Cars Lab

Archive for September, 2010

Study: Vehicle Quality Dictates Customer Satisfaction!

Automobile manufacturers can benefit from repeat purchases and word of mouth recommendations for their products if the longterm dependability rates for their products are high.

So will we see auto makers highlighting dependability as a selling point during the upcoming automotive trade events?

Deterioration in vehicle quality during the first three years of ownership strongly affects overall customer satisfaction as well as customer willingness to recommend their vehicle model found a recent study by JD Power.

How Quality Affects Satisfaction?

This study measured problems experienced by original owners of 3yearold 2005 model year vehicles and found that on average customers report experiencing 75 percent more problems in the third year of ownership than during the first 90 days.

The models with the largest increase in problem levels resulted in the highest declines in customer satisfaction as well as the probability of the owners recommending their vehicle models.

On the contrary those models that averaged less than 35 percent problem growth fared a lot better in overall satisfaction during the threeyear period. However none of the models studied reported lesser problems by the third year.

Where The Auto Makers Have Failed?

Although car manufacturers aren’t completely indifferent to the problems of car owners and have indeed addressed quite a few issues the following problems have remained unattended during the three year period since the study began in 2005 up to now.

These problems include:

1. Excessive wind noise
2. Noisy brakes
3. Vehicle pulling to the left or right
4. Issues with the instrument panel/dashboard
5. Excessive window fogging

In fact all of these problems are the five of the top 10 problems reported industrywide in the 2008 Vehicle Dependability Study and that they were among the top 10 most frequently reported problems in the 2005 Initial Quality Study too.

I know how irritating noisy braking systems can be automakers need to act fast and do something about these. Perhaps an extra attention to these issues before a vehicle launch would result in happy consumers and consequently increased customer satisfaction.

Why Car makers Still Deserve Kudos?

* The results also show that longterm vehicle quality has gone up by 5 percent industrywide in 2008.

* Compared with 2007 there’s been an overall decrease of 10 problems per 100 vehicles.

* Between 2007 and 2008 over 60 percent of the 38 nameplates studied showed improvements.

And out of the 19 segments studied the midsize premium MAV segment improved the most with 36 percent. Next in line were the compact car and midsize car segments both of which combined accounted for over 50 percent overall industry improvement.

With the highest improvements reported in the small car segment it’s good news for consumers because these are also the segments which have become the ‘hot cakes’ in the wake of skyrocketing gas prices and a wobbly economic scenario.

Vehicle Dependability Scorecard

While Lexus ranked the highest in vehicle dependability its top five followers were Mercury Cadillac Toyota and Acura respectively .

For more insights into the automobile industry kindly visit my blog: Autmobile Hotspot

About the writer:  Fred is a journalist with 7 years of experience. Though as a professional he’s reported on myriad topics his favorites are the auto and the healthcare industry. Two of the platforms he’s previously worked on are Themedica”>http://themedica.com/”>Themedica and AutomotiveOnline.”>http://www.automotiveonline.com/”>AutomotiveOnline. He now blogs at: Automobile Hotspot.

Seven Common Causes Of Car Tyre Wear

Check car tyres regularly for any signs of wear. This is important as they are the only point of contact between a car and the road. Any deterioration of the tread or damage to the sidewalls may be risking an accident.

The basic legal requirements for car tyres are:

a Tread Depth must be a minimum of 1.6mm. This applies to the entire circumference of the tyre. A bald patch on a tyre where the tread depth is below the minimum requirement is against the law. Check a tyre after a skid or emergency braking as this is when bald patches can occur.

b Tyres must be inflated to the correct pressure. Consult the vehicle manufacturer’s handbook to find the recommended pressure. Not only is this a legal requirement it improves the vehicle’s handling and reduces fuel consumption.

c All four car tyres must be compatible and in good condition. If a car tyre needs replacing it will need to be in the same condition as the others otherwise all four will need to be changed.

Factors that can affect the rate of car tyre wear include:

1. Make of Car Tyres

Every car tyre is designed differently to meet specific criteria. Long life tyres are made from a harder rubber compound. This can increase the noise when driving. A softer tyre compound will be quieter but will wear out faster. A car tyre specialist such as Merityre can offer advice on the different types of car tyre.

2. Position of Car Tyre

Front tyres wear out faster than back tyres especially if the car is front wheel drive. The extra wear is caused by the movement through steering. On a four wheel drive vehicle the front car tyres should exceed 20000 miles. This is half the expected life of the back tyres.

3. Weight of Vehicle

The heavier the vehicle the faster the car tyres wear.

4. Tyre Pressure

A car tyre that is inflated below its recommended pressure will wear faster because of its higher operating temperature and the extra flexing of the rubber. Over inflation can also increase wear due to the decreased size of the contact area between the tyre and the road.

5. Speed

Driving at high speeds increases the car tyre temperature and accelerates the wear.

6. Car Tyre Alignment

Incorrect alignment of car tyres causes uneven and increased wear.

7. Driving Style

Aggressive cornering accelerating and braking excessively are all causes of car tyre wear.

One factor that is unavoidable is time. Tyres deteriorate naturally over time due to the effects of the weather. Car tyres on vehicles kept outside will degrade faster than those kept in a garage. Cracking due to sunlight exposure usually becomes evident on car tyres that are five years or older. When this happens as with any signs of wear replace the car tyre immediately.

About the writer:  Merityre are a leading independent supplier of car tyres in the UK. Visit their website at Merityre.co.uk for free vouchers including 10 off your MOT free wheel alignment check and free locking wheel nuts.

Satellite Navigation : Do Not Worry About Road Routes

The potential of satellite navigation systems is increasing. With the growth in technology communication and information technology has improved prospects of accuracy and has widespread applications in tourism remote healthcare security science etc. unique softwares recognize key objects and act as a mobile guide. You need not worry about road routes. Satellite navigation will right back on track while you go astray on the roads. You can view many view modes with different angles to locate the position of your vehicle on the road. The vehicle dynamics combined with motorized panel display allow for simultaneous navigation and an entertainment storehouse at the same time.

The embedded applications have custom screens with display values colors and 3D angles. The tracking mode immediately tells you your position on the map. Many of the systems also come with a nightview mode with fixed safety camera alerts. Satellite navigation comes as indash screens portable navigation and doubledin screens. Appropriately equipped with the latest science the navigation systems provide accurate visibility. There is no signal masking and once initialized it gives uninterrupted navigation capability.

These applications are high on usability and practicality. The custom display screens come in different colors and effects. The kind of maps you see in video games is now for real! You could find your position on the map at any given point of time. Some of the navigating systems also come with a nightmode and there are fixed alerts incase of road blockades etc. Once installed there are no problems in terms of signals. Accurate visibility is ensured with the highend technology navigation systems.

CarStereos4U also has a wide range of navigation units and accessories. Just browse through our pages to find the product that would meet your budget and specifications.

About the writer:  To know more about huge range of Satellite navigation systems and car stereos visit http://www.carstereos4u.co.uk