mandatory questions when people post fuel economy requests for help?

Is there some way we can put up a questionnaire or form when people start new threads in the fuel economy forums and/or when new users (say with <50 posts) add to threads in those forums?

Perhaps there should almost be a form letter than people can copy and paste before anyone else asks spends time asking usually the same questions and speculating.

I find it annoying that there are new users who post complaints/questions about fuel economy (e.g. "Help, I'm only get 38 mpg.") w/only scant or no details and sometimes to never return to even answer our questions. We get plenty of these here and here's an example of one that really irked me was at MPG on my 2009 NAH - Page 3 - GreenHybrid - Hybrid Cars.

I also noticed that http://priuschat.com/forums/gen-ii-prius-fuel-economy/14701-new-owner-want-mpg-help-read-first.html isn't a sticky in the Gen III FE forum.

I'd propose questions like (we can fill in the details of the exact questions later):
- What region/state are you in? (if not already set by the user)
- What fuel economy are you getting and how are you determining fuel economy? (trip computer, MFD/MID, manual calculations)
- What fuel economy are you expecting and why?
- Make, model, year, engine and transmission of previous car? What was its EPA rating and what did you get on the same trips/commute?
- What are your tire pressures?
- What are the outside air temps?
- How long are your trips?
- How much of it is city vs. highway? Roughly what's the average speed in overall and and of each segment? Is there a lot of stop and go driving?
- How are you trying to drive (e.g. trying to stay in EV? using eco, pwr, etc. modes?) and how hard are you braking?
- Are you "warming up" the ICE by letting it idle after powering on?
- Are you driving using D or B mode?
- HVAC settings? Are you using the heater, AC, auto, etc.?
- Are you using the factory tires and wheels? If not, please indicate tire make, model and size (e.g. Goodyear Assurance Fuel Max 185/65R15).
- If reporting a drop, did anything significant change on your car (e.g. accident, hit a curb or big pothole throwing off alignment, oil change/other maintenance/repairs, changed tires or wheels, etc.) or your commute?

We can probably assume that most people posting such queries aren't blocking their grille nor using engine block heaters, yet.

 

Yep, I do software QA for a living and have been doing so for almost 13 years.

I've had to answer people's questions on Usenet newsgroups related to our software. I also did ~2 years of computer-related help desk work while in college supporting people over the phone and walk-ins.

 

Ha, nah... the NAH posts were getting on my nerves last week.

That particular poster has a knack for making vague posts lacking in any meaningful details. His/her first post was 09 Altima Hybrid Catstrophic Brake Failure!!! - GreenHybrid - Hybrid Cars and of course, he/she didn't followup w/anything helpful.

The gas mileage queries for help w/scant details have been going on for years...

 

Thanks! I might need a bit more time to refine/remove/add some questions and wordsmith the post a bit.

On a side note, Bidding for Travel was super anal about following their hotel bidding assistance form (Bidding Assistance Form - Hotels - Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) - BiddingForTravel.com - Message Board Yuku).

 

Will do, probably within the the next week. I'll probably post it and have you sticky it (and makes changes if you think any are needed).

I think I'll make two almost identical ones for 2nd and 3rd gen but leave out references to eco, power and normal for the former.

(Been busy... leaving from home Thursday at ~9:30 am and not getting home until past 11 pm hasn't helped.)

 

Ok. I'm finally done! I've posted two almost identical versions. See bottom. In the Gen II version, I've changed the order of some questions and removed the part about the modes. Feel free to edit my post.

I'm thinking maybe the post should be sticky and locked? (Don't know if I can edit the questions if the post is locked.) I'd rather people not post their fuel economy queries in reply to my questions post but I do welcome feedback somewhere, possibly as a reply.

http://priuschat.com/forums/gen-iii...e-questions-esp-if-youre-new.html#post1074320

http://priuschat.com/forums/gen-ii-...e-questions-esp-if-youre-new.html#post1074322