Methodology

Who is responsible

Werner Santos is the publisher and editor of Who Pays the Repair? and is responsible for what it publishes. Write to [email protected].

The Verification Desk is the name of the checking standard every record goes through: before a claim goes public, its source is fetched again and each quote is matched word for word against it, then dated. A record that fails the check is held.

The Verification Standard

Every record is decided by the same repeatable method, which we call The Verification Standard: (1) locate the primary source (official code, statute, court opinion, manufacturer document, or a directly observed market listing; (2) quote it verbatim and record its URL; (3) independently re-fetch and confirm that quote in the live source before publishing, then date it; (4) issue a plain Repair-Responsibility Verdict with an explicit confidence level, and keep every later correction visible. A record that cannot clear all four steps is held, not guessed.

Publication states

Research means a target exists but no public verdict is allowed. Reviewed means evidence is being adjudicated. Published means the record passed automated and human publication gates.

Evidence hierarchy

1. Official/OEM/regulatory primary sources.
2. Observed market transactions or clearly identified current listings.
3. Specialist repair/service evidence with disclosed context.
4. Owner/forum evidence used for hypothesis generation, never as sole proof of a hard number.

No fake precision

Ranges, sample sizes, dates, and uncertainty are shown whenever available. A missing number is preferable to a fabricated one.

Corrections

Corrections update the visible record and remain auditable in repository history. A strong claim can be downgraded when better evidence arrives. Each corrected page says what changed and when, and every correction is listed on the corrections page.