But if you think it'll stop there… .

So, where will it stop?

How about real-time monitoring of the emissions output of all cars, all the time? This would certainly put the kibosh on "cheating" – by owners as well as car manufacturers.

And it's already in the works.

Has been, for some time. This VW debacle will simply provide the necessary justification for implementing it – much in the same way that a school shooting becomes the justification for taking everyone's guns away.

It's called OnBoard Diagnostics III (OBD III). The successor to OBD II – which your car already has, if it's newer than circa the '96 model year.

OBDII cars all have a universal plug-in "diagnostic" port – like an iPod's USB hook-up – that's used to connect the car (its computer controller, actually) to an external computer. The two electronic brains talk to one another, exchanging information. If your car has an issue with its emissions systems, a code (or codes) that have been stored in the onboard computer's memory will be flashed over to the external computer, so that a technician can be made aware of the problem and – ideally – repair what's wrong.