OBD

[martin at mgass.demon.co.uk]

Thought this may be of interest :

Extract/summary from UK Consumer Magazine entitled "Campaign to block 
proposed repairs monopoly"

"The Consumers Association is blocking a bid to prevent a small 
anti-polution gadget becoming the key to a multi-million pound 
monopoly on car repairs (for vehicle manufacturers) by proposing 
an ammendment to forthcoming legislation...  By 2001 all new 
petrol-engined Eurpopean cars will have to contain an on-board
diagnostic system (OBD)......the problem is that car makers 
intend to design OBDs so that only proprietary devices can read 
the codes and to use proprietary codes.....this would unfairly
limit competition... and penalise independant repairers..
...as of this date the European Parliament has endorsed the
proposed ammendment but European government ministers
remain to be persuaded"

--Well, lets wait and see with interest.......the "small
anti-polution gadget" is of course ECU with OBD capability.

I guess this may cause a bit of amusement or deja vu with some
of the US based diy_efi subscribers.

Martin

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martin at mgass.demon.co.uk
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