mkaresh

I wanted more up-to-date car reliability information that made the differences between cars clearer. So a few years ago I started getting people together to make this possible. TrueDelta now updates actual repair frequencies, not just dots, four times a year, to track cars closely as they age.

Thanks partly to the help of this forum, we've had excellent participation by Audi owners. I'd similarly like to provide solid stats for the second-gen A3. Just a matter of getting enough owners involved.

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, following the end of each quarter.

To encourage participation, participants receive full access to all results, not just those for the A3 and S3, for free. I'll share results for the A3 and S3 in this thread after each update.

http://www.truedelta.com/join

adamo010

good posting. I already was a subscriber, but you reminded me to update my 'garage'. Done!

mkaresh

Thanks!

mkaresh

Ten of the new A3s and S3s signed up so far. A good start, but more will be needed to provide precise stats on these cars.

To help make this happen:

Join TrueDelta

Spoonie G

Reliability? Why is that even a concern? All modern cars are reliable. The differences are small. It isn't like I'll pick an Accord over the S3. I don't care if I have to bring the S3 to the dealer for repairs a couple more times per five years than the Honda. The whole reliability thing reminds me of folks that still worry about getting a flat tire.

gamegenie

worrying about reliability is like worrying about your airplane flight crashing.

mkaresh

I largely agree with both of you. Though the odds of a bad experience with a car are considerably higher than dying in a plane crash, they're lower than many people seem to think.

A major reason I started this survey was to make people more aware of how high (or low) the odds of a repair actually are, and how large the differences between cars actually are. No one else was posting actual repair frequencies, only colored dots. This is still the case. Colored dots tend to exaggerate the sense of danger.

We post the actual repair frequencies, so people can more clearly decide if a car's repair frequency falls within their level of tolerance.

Sensitivity to repairs does vary greatly. Some people take them in stride. Others really want as close to zero as they can get.

arU4ic

Yeah Mike, thanks for keeping with it all these years.

mkaresh

You're certainly welcome. I do what I can. Some people make it easier, others not so much.

It's looking like we'll have our first stats for these cars in February. The small amount of data we have so far suggests that the cars do tend to be problem-free. For more definitive stats we will need more participants.

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mkaresh

We'll have an initial stat for these cars soon. If we have 25+ responses, we won't have to put an asterisk on these stats. Currently 22 cars are signed up, so a few more would be very helpful.

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