This reminds me of "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance". One of the themes Pirsig explores is that some people simply don't want to understand how stuff they depend on works. They just expect it to be excellent and have no breakdowns, and hope for the best (I'm oversimplifying his opinion, of course). So Pirsig's friend on his road trip just doesn't want to understand how his bike works, it's good quality and it seldom breaks, so he is almost offended when Pirsig tells him he could fix some breakage using a tin can and some basic knowledge of how bikes work.

Lest anyone here thinks I feel morally superior: I somewhat identify with Pirsig's friend. Some things I've decided I don't want to understand how they work, and when they break down I'm always at a loss!