Cars Simplified: Everything Automotive Explained

On-Board Diagnostics



Often shortned to OBD, On Board Diagnostics are used by mechanics to extract data from a vehicle's computer. The plug/connection is usually found on the driver's side under the dashboard.



OBD II

OBDII (OBD 2) is the current standard, which uses a universal plug and any OBDII computer can read any make and model car. It has been the standard since 1996, but before then, most cars were equipped with OBDI, which differed between makes. With OBD2, any particular code will mean the same thing on every car, such as P0420 will always mean "Catalyst System Efficiency Below Threshold, Bank 1" no matter which car it shows up on.



OBD III

OBDIII (OBD 3) is a theoretical next step for on board diagnostics.

Steve's OBD 3 Predictions