In late 2005 I started conducting my own reliability research. I'm reporting absolute stats like "times in the shop" that will make the differences between cars much clearer. Relative ratings obscure too much--how large is the difference between "better than average" and "worse than average"? I’ll also be updating results four times a year, so there will be information on new models sooner.

Once enough Durango owners sign up to partcipate, I'll start collecting reliability data on the SUV.

To encourage participation, panel members will receive full access to the results free of charge.

Details: Vehicle reliability research

Comments, questions, and suggestions welcome.

 

So we provide you data for free AND we can access such data collected for free... all the while YOU are collecting $24.95 annually for accessing the data by those that don't participate AND who knows how much for opinion surveys back to the Big3 right there in your homestate of Michigan?

Michael, your Ph.D. tells you THIS is the best way to collect unbiased data AND make money at it all at the same time eh? I guess it's a good gig IF you can get it. Good luck

I tell you what, compute this a while Dr... float some of that money out as a sponsor to this and many other Dodge forum sites and just maybe you'll get some real assistance. Also try supporting those sites by links on your site back to them instead of the meager excuse for links that you have already. Otherwise, I can tell you that many with the data you seek to get for free and sell for profit are not playing. You can do better. Many sites would embrace supporting you for a fraction of the funds that can be aquired by such tabulation. But no... just take, take, take just to give back what?!? Access to the same data as a reward? WE ALREADY KNOW THE ANSWERS MICHAEL, WE GAVE THEM TO YOU AS OWNERS IN THE FIRST PLACE.

As I and others read through your "About Us" section, it is clear that you have made a living and a career on the backs of such data. VERY Leachy IMHO. I hope it wasn't all collected in this manor.

What do you drive Dr. Karesh if I may ask? For some, they live for their make, their hometown, their team. For others... well nevermind.

IndyDurango

EDIT: Obviously Dr, you have struck a cord. A cord that may be in tune or not... that remains to be heard and played out. Maybe it was because of the Durango specifically or perhaps that was just a means to an end. Dunno. Since writing the above, I have reviewed your other posts here. Very viral indeed, but there is an inkling of value in a few. I also have read some of your reviews and such on other websites. You do indeed have the viral thing down pat. As I ponder, I think my reaction can be summed up by contempt on getting something for nothing. Now I know that isn't quite the case, and you must drive all these vehicles to be able to write about them, so I understand. However, I'm stuck on how one get's reliability data without ownership. Consumer Reports, a competitor I'm sure, does it by paid staffers to follow up on the same vehicles, same drivers, etc. Again, the something for nothing aspect of your viral approach is somewhat disturbing. Nevertheless, I hope you hear some of what I'm saying and start giving back in terms of real value to the enablers that make you having the ability to viral around in the forums possible in the first place. The plugs here all the time for your personal money making website do not resonate the same as they do on epinions.com. I'll assume they allow such in trade or a reduced fee paid or something. But you know what happens when one assumes, that makes an *** out of U and ME... ASSUME.

Good day Dr.



P.S. Watch writing over the heads of your readers. In a few of your reviews I caught, there were some very 'heady' sentances in the later paragraphs indeed. "It must be a minimum word count thing", I figured. It distracts from the otherwise competent, yet not engaging, article for the most part.

Also, a good writing class could help with the over use of "(" parentheses you have at times. Excessive parenthetical expression usually leads to rhetoric (persuasion to a point) or attempts to solve disambiguations. If that is the case, neither of those should be found in an unbiased review.

Everyone's a Critic.

 

Indy,

Your last two paragraphs are way over my head. I honesty don't know what you're saying.

On the money aspect, you and my wife need to talk. She's convinced I'm doing a ton of work that will never earn anything. I'm just hoping that reality is somewhere between what you think and what she thinks.

Here's how my system stacks up against others:

CR: You pay $26 a year even if you fill out their survey

JD Power: They pay you $1 for filling out a long survey, but you have very limited access to the results; useful results are only available to manufacturers willing to pay tens of thousands of dollars

TrueDelta: free full accessif you help provide the data

I don't think I'll be able to sell data to the manufacturers when one of their employees can sign on as a member and get it for free. Otherwise J.D. Power would provide useful information to car buyers.

The way I see it, by charging people who want everyone else to do the work, I can provide the results for free to those who do help provide the data. No one else does this for you.

Right now I'm deriving just a few hundred dollars a month from this research, and it's a full-time job for me. To date I have charged no one for access to the results, because I don't feel I have sufficient results that it would be fair to charge for access to them.

Forums that help out--a few dozen are already--get prominent links on the relevant model information pages and on relevant price comparison results pages. Some get mentioned in the newsletter I send to all the panel members, and even in press releases.They're all listed on every survey that goes to panel members who own relevant cars. I assume you only saw the "links" page. Forums that help out will be getting a lot of exposure from my site.

This research is a long-term undertaking. It means years of virtually no income for me--I'm chewing through my savings--and yet I'm offering the results to you for free. You then turn around and are concerned that I might eventually derive an income from it, not by charging you for anything, but by charging people who want the results but don't want to fill out the surveys that make the results possible?

Think about it.

 

The proof is in the results. Latest set here:

TrueDelta Vehicle Reliability Survey results

 

SPAM

It has nothing to do with a Durango and this is the Durango section.

What methodology are you using to displace the fact that when someone has an issue, they are more likely motivated to participate in your study as retribution? Just curious.

IndyDurango

 

How does this have nothing to do with the Durango? I'm posting here because I'd like to be able to include the Durango in my research.

I understand that you are skeptical. Please understand that many people are not. So far over 12,000 people with over 15,000 cars have signed up to participate in this research, some of them over two years ago. It's a serious effort to provide better reliability information. If you don't want to participate, then don't. But please don't be destructive of something so many people have put their time into.

I'm more than happy to answer any serious questions you have, such as the one in the latter half of your post.

I deal with the potential source of bias you mention by only collecting data going forward. Unless a repair has occurred within the last month, people cannot report it on the main reliability survey. (If they want to vent, there's a separate Repair History Survey.) And participation is continous, so only a small percentage of the data is from new members. Put another way, nearly all of the data is based on what happens after people sign up, so people cannot know what they'll be reporting at the time they decide to participate. This is a unique feature of my research design, which I have put a lot of thought into.

 

About halfway to the minimum needed to get start with the 2004 now.

 

Updated results for nearly 100 other models in a couple of weeks. I'd like to include the Durango in future sets of results, but need more owners to sign up to help out first.

 

Still SPAMMING for dollars I see Dr. Karesh.

Isn't the Hindu Doctor on HEROES named "Dr. Karesh"? Perhaps you are from HEROES too and have the special power to SPAM all day without getting tired.

Instead of reviewing deltas, perhaps a refresher course on the Law of Diminishing Returns is in order?

IndyD

 

I'm not spamming, and I'm not looking for any dollars. I've explained before all results are totally free to anyone who helps provide the data. I'd like to be able to provide reliability info on the Durango to owners and shoppers. Why are you so against this?