Multi-hop message dissemination is expected to be the primary mode of communication among vehicles for many applications. This research investigated the performance aspects of message dissemination in vehicular networks, with a particular focus on improving message reachability over high node density networks. The first part of this research proposes a new message dissemination scheme for multi-hop communication over a platoon of vehicles, referred to as Link Quality-Based Message Dissemination. A plausible spectrum of applications that can be benefited from our proposed LQMD scheme over VANETs include pre-emptive measures for enhancing road safety and traffic flow efficiency alongside with the provision of a variety of infotainment services. The second part evaluated performance of single-hop periodic broadcast communication, in terms of packet delivery ratio and message delivery delay through experimental field tests.