Just because a brand has had a reputation for quality, that doesn’t necessarily mean that all of their vehicles are destined for a long life. Public opinion takes a long time to change. Other websites even use surveys and polls to try to predict reliability.īut word of mouth can have its problems. You may also often hear about a car’s expected reliability from friends and family. No one has access to all of that repair data. Car repairs happen across many different locations – from branded dealerships and independent auto shops to do-it-your-selfers. Unfortunately, reliability is notoriously hard to measure. Ultimately, consumers want to know that they can count on their car and not have to worry about frequent repairs costing them time, money and aggravation. As the car commercials say, “Your mileage may vary.”Īccording to Kelley Blue Book’s Brand Watch study, reliability is the top concern for car buyers, even above price, safety, or fuel efficiency. In the end, some people don’t mind paying a little more for the dealership and others prefer the advantages an independent auto shop provides. Depending on labor rates, independents are generally cheaper when it comes to auto repair pricing. Branded service centers generally have a lot more guidelines they have to follow and restrictions on what they can and cannot do.