There is nothing that I can pinpoint more in my life that can make me feel so helpless as car trouble.  I don't know precisely what it is but that sense of dread that comes over you when something goes wrong is horrendous.  I just know it's going to be extremely inconvenient and very expensive.  I suppose it has something to do with the feeling of ignorance on my part when it comes to car workings, similar to most of the general populace and their computer equipment.  That's something I take for granted since I know it inside out and not much in the way of problems ever really bothers me (which helps since I deal with them all day long).  Similarly, I am sure a mechanic (or someone who is enginely inclined) has no trouble dealing with anything but the most serious of vehicle problems.  This time around, thankfully, the scare was a lot larger than the issue.  it turned out just to be a dead battery instead of something worse and that's easily (and cheaply) replaceable.