Durability vs Reliability

[Noureddine Marigh]

Hello Eric, thanks for giving us the opportunity to present our topics!

I have owned several cars and worked on them myself, as a hobby. I have come to realize that not all cars that are reliable are durable and vice-versa. Some see durability and reliability as one thing, but from what I have experienced, I see a difference which lies in maintenance. The latter is a whole another topic, but I think it’s important to point out that some cars require basic and cheap maintenance and they can run for a long time, whereas other cars run for as long but they require more than basic maintenance and usually expensive. For the latter, if one misses one scheduled maintenance, they can break, and for this reason they are not durable. I currently own a 2000 VW, I still don’t understand when people say that VW’s are reliable. I can write pages and rant about how unreliable they are, they can be nice rides but they require a lot of maintenance and they break down a lot. To remain on topic, say if the timing belt of a V6 Passat breaks, the engine will need to be rebuilt or replaced, you would guess what the cost would be. This is not coming from one personal experience only, I’ve worked on other VW’s engines such as the 1.8t and other makes and models including BMW and Mercedes and come across many common issues.
Some cars can be very reliable but not necessarily durable as if maintenance that is scheduled is not met, they are very likely to break. For instance Corollas have a timing chain, they are usually reliable AND durable and require only basic maintenance. SOME Camry’s that have interference engines and timing belts can break and a lot of damage can be caused if the belt is overdue for replacement. It makes them reliable but I would not categorize them as durable.
To me a reliable and durable vehicle is one that can take some beating and can run longer with basic maintenance.

I just thought I would share and suggest this topic, I tried squeezing a few points in this short post, if this can be discussed further, that would be great!

– Noureddine

Topic

[EricTheCarGuy]

Thanks for the suggestion. As a general rule, I try not to call out specific brands when it comes to reliability. I get asked about it all the time, but in my experience, it’s all over the map and not often worth making the generalization. I have made videos similar to what you’re asking however.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=81ESBO3Mchs

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S3–lM4wqmA

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HDnJFmoGw8c

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZgJflXv20UM

Thanks again for the suggestion.

[Author]

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