ODBII - On Board Diagnostics rev 2
The original idea of OBD was great. It runs like this. Now that cars have so much measurement capability themselves, why not use the existing vehicle sensors to test the car rather than hooking up a bunch of external test equipment? If the car has an O2 sensor, for example, why not just use its value rather than hooking up an exhaust gas analyzer? Heck with a standardized interface this could make things cheaper and easier for the mechanics. This was pretty well received by all.
OBDII tried to build on that success, but it went a bit to far. I can't remember the details much anymore, but I know there was a lot of concern about the government - law enforcement - and the dealerships all getting more information about our driving styles and our modifications to our cars than they needed. Since all this paranoia has pretty much died down I assume that a balance was achieved. If you really want more detail Email and I'll check with a good friend who is in the business.
