J.D. Power and Associates: What Are These Awards? By: BJ Killeen / Down the Road You see the name in advertising, hear about the studies on TV commercials, and might even have filled out a long survey for this company when you bought your last new car. Who the heck is J.D. Power and Associates, and do all these awards really mean anything? J.D. Power is a global marketing firm that focuses on rating customer experiences with everything from automobiles to healthcare. It gets its information via surveys filled out by those who have purchased goods or services, and then rates the products based on those experiences. While J.D. Power and Associates covers many different industries, let’s just talk about what it does for the automotive spectrum. Contrary to popular belief, J.D. Power does not allow companies to “buy” awards. It makes its money by selling the results of the surveys to the manufacturers, which in turn helps the companies improve. Three of the biggest J.D. Power awards are IQS, or Initial Quality Study, Vehicle Dependability Study (VDS), and APEAL (Automotive Performance, Execution, and Layout). The IQS measures the first 90 days of vehicle ownership and uses it as a prediction for long-term durability. It focuses on over 230 problems, organized into eight categories, such as exterior, driving experience, and infotainment. The Dependability Study contacts owners of three-year-old vehicles, and again focuses on specific vehicle features and if they are experiencing any problems. For the APEAL Study, the goal is to examine how newvehicle owners feel about the design, content, layout, and performance of their vehicle after 60 days, and it covers <strong>10</strong> specific categories. While it’s true that for IQS and APEAL the owners are still in the honeymoon phase with their vehicles, you might want to give more weight to the Dependability study. Although all three should give you a good idea of the quality and features for each product, it is still up to you to do your homework to see which vehicle is right for you. Visit jdpower.com to check out the results for yourself. BJ Killeen has been an automotive journalist for over 30 years. She welcomes all questions and inquiries, and can be reached at bjkdtr@gmail.com 20 October 20<strong>18</strong> Insurance Telematics By: Jim Valkenburg / Insurance Insight You’ve probably all seen Progressive’s commercial with “Flo” showing something called a Snapshot device to put in your car which might save you premium dollars. That device – a telematics device is also called a car insurance tracker, safe driving app or car insurance monitoring device by other companies. You install it in your vehicle so it can track different aspects of your driving habits which, in turn, may (or may not) lower your premiums. There are several factors companies track but four of the major ones are: (1) time of day you drive, (2) weekly, monthly or annual miles, (3) quick acceleration and (4) hard braking. When I owned my agency, we did not encourage clients who worked the graveyard shift to accept these devices because they often drove between, say, 11:00 pm - 4:00 am. I also discouraged anyone driving 12-15,000 miles/year or more. Several insurance companies are offering their insured a chance to save valuable premium dollars with telematics. How does it work? Well, you often get a discount immediately on your new policy when you agree to use the device. After a period of time (typically 90 days – 6 months), your insurance company analyzes the data based on their parameters of your driving habits and, hopefully, receive another discount. There are several benefits of using a telematics device. First, you most likely become a safer driver. Just knowing your habits are being tracked can make you more aware. You probably adjust your quick acceleration and hard stops and that can also lead to better fuel economy. One of the biggest downsides to telematics is privacy concerns. Consumers want to know what is being tracked and who has access to it. Consumers also feel that at some point the data may be used to increase their premium. If your company offers you the opportunity to save money on your auto insurance, be sure to do your own analysis. Jim Valkenburg is a retired military officer and insurance executive. He and his wife owned and operated their own insurance agency for over 16 years. His primary purpose is to give out real information that can be used to make intelligent insurance decisions.
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