The introduction of the on board diagnostic (OBD) scan tool use could not have come at a better time than this. The idea was to find a way of finding out whatever the matter was with the car engine before it could be taken to the professional, mechanic. OBD2 Scanner were meant to be used by the driver as he drives and helps the driver in fault detection.
car fault detectionThere are several cars being introduced into the market with the risk of air pollution growing each day. The first generation on board diagnostic OBD 1 was the first to be introduced with the simplest aim of ensuring that the rate of emission was minimized.
This brand was known as the readers.
OBD 1
OBD 1 readers were never standard and each manufacturer had the discretion of making whatever they felt suited their car. This posed a great challenge both in terms of technology or strategic wide given that these tools in most cases would fail to provide the requisite data and could not be used on the next car.
However, with the sophistication into the car industry and the introduction of more scan tools, some manufacturers were not meeting the quality safeguards set. The need for standardization therefore was not to be postponed. The industry players’ had to device a new on board diagnostic criteria which was more inclusive and could be used on most of the cars in the market to avoid the market getting flooded with tools for each car.
OBD 2
The OBD 2 scan tools were developed with a clear focus, research and legal provisions guiding nits use. For instance, the application of the federal government regulation on their use is quite clear. This requirement though applied mostly in the United States and so excluded other areas globally where OBD 2 scan tools were greatly in demand.
Other areas underpinned their specific laws. For instance the European countries came up with several laws regarding vehicle use. One of them was the European onboard diagnostics (EOBD 2) which was literally an extension of the OBD 2 in the United States. The focus was however different because the BMW ICOM is quite specific on which cars to regulate.
Conflicts, differences and prospects
The law on EOBD requires petrol and diesel cars to have on board diagnostic scan tools fitted on their cars to avoid cases of massive pollution which was the norm with the two fuels. Diesel and petrol emit great amounts of black smoke and are known to lead to engine destruction at very alarming rates. Using these car brands is thus what the European law seeks to regulate.
obd2 connector
OBD2 Connector
The formation and of the EOBD 2 in Europe is not a surprise given that the protocols it covers are just the same as in OBD 2. Most areas are coming to terms with the importance of OBD 2 and are going to adopt regulations regarding their use. So in future we may have the Asian or African on board diagnostic (AOBD 2,) as well.
Just like most of the Mercedes Scanner, this is a multi lingual scan process which is able to be used across the board. However, the only difference is that the languages are not the universal ones we know with OBD 2 but some general manufacture specific and protocol languages within the technology field. Languages are not meant to be barriers but facilitate the speedy use of the scan tool device within a given car brand.
In the current global setup, the confusion caused is literally uncalled for given the fact that OBD 2 and EOBD 2 is literally one and the same thing.
The difference is the geographical factors and the legal provisions involved with regard to the areas.
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