Calm down, don't be alarmed by the acronym OBD-II. We can begin this story by saying that driving a car is no longer a simple "driving" and has become practically an art. Like all art, it is permeated by various technical aspects, whose analysis brings an increasingly better performance.
Pressure engine oil pressure in the fuel line and voltage of the electrical system are just a few examples of the types of data that your car has to offer.
When interpreted correctly, they can bring more safety, economy and better use of equipment. You might be thinking, "But my car only has a speedometer, a rev counter and an engine temperature gauge . Yes, the vast majority of vehicles leave the factory with only these data indicators.
However, since 1996 in the US and Europe, and since 2010 in Brazil, it is mandatory that all vehicles have a self-diagnosis system called OBD as standard.
OBD-II accuracy and economy
OBD stands for On Board Diagnostics , which means “on board diagnostics”. It is a system that, connected to the car's electronic central, allows the reading and transmission of various types of mechanical data.
And this is done through a standardized interface. OBD-II was adopted by Brazilian legislation as of 2010 and is the evolution of this system.
The standard arose from the need to reduce car diagnostic costs in workshops, its track record is directly linked to the need for pollutant emission control and began with the simplest electronic injection systems . The system was improving over time and acquired an economic bias. Electronic diagnostics make repairs faster and reduce the need to take your vehicle to a machine shop
Today, the best obd2 scanner has even more advantages for the driver.
Through the dials, it can help identify a “minor” problem, usually unnoticed, that can trigger major malfunctions. In addition, it ensures that the vehicle works as designed, which provides fuel economy and less wear on parts.
Also, in most modern cars, some anomalies detected by the system are corrected electronically without the need for human intervention.
Smartphone diagnostics
The implementation of the ODB / ODB-II system and consequent data standardization caused widespread price drops in diagnostic visualization equipment.
With the popularization of smartphones and the large number of applications being developed for the most appropriate purposes, you can access your vehicle data directly on your mobile screen.
Just go to the app store for your model (Apple Store for iPhone users and Google Play for Android users), download the app, and use a special ODB II connector with USB or Bluetooth interface.
For Android, Google-managed system, we recommend using Torque Lite , which has a simplified interface. An alternative is Android Scanator - both are free to download.
As you can see, the advantages of this type of technology are many, both economically and environmentally.