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Right about at knee level, typically tucked away so you'd never see it unless you needed to, sits the most powerful tool modern cars have. Sure, when the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency mandated that all cars sold in the U.S. come with an OBD-II connector starting 25 years ago, it only did so to ensure that all of a vehicle's mandated emissions equipment worked properly, but in the quarter-century since, OBD-II has become indispensable for any enthusiast who wants to get the most out of a car.
As its name suggests, OBD-II is not the first on-board diagnostic system that automakers implemented. Fifteen years prior to the 1996 rollout of OBD-II, GM introduced its own on-board diagnostics predecessor - Assembly Line Communications Link (later renamed Assembly Line Diagnostic Link) - as part of its  Computer Controlled Catalytic Converter emissions system (later renamed Computer Command Control).
Through the Eighties, engine management systems became more complex and more connected to other parts of the car. Meanwhile, standardization among carmakers remained nonexistent, making it difficult for states - particularly California - to switch from tailpipe emissions testing to testing programs that make use of the on-board diagnostics systems. So in 1990, when Congress set about updating the Clean Air Act, it included an amendment outlining what would become OBD-II.
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Re: More than a Fancy Check Engine Light, OBD-II has Transformed Vehicle Repair and Maintenance
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