Lexus rates highest in latest J.D. Power dependability study, followed by Mercury and Cadillac

It's a tough thing to say sometimes how a car compares to other cars until you have driven a whole lot of them.
To someone who's used to driving a beat up used car, just about any new car these days is going to be a revalation. But to someone who is used to a new S-class every year, a base Lexus is going to seem dumpy.

Everything's relative...

As an engineer I do not value an organization such as JD Power & Assoc given that their rankings are based on people's perceptions, stereotypes and pretty much the mood they are in that day to determine which brand fares best in dependability. Given an obtained reputation people that take pride in buying something that is supposedly dependable will tend to support that view and provide a biased opinion on the actual perception of the car they bought. Not amny people that just spent $30,000 on a Toyota or $60,000 on a Lexus will admit they made a mistake or that they find faults in their car.

In addition, many of these so called faults are not design faults. Its getting so ridiculous that people may find the paint color to not have the hue they expected and so they complain. Cars with designs such as the Cadillacs which have the edgy styling of a stealth fighter will most likely have increased wind noise. Does that make it a less desireable car?

Some manufacturers focus on these superficial and/or meaningless features for the sole purpose of obtaining a high ranking in this USELESS JD POWERS report. It is a fact that JD Powers cannot obtain factual data from OEMs warranty databases and so they manufacture a report based on opinions. If that is the case then it is my opinion that the Yankees are the best team ever just as Lexus is claimed as the most reliable car. I'm not saying it may not be true, but an opinion is hardly a fact and is most definitely MISLEADING.

Not many buyers will care to know the details and/or do the research. THat is too bad for the consumer, not so bad for JD Powers bottom line.

I am employed in the auto industry and here is what I have found. A company like Toyota makes most of its profits on the actually servicing of the cars. Most of Toyota's customers have no problem paying say $700 at a 15k check up because of their perception that the car will last forever so long as it is serviced on a regular basis. Now, on the other hand take a company like GM, they pound into the heads of its consumer that "this not your fathers Chevy, if it breaks its covered period" and most leave the dealer sold on that so called 100k warranty. So when a problem does arise, they are not only reluctant to pay that $700 they will flat out not service the car..ie 5k,10k,15k,25k checkup on a regular basis because they have been told that the car will last 100,000 miles or its covered and as a result, foreign cars usually are devoid of similar problems that American cars are plagued with and I think it reflects in surveys like JD Powers. And finally, when Toyota finds a problem in say, an intake manifold, they will either manufacturer that problem out of the next platform or redesign the part so that it does not reoccur, whereas GM will keep that problem going over several platforms so that there Service departments can keep a steady stream of revenues knowing full well that a plastic manifold bolted to metal intake will eventually fail at around 35k to 50k. So Joe Blow or Jane Doe is forced to pay for this so called problem if they declined to pay for an extended warranty when they purchased the car. However, In the end, everyone gets hit with meat, either nice and slow during the servicing of the car or hard and heavy at say 25k or 31k!