CarMD.com Corp., a leading provider of automotive tools and information, today announced the release of the first annual CarMD Vehicle Health Index, providing the industry and consumers with complete visibility into the often misunderstood “check engine” light.
This comprehensive annual index reveals and ranks the most common automotive failures illuminating the “check engine” light, along with the fixes and repair costs associated with each incident. The April 2011 CarMD Vehicle Health Index summarizes roughly a quarter-million fixes and diagnostic trouble code (DTC) scenarios for 1996 and newer foreign and domestic vehicles in the U.S. The largest database of its kind, the Index has been compiled and validated by CarMD’s nationwide network of Automotive Service Excellence-certified technicians. It is being released to help consumers make better-informed purchase and repair decisions, and stay one step ahead of what may happen to their car in the future. It is now available by clicking
“As our nationwide network of automotive technicians diagnose and repair vehicles, they upload information to our online system, which enables CarMD to create an unprecedented compilation of data and level of transparency never before available,” said Art Jacobsen, vice president, CarMD.com Corp. “We are pleased to share this data publicly for the first time, and believe it will be useful to consumers, automotive technicians and the industry as they maintain and evaluate new and used vehicles.”
The majority of the top five most common failures and fixes from the April 2011 CarMD Vehicle Health Index are related to durability vs. faulty parts, supporting industry statistics that consumers are holding onto cars longer and manufacturers are making vehicles that last longer. The Index also demonstrates that car owners are ignoring small problems that significantly reduce gas mileage, but also result in more expensive, catastrophic repairs.
Durable parts, which should last longer, are failing more frequently due to lack of maintenance. The Index supports results from a 2010 CarMD survey that found 64 percent of U.S. adults who ever owned/leased a vehicle admitted to having put off automotive maintenance/repair at one time or another. With the average age of vehicles reaching 10.6 years, the most common failures and fixes illustrate the impact of maintenance on gas mileage, safety, the environment and costs. Additionally, as hybrids are aging and approaching 10 years on the market, two out of the top 10 most expensive repairs are for hybrids.
“While other organizations provide valuable information on consumer satisfaction, buyer behavior, product quality and even vehicle history reports, no organization – until now, has put its finger on the pulse of the raw data associated with vehicle failure and repair issues,” said Dr. Michael St. Denis, president at Revecorp Inc., and a recognized expert in vehicle inspection and maintenance programs. “CarMD should be commended for making this data public as it significantly adds to the visibility of vehicle reliability, and alerts consumers and professionals to the vital trends and analysis important to vehicle health and safety. The benchmarking capabilities of this index will only continue to increase in value as we compare and contrast vehicle reliability with actual historical data.”
Key Findings
In 2010, for the first time in 12 years the gas gap is no longer the most common culprit for “check engine” light issues on 1996-2010 vehicles. Instead, misfire accounted for over 13 percent of auto failures in 2010. CarMD’s automotive service excellence (ASE) certified technicians note that many times a repair for a misfire can be as simple as replacing a spark plug or spark plug wire for only a few dollars. However, if ignored, it can ultimately cause the failure of the catalytic converter(s), which often costs $2,000 to repair. “Replace catalytic converter(s)” accounted for over 6% of repairs in 2010, and appeared in the top three fixes for all geographic regions studied.
The following are additional highlights from the Index:
Most Common Repair Services / Fixes
Repair Service Costs
Most Expensive Repair Services / Fixes
Most Common Diagnostic Trouble Codes (DTCs)
The CarMD Vehicle Health Index is independent of and neutral to any manufacturer, and based solely on downloaded information from each vehicle’s government-mandated onboard diagnostic computer, combined with uploaded repair information from independent, certified automotive service excellence technicians.