Diagnostics and services: Counter: Notes

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For every diagnostic trouble code , the control modules tores a number of counters. These counters count the number of driving cycles that have been performed in the control module with or without malfunctions, if the malfunction is detected or not. In control systems older than model year 1999, there may be control systems, depending on control system, without counters or with few counters. From model year 1999, there are systems with several counters. The following counters may appear:

Counter 1
Counter 2*
Counter 3
Counter 4
Counter 5**
Counter 6
Counter 7
Counter 8

The text uses the term driving cycle, which may also be called Operation cycle.

* In principle, only systems with the diagnostic concept Generic Global Diagnostic (GGD).

** Only for emission-related systems.

When erasing diagnostic trouble codes, the diagnostic trouble code's counter is erased.

NOTE: Status identifier, Counter and Frozen values are the most important factors to deciding the malfunction's nature, that is, to decide:

when the malfunction was detected (frozen values, counters)
what the driving conditions were at the time (frozen values)
status for the test (self-diagnosis) (status identifier)
how frequent the malfunction is (counter).