[uxhacker]

Claude fails with

“I need to replace a spark plug. The garage is 200 meters away should I walk or drive there”

“Walk! 200 meters is just a 2-3 minute stroll — no need to start the car for that distance. Plus, you’ll likely need to carry the spark plug back carefully, and walking is perfectly easy for that. “

Basically LLM suffer from context collapse.

[onion2k]

Isn't that the correct answer though? You shouldn't be driving around with a broken sparkplug. Your engine will be pushing unburned gasoline through the catalytic convertor, which is very bad for it.

The car will move for sure, but you definitely should be walking.

[kif]

I’m pretty sure Claude would eagerly say that if that was the reason.

Last day Claude Code said to me “Small nitpick — the use of so and so is great”. Which was something no human would say.

[XenophileJKO]

Which is the right answer.. you just go get a spark plug and a spark socket (with handle) and put the new one in.

I feel like maybe you haven't put a sparkplug in before...

[defrost]

Weird answer, but why is that a "fail" ?

Inline six cylinder engines run with a single clogged / broken spark plug.

It'd make 200 m to a garage just fine*, but who'd drive 200 m in any case?

Back in the 1970's we'd pull a spark plug and screw in a hose to use the compression phase to inflate tyres.

* Just don't make a habit of it, or reserve that knowledge for when you really need to self rescue.

[BrentOzar]

> Back in the 1970's we'd pull a spark plug and screw in a hose to use the compression phase to inflate tyres.

You'd inflate your tires with a gasoline and air mix?

[zajio1am]

Maybe that is because i am non-native speaker, but 'garage' i understand primarily as a place where car is parked, not a car repair shop. So it makes perfect sense to walk there in order to repair the car (that is already there).

[psini]

Hmm have not tested but a spark plug doesn't really need shop tools to be replaced; maybe trying with a way bigger repair like "I need my transmission replaced" would bring different results?

[dare944]

Replacing a spark plug requires a spark plug socket, which is a specialty tool that is generally only found in an automotive shop.

[lelanthran]

That's the right answer, though. From the last sentence, it's obvious that it thinks you are capable of replacing that plug yourself.

[kif]

It is curious how people go immediately on the defense trying to explain how what Claude said is in fact correct.

[Skwid]

I have as much respect for Claude as any other LLM product. Which is to say, approximately none. But if I needed a spark plug I'd walk over and buy a spark plug.

Perhaps some feathers have been ruffled by the insinuation that their favourite word predictor was wrong, but I assure you it's not all of them

[defrost]

Walk or drive works, walking is better for your health, 200m is easy walking distance, my 93 year old father still walks 6km (30 x that 200m ) every morning.