Disputes about the reliability of Japanese and German cars have not subsided for several decades - since in the 80s, automakers from the Land of the Rising Sun did not release many high-quality and inexpensive models on the world market. Since then, German and Japanese engineers have invested a lot in the reliability of their vehicles.
Reliability is the property of a car for a long time to maintain the values of all parameters in various modes and operating conditions. The reliability of a car is closely related to the inadmissibility of failures in work, with a resource, maintainability and endurance.
German cars
The legend of the super-reliability of German cars goes back to the seventies, when Mercedes Benz and Volkswagen topped the lists of initial quality indexes and long-term reliability tests - tests regularly carried out in Europe. Of course, mainly European and American cars took part in these tests. Japan then had a reputation for producing low-quality goods.
In the 70s and 80s, German cars had a well-deserved reputation for being the most reliable in the world. But, with the onset of the 90s, managers calculated that the average consumer buys a new car for 5-10 years. And after this period, the reliability of the car is 80% dependent on how it was operated and maintained, and only 20% of the original quality. And they concluded: cars "for centuries" are no longer needed.
Moreover, the fascination with advanced electronic systems - multi-stage turbocharging, robotic gearboxes, complex active and passive safety systems - complicated the design of the car, which could not adversely affect reliability. In addition, the operation of such complex devices has a number of nuances that most Russian car owners do not know about. As a result, improper operation leads to early breakdown and costly repairs.
And further. In pursuit of lower prices, many German automakers order parts from China, Turkey or other countries with cheap labor. For example, Volkswagen low-cost cars are 50-80% composed of parts assembled by the Chinese.
Porsche stands apart from the rest. These cars consistently occupy the top lines of reliability ratings. But the prices for them are exorbitant.
Japanese cars
In the seventies, having a reputation for making low-quality cars, Japanese engineers worked hard on the reliability of their cars and by the beginning of the 90s they began to step on the heels of the Germans. Currently, certain models of Japanese cars occupy the top lines of reliability ratings on a par with German ones.
The reputation of ultra-reliable Japanese cars has also been gained for the fact that 20-year-old right-hand drive vehicles imported from Japan have been running around the vastness of our country for a long time. This is partly due to the excellent operating and maintenance conditions of these machines at home. Partly because the car assembled in Japan is of higher quality than the one assembled in China, Taiwan or Vietnam.
Also, like Porsche, it stands out sharply for the quality of Lexus, not inferior in terms of reliability to its German competitor. However, Lexus cars are still more affordable than Porsche supercars.
Outcome
It makes no sense to compare the reliability of Japanese and German cars combined. It is necessary to compare individual cars. Both Toyota and Mercedes Benz have had good and bad models. And the comparison should take place in its own categories.
This is exactly what various agencies, car magazines do, annually compiling ratings of the reliability of various cars. As a rule, Germans and Japanese are in the lead. The Koreans are catching up with them. But at the end of this list you can see one of the "unsuccessful" German or Japanese models.
