Since at least the 1980s we’ve heard about how American cars lag on “fit and finish.” Namely, that the paint often doesn’t look as flawless, the interior plastics look cheaper, and the various gaps aren’t as tight and precise as those in the best foreign models.

In recent years, the domestics have caught up, at least in specific cases. But why should it matter, anyway, how well the hood aligns with the fender, or whether the parting lines on interior plastics (where the halves of the mold came together) are smooth and nearly invisible? There’s a point for those interested in the finest craftsmanship as an end in itself.

But what about those merely seeking a reliable car? What do these things have to do with reliability? A poorly aligned hood isn’t more likely to require replacement than a perfectly aligned one.

Well, the problem is that the things that directly affect long-term durability aren’t visible to the naked eye. Panel gaps and such are the only clues we have unless we disassembled the car. But if the car company didn’t put in the effort necessary to make the things we can see perfect, why would they have put in the effort with the things we can’t see?

So it makes more than a little sense to infer subpar reliability from fit and finish issues. If panel fits and interior trim are shoddy, then the rest of the car’s engineering was also probably less than thorough.

The opposite is less likely to be true, though. Even if a car company puts in the effort to get the fit and finish right, they still might have cut corners on the things we can’t see. After all, it’s human nature to put a bit more effort into things others can see.