I think it's much the same conversation as cheap air filters vs. K+N, cheap spark plugs vs. expensive, Amsoil vs. Walmart oil, etc. It's nearly impossible (in my opinion) to isolate reliability based on these things because there are far too many variables. Engines don't have a preset and rigid life span, so you don't have a "constant" in the equation to fall back to.
For instance, say I used the cheapest Walmart oil I could in my 6.2l and the engine seized. Was it the oil, or a known manufacturing defect that caused the failure? Or was it doomed to fail and the cheap oil accelerated the inevitable failure? Can't really say definitively.
But, what we do have is knowledge of a known issue (AFM/DFM) that has caused several lifter failures. So by disabling the AFM/DFM, we maintain more oil flow/pressure to the lifters that are failing. So we have the theory, which is sound, but without that true constant in the equation, it's hard to prove that disabling AFM/DFM will truly help.
What I can tell you is that I had a 2011 and a 2018 Silverado, both with AFM. Both had over 160k miles when I sold them and had zero issues whatsoever with lifters failing. I'm also highly OCD with my oil changes and maintenance. Coincidence or related? Again, without a true constant in the equation, you can't truly say either way.
That all said, I've erred on the side of caution and bought a Carbyte chip not only for the DFM delete in my new (to me) 2023 Sierra 1500 AT4, but also to disable the auto-stop feature. My engine seized at 31,100 miles this past January, and I got my new engine installed about 5 weeks later. It was after I got my new engine that I got the Carbyte chip. Now, let's say this engine goes 160k miles like my last 2 did, is that due to the Carbyte? Maybe, maybe not. But it's good insurance nevertheless, and I personally like the idea of having an engine operate how it is truly supposed to...on all cylinders, all the time.
Just one man's opinion here is all.
