A little while back, I got a flat tyre. First one I've had with my Passat.
We were on our way home from a long weekend away. The boot was pretty full. I unpacked everything, found the spare, got out the tools.
But I couldn't get the wheel off. There was something covering the wheel nuts.
20 years ago I would have looked up the manual.
10 years ago I would have asked Google.
But this is 2026. So I took a photo and asked AI what to do.
ChatGPT told me:
Those are locking wheel nuts. Volkswagen often fits one locking bolt on each wheel to prevent theft. The one in your photo has a special pattern (the star-shaped one) that requires a matching locking wheel nut key.
Completely certain.
Also completely wrong. (Luckily I got a hold of Mike. He too has a Passat and set me straight.)
I reckon the voice in your head is a lot like ChatGPT.
Sounds very smart.
And has a high degree of certainty. Even when it's completely wrong.
