J.D. Power overhauls car quality survey
05-11-06, 06:39 AM
#1
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J.D. Power overhauls car quality survey
May 11, 2006
With changes, owner complaints in annual rating could increase by 40% on some models.
Josee Valcourt / The Detroit News
For the first time since 1998, J.D. Power is revamping its influential survey that tracks new car and truck quality, and the changes could increase the number of problems and gripes reported by owners by as much as 40 percent on some models.
The third-generation study, which collects nearly 60,000 surveys from new car and truck buyers after 90 days of ownership, contains more detailed questions than previous Initial Quality Studies and allows consumers to reply in essay form.
The annual survey is closely watched by automakers, which often tout favorable IQS results in advertising.
Based on a pilot program last year, J.D. Power said the latest study will produce significant swings in quality scores for some brands and models.
"IQS was used primarily as a score card to create this transparency between automakers. But in the intervening years, it's been adopted as a tool to drive change," said Joe Ivers, executive director of quality and customer satisfaction for J.D. Power.
"That means that we need not only a report card, we need some information that actually makes it easy to drive change and what we've learned through this process from the (automakers) is that our rich verbatim comment is a whole lot better than just a bubble fill-in."
The changes will provide automakers with more specific information about defects or glitches found in 2006 model vehicles.
Buyers on the hunt for a new car or truck often use results found in the study.
The results are based on the number of problems reported per 100 models. Last year, Lexus topped all brands with 139 problems per 100 models tracked, or an average 1.39 glitches per model. Kia, with 397 problems per 100 models tracked, placed last in the 2005 study.
The shrinking gap in IQS scores among automotive brands and models led the California-based firm to overhaul the study.
J.D. Power analysts wondered if certain questions were not being posed to consumers and particular problems remained hidden, Ivers said.
"It became clear to us that we could ask things that could point to a more specific problem," he said.
For example, the study now asks new owners more specific questions about paint finish and if any imperfections could be described as uneven, running, peeling and dirt or blemish. The new survey includes 217 questions, compared with 135 questions in last year's survey.
Such specificity helps carmakers determine the cause of certain problems and determine whether, in the case of paint problems, a thicker coat or manufacturing change is needed.
Survey questions will be broken down into two categories, defects and malfunctions, and design problems. The design category allows respondents to comment on shortcomings that are not a mechanical problem but still an issue, such as the placement of cup holders or factory-installed CD-changers in the glove box.
The changes are really helpful for automakers, said Dan Irvin, spokesman for Mitsubishi Motors North America.
"It is information that we find extraordinarily useful, so the more the better," he said.
As the life cycle of new vehicles continues to shorten and the technology in cars and trucks increases, "We've become convinced that there will continue to be a source of new problems with new vehicles for years to come," Ivers said.
With changes, owner complaints in annual rating could increase by 40% on some models.
Josee Valcourt / The Detroit News
About the study
What: J.D. Power and Associates 2006 Initial Quality Study that tracks malfunctions and defects on new 2006 car and light truck models.
When: To be released June 7
Who: Nearly 60,000 consumers who owned a new model for 90 days are surveyed.
History: The IQS was launched in 1987, revamped in 1998 and again in 2006.
What: J.D. Power and Associates 2006 Initial Quality Study that tracks malfunctions and defects on new 2006 car and light truck models.
When: To be released June 7
Who: Nearly 60,000 consumers who owned a new model for 90 days are surveyed.
History: The IQS was launched in 1987, revamped in 1998 and again in 2006.
The third-generation study, which collects nearly 60,000 surveys from new car and truck buyers after 90 days of ownership, contains more detailed questions than previous Initial Quality Studies and allows consumers to reply in essay form.
The annual survey is closely watched by automakers, which often tout favorable IQS results in advertising.
Based on a pilot program last year, J.D. Power said the latest study will produce significant swings in quality scores for some brands and models.
"IQS was used primarily as a score card to create this transparency between automakers. But in the intervening years, it's been adopted as a tool to drive change," said Joe Ivers, executive director of quality and customer satisfaction for J.D. Power.
"That means that we need not only a report card, we need some information that actually makes it easy to drive change and what we've learned through this process from the (automakers) is that our rich verbatim comment is a whole lot better than just a bubble fill-in."
The changes will provide automakers with more specific information about defects or glitches found in 2006 model vehicles.
Buyers on the hunt for a new car or truck often use results found in the study.
The results are based on the number of problems reported per 100 models. Last year, Lexus topped all brands with 139 problems per 100 models tracked, or an average 1.39 glitches per model. Kia, with 397 problems per 100 models tracked, placed last in the 2005 study.
The shrinking gap in IQS scores among automotive brands and models led the California-based firm to overhaul the study.
J.D. Power analysts wondered if certain questions were not being posed to consumers and particular problems remained hidden, Ivers said.
"It became clear to us that we could ask things that could point to a more specific problem," he said.
For example, the study now asks new owners more specific questions about paint finish and if any imperfections could be described as uneven, running, peeling and dirt or blemish. The new survey includes 217 questions, compared with 135 questions in last year's survey.
Such specificity helps carmakers determine the cause of certain problems and determine whether, in the case of paint problems, a thicker coat or manufacturing change is needed.
Survey questions will be broken down into two categories, defects and malfunctions, and design problems. The design category allows respondents to comment on shortcomings that are not a mechanical problem but still an issue, such as the placement of cup holders or factory-installed CD-changers in the glove box.
The changes are really helpful for automakers, said Dan Irvin, spokesman for Mitsubishi Motors North America.
"It is information that we find extraordinarily useful, so the more the better," he said.
As the life cycle of new vehicles continues to shorten and the technology in cars and trucks increases, "We've become convinced that there will continue to be a source of new problems with new vehicles for years to come," Ivers said.
05-11-06, 10:28 AM
#2
Lexus Fanatic
J.D. Power, in my opinion, is overrated...and I say this as someone who for several years was one of their automotive focus panelists. Their operations have never really impressed me. Consumer Reports does a much better job an a number of critical automotive areas relating to reliability and customer satisfaction. I think highly enough of CR that they are usually the very first source I check when someone asks me for a vehicle's reliability record, or for recommendation as the most reliable vehicles. Of course, a vehicle's past reliability performance is no guarantee of what the future will be like, and it usually takes at least 1-2 years to get an adequate database for a new or a redesigned model.
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