Originally Posted by MrHorspwer
Originally Posted by PowerSurge
That's good to see, but initial quality (first 3 months of ownership) is meaningless for people that plan to keep a vehicle for years.
I never understand this line of thinking.
IQS is incredibly important, even if you're keeping the vehicle until it rots back to the earth.
A chime that obscenely loud? Meaningless, because I'm going to own this vehicle for 15 years!
A driver seat that is uncomfortable after 2 hours of driving? Meaningless, because I'm going to own this vehicle for 15 years!
An airbag system that thinks someone is in the passenger seat every time I set my work bag there and chimes (did I mention the chime is too loud)? Meaningless, because I'm going to own this vehicle for 15 years!
A collision alert system that auto-brakes every time I pull into my subdivision because it thinks I'm going to run into the neighborhood sign in the median? Meaningless, because I'm going to own this vehicle for 15 years!
These aren't problems or faults in the vehicle, they're just characteristics. Everything is working fine and nothing is broke, but they're all items that may give pause to someone looking to purchase a vehicle that they may not otherwise notice on a 30 minute test drive.
If anything, IQS items are just as important as long-term reliability,
especially if you're going to keep the vehicle for years. I can fix a noisy wheel bearing in a couple hours. I can't fix an uncomfortable that's a result of how it's designed.
You don't understand it because you don't understand the difference between long term reliability and problems using an infotainment system. If you actually dig into the IQS, you'll see that even JDPower states the most "problematic" category is the infotainment systems in modern cars. A lot of that is the customer's lack of knowledge and prowess. Even so, I'd rather have a car/truck that has an infotainment system that annoys me a little than have to replace an engine or transmission on my dime.
https://www.jdpower.com/business/press-releases/2020-initial-quality-study-iqs