses. Currently we have 16-21, depending on the year, so not far off.
Consumer Reports does not have enough money to purchase and test every automobile on the market so they depend upon reports by the members (subscribers) who own the cars. So, let me see if I understand this correctly. Since Consumer Reports bases its evaluations on information supplied by people who own the cars they report on, you are saying that the car owners reports are BS. Is that correct?
Further, if the one you have is so trouble free that you can't believe what everybody else has reported, you need to become a subscriber, receive the survey and fill it out to get the information about your car into the data pool.
From The Christopher Prayer;
"Never let me forget that it is far better to light one candle than to curse the darkness..."
We only count successfully completed repairs in the current analysis, for the very reason you mention--not trying to measure the shop's competence.
We'll have initial reliability stats on the Hyundai Genesis Coupe and Camaro next month. Why should people have to wait another year for CR to give them a blob?
People have widely varying definitions of "serious problem"--a big problem with CR's survey. People who love a car often won't report anything that doesn't require a tow truck. Others report rattles. In fact, rattles are among the most commonly reported "serious problems."
By odds as opposed to averages I mean your chances of getting a lemon, or your chances of getting a car with no problems. You cannot derive these figures from the average problem rate. But they're what many people really want to know. We're going to start providing this information for some cars next month.
Point #5--please. If you did what I do, you'd NEVER claim that memories are good enough for an annual survey. If memories were even solid for three months, my life would be much easier. But they aren't. So it isn't.
I'm not buying that CR's subscribers have better memories than the average person. Good for you if you have a stellar memory--you're not the typical subscriber.
Combine the memory factor with the "serious" criterion, and you've got a real mess. Even if you can remember a repair that occurred a year ago, it will seem much less serious than one that happened this week.
This has certainly been the case in my personal experience. I'll be ticked off at the time. A couple months later...barely remembered.
Anyone else who has trudged through this...my apologies. It's late, it's been a long day, and my brain clearly has a case of the runs. To sleep I'd better go...
We're going to start providing new stats for the odds of requiring no repairs and the odds of getting a lemon. These require larger sample sizes, so additional participants would be helpful.
We have updated reliability stats for the Corvette, based on owner experiences through September 30, 2009. In terms of successful repair trips per 100 cars per year:
2008: 44, average, but not far from "better than average"
2007: 26, better than average
2006: 27, better than average
All of the sample sizes are below the minimum for a full result, so these are asterisked and only visible to members on the site itself.
Largest sample size for the 2008, so that number is the most precise.
Everyone who has been helping, thanks, I appreciate it. We'll have updates in February and May. With more participants, we could provide more precise information and cover all model years.
I think this is a great idea. I would enroll my car, but it is so heavily modified that it would not provide additional accuracy, and may introduce error. That said, other than for mods, my 2006 Vert has never been in a shop.
Depends on how heavy the mods are. In your cases, sounds like they're pretty heavy.
My general guidelines are that mods to intake and exhaust, a change of up to an inch in ride height, and wheels within an inch of a stock size are not an issue.
We have updated reliability stats for the Corvette, based on owner experiences through December 31, 2009. In terms of repair trips per 100 cars per year:
2008: 62, about average
2007: 18, better than average
2006: 36, better than average
The sample sizes for the 2006 and 2007 are below the minimum for a full result, so these are asterisked and only visible to members on the site itself.
Largest sample size for the 2008, so that number is the most precise.
A big thank you, once again, to this forum and everyone who has been helping out. We'll have updates in May and August. With more participants, we could provide more precise information and cover all model years.
The number of emails you receive is strongly related to how early in the month you respond, the four months a year this is needed. Once you respond, no more reminders.
I am aware that many people do not realize the connection.
We have updated reliability stats for the Corvette, based on owner experiences through March 31, 2010. In terms of repair trips per 100 cars per year:
2008: 65, about average
2007: 15, better than average
2006: 25, better than average
2005: 27, better than average
The sample sizes for the 2005, 2006, and 2007 are below the minimum for a full result, so these are asterisked and only visible to members on the site itself.
Largest sample size for the 2008, so that number is the most precise.
It is not clear why the repair frequency for the 2008 has consistently been higher than those for other years.
We'll have updates in August and November. With more participants, we could provide more precise information and cover all model years.
We have updated reliability stats for the Corvette, based on owner experiences through June 30, 2010. Other sources of car reliability information won't cover the more recent months until the summer or even fall of next year.
Repair frequencies, in terms of repair trips per 100 cars per year:
2008: 58, about average
2007: 14, better than average
2006: 36, better than average
2005: 42, better than average
The sample sizes for the 2005, 2006, and 2007 are below the minimum for a full result, so these are asterisked and only visible to members on the site itself.
Largest sample size for the 2008, so that number is the most precise. It is not clear if owners report more repairs for the 2008 because the results for all three earlier years are inaccurate, because the 2008 result is inaccurate, or because some engineering tweak for 2008 has been the source of some problems.
We'll have updates in November and February. With more participants we could provide more precise results and cover more model years.
To see how competitors compare, and to sign up to help:
Can you reopen my acct or do I need to sign up again??It's under Jesse Maiolo.Thanks.
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