The first generation of car diagnostic tools, known as OBD-I, emerged in the 1980s as a response to the increasing use of electronic components and sensors in vehicles. These tools were designed to help mechanics identify and troubleshoot problems within the vehicle’s subsystems, such as the engine, transmission, brakes, and emissions.

However, OBD-I tools were not standardized, meaning that they varied from one manufacturer to another, and often required different connectors, codes, and protocols. Moreover, OBD-I tools were limited in scope, as they could only access a few parameters and codes, and did not provide much information about the root cause or the severity of the problem.