You may not realize how crucial your reports on your auto experiences are for the ratings we provide our readers. In addition to our state-of-the art product ratings from our in-house engineers, last year we analyzed over one million car reports you provided in our Annual Auto Survey so we could provide you with detailed ratings on auto reliability and owner satisfaction. Last year, with your help, we did much more, creating important information on cost of vehicle ownership, extended warranties, and dealer service.

Every year the Consumer Reports National Research Center sends out our Annual Questionnaire. It may already have landed in your e-mail or mailbox, or it will in the coming weeks. Just think of the survey as an information cooperative, with everyone adding a piece of experience. That's how we've thought about it, right from the start. The first Consumers Union survey, in 1937, was sent in mimeographed form to a few hundred subscribers. We asked them to help us develop a final questionnaire to be sent to all our members.

Some questions haven't changed much since that draft, though the type of kitchen ranges on that first list included coal burners and the refrigerator options included ice and gas.

But nowadays we do so much more. Based on millions of your product experiences, we provide dozens of brand reliability ratings on everything from refrigerators and ranges to computers and digital cameras.

This year, about 3 million subscribers who've sent us their e-mail addresses will get the electronic version of the AQ.

When you receive the survey, please complete it as soon as possible. The faster we can compile the information, the faster we can get back to you and all the other consumers out there with hard data on which icemakers didn't freeze and which computers did.

Not a subscriber yet but want to take our survey next time? Subscribe now.