Over 40 years of computer diagnostics on cars
12/23/2014
Anyone who thinks that computer diagnostics on cars is a modern phenomenon will be proven wrong when studying the car advertisements of the early 1970s (above, for example, an excerpt from a double-page VW K 70 advertisement from 1972), but of course also when taking a closer look at various Volkswagen models of the time.
"Connecting to the computer age", the VW advertisers wrote, and "VW brings computer diagnostics". Even the VW Beetle, God knows not a product of the modern age, already had a corresponding plug in 1972 that could be connected to a diagnostic computer, with which 88 test results could be logged within 30 minutes. "Human error is impossible," read the advertisement. And for the first five years (or 40,000 km), this service was even free of charge.
In this context, it is perhaps interesting to note that in 1972 the personal computer had not yet been invented and most "real" computer systems were the size of a medium-sized gymnasium, even though their computing power was not significantly greater than that of a modern cell phone ...
Further examples of innovation in vehicle construction can be found in our dedicated topic channel.
