❓ 07. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ & Troubleshooting)

Authoritative answers to the 9 most common questions and troubleshooting concerns.
If you encounter questions regarding TCO calculations, multi-vehicle comparisons, or data backups in TrueCostAuto, consult the solutions below.

📑 In This Guide

1. Why does the estimated cost differ slightly from my perceived day-to-day spending?
2. Where do I adjust fuel, electricity, and highway toll prices?
3. How is vehicle depreciation calculated, and are residual value curves accurate?
4. How does the PRS score work, and can I add custom evaluation factors?
5. How do I configure winter EV range loss or high fuel consumption?
6. When comparing two cars, how do I pinpoint the EV/hybrid breakeven mileage?
7. How do I restore my Pro purchase on a new phone?
8. Why is the backup file only tens of kilobytes, and will restored data become obsolete?
9. Does the app work in underground parking garages without signal, and how do I contact support?

1. Why does the estimated cost differ slightly from my perceived day-to-day spending?

Answer:
In everyday life, car owners typically focus only on “immediate out-of-pocket cash transactions” (e.g., “$50 at the gas pump today" or "$15 for downtown parking”). However, TrueCostAuto implements modern financial True Net Cost accounting:

$\text{True Net Cost} = \text{Total Cash Outflow} + \text{Hidden Financing Cost} - \text{Estimated Resale Value}$

• The Largest Submerged Expense is “Asset Depreciation”: Vehicles lose thousands of dollars in market value each year, which TrueCostAuto accounts for conscientiously;
• Time Value of Money: The lost interest on cash tied up in an outright purchase (opportunity cost) or financing loan interest is amortized into your daily and per-mile figures.

To align predictions with your lifestyle, fine-tune your actual annual mileage, real-world consumption, and localized insurance/parking figures in the vehicle profile.

2. Where do I adjust fuel, electricity, and highway toll prices?

Answer:
Benchmark fuel prices, electricity rates, highway mileage ratios, and toll tariffs are centrally managed in the “Presets” tab in the bottom bar.

• Why global instead of per-vehicle?: Most drivers operate their vehicles within the same city. If you test 5 shortlisted cars, retyping identical gas and electricity prices 5 times would be tedious. TrueCostAuto adopts an efficient “global baseline with profile inheritance” design;
• How to adjust: Tap Presets in the bottom navigation bar ➔ locate Cost & Price Benchmarks, and adjust your baseline fuel price (e.g., $3.50/gal), charging rate (e.g., $0.15/kWh), or highway percentage. All vehicles in your garage update immediately.

3. How is vehicle depreciation calculated, and are residual value curves accurate?

Answer:
TrueCostAuto’s actuarial depreciation curves are built upon empirical automotive finance and secondary market auction transaction data:

1. Three Independent Powertrain Models: Gasoline (Gas), Electric (EV), and Plug-in Hybrid (Hybrid) each feature distinct depreciation retention curves;
2. Scientific Three-Stage Actuarial Progression:
   • First-Year Cliff: Drops 15%–25% upon driving off the dealer lot;
   • Compound Annual Depreciation: Decays progressively from Year 2 onward (e.g., 8%/year);
   • Residual Floor Defense: Establishes a 12%–15% salvage baseline, preventing residual projections from dropping artificially to zero over extended timeframes;
3. Used Car Optimization: Tagging a car as “Used” bypasses the steep first-year drop, initiating calculations from the gentler linear decay phase.

4. How does the PRS score work, and can I add custom evaluation factors?

Answer:
Completely impartial, transparent, and fully extensible with custom user factors!

1. PRS (Personal Recommendability Score) Calculation Core: $\text{PRS} = (\text{Financial Score} \times \text{Cost Weight}) + (\text{Preference Factor Score} \times (1 - \text{Cost Weight}))$
   • Avoids both extreme penny-pinching and blind brand extravagance. If a car is exceptionally cheap but lacks sound insulation and driving dynamics, a low subjective score prevents it from topping the rankings; conversely, prohibitive operating costs penalize luxury vehicles;
   • Use the Preference Slider to dial in your personal balance between “Economy” and “Driving Satisfaction” (defaults to 50% / 50%);
2. Freely Add Custom Evaluation Factors:
   • The app includes 13 to 65 preconfigured benchmarks covering safety, comfort, range, and smart features;
   • Tap + Add Factor in Presets or Comparison to create custom factors (e.g., “Child Car Seat ISOFIX Clearance”, “Camping V2L Wattage”, “Scratch-Resistant Pet Interior”, “Tactile Physical Buttons”) with custom weights, participating seamlessly in normalized scoring.

5. How do I configure winter EV range loss or high fuel consumption?

Answer:
TrueCostAuto provides dedicated environmental condition modifiers for each powertrain:

• Battery Electric (EV): In addition to rated consumption, use the Range Efficiency % slider. If driving in sub-zero winter climates or frequent highway speeds, drag the efficiency slider from 100% down to 75%–85%. The app automatically adjusts effective energy consumption and budget forecasts;
• Internal Combustion (ICE): Enter real-world city consumption figures (MPG or L/100km) based on your daily commute;
• Plug-in Hybrid (PHEV): Adjust the EV Usage Ratio % slider to accurately reflect your real-world balance between urban electric commuting and highway gasoline journeys.

6. When comparing two cars, how do I pinpoint the EV/hybrid breakeven mileage?

Answer:
Switch to the Compare tab and inspect the Mileage-Cost Sensitivity Analysis:

• Identify the Line Intersection (Break-even Point):
  • The gasoline vehicle curve starts lower (cheaper acquisition) but climbs steeply with mileage due to higher fuel costs (steeper slope);
  • The electric/hybrid curve starts slightly higher (initial premium) but flattens out due to economical electricity tariffs;
  • Where both lines intersect marks your financial breakeven mileage: If your annual driving exceeds this point, fuel savings will comfortably recoup the purchase price premium. If you drive fewer miles annually, the cheaper gas car remains more economical.

7. How do I restore my Pro purchase on a new phone?

Answer:
Your purchase receipt is linked securely to your Apple ID or Google Play account:

1. Ensure your new phone is signed into the same App Store / Google Play account used during purchase;
2. Launch TrueCostAuto and navigate to the Settings tab;
3. Tap Restore Purchase;
4. The system queries the store receipt validator and reinstates your Pro or Lifetime access immediately without double billing.

8. Why is the backup file only tens of kilobytes, and will restored data become obsolete?

Answer:
This reflects TrueCostAuto’s lightweight, clean backup architecture:

• 70% Footprint Reduction: Backups store only the mathematical skeleton of raw inputs (model name, price, consumption, financing APR, custom factor weights), stripping away heavy rendered chart bitmaps;
• Dynamic Recalculation Engine: When importing the backup into a new device, the current app engine recalculates all depreciation schedules, TCO models, and radar charts dynamically using the latest actuarial algorithms. Your historical records gain modern precision without legacy file format corruption.

9. Does the app work in underground parking garages without signal, and how do I contact support?

Answer:

• 100% Local On-Device Computation: TrueCostAuto is local-first. All financial actuarial models, chart renderings, and multi-vehicle PK matrices compute entirely within your phone’s sandbox in milliseconds without requiring an active internet connection;
• 7-Day Offline Grace Period: Pro users enjoy an automated 7-day offline verification grace period, ensuring full analytical capabilities remain unlocked even in signal-free basements or remote rural highways;
• One-Tap Email Technical Support: In the Settings tab, tap Email Support to launch your email client. The draft automatically includes your app build number and OS environment, allowing our engineering team to diagnose issues rapidly.