Grok: Personal (Page 3)

Fix a tankless water heater a company called 'shot' with Grok and ChatGPT

After a repair company said their tankless water heater was shot and quoted $6,900 to install a new one, a homeowner watched YouTube videos and chatted with Grok 4 and OpenAI's o3 model. The homeowner says they fixed it themselves the next morning in less than 30 minutes and then called the company to get their $100 back.

Find out a broken AC is just a bad thermostat with Grok and Gemini

When their AC stopped working and none of half a dozen companies could come before Friday, a poster asked Grok and Gemini. The poster says they correctly diagnosed a broken thermostat, probably saving hundreds of dollars and 2 days without AC.

Choose an insurance-covered breast pump and nursery basics with Grok

A first-time mom whose insurance offered 2 pages of free or heavily discounted breast pumps had no idea where to start. They say Grok narrowed their choices by asking a few good questions, suggested a $5 fridge thermometer so milk stored in their wonky dorm fridge stays safe, and recommended a lamp and baby monitor.

Repair a chewed garden hose with Grok's measuring tips

After squirrels chewed through their garden hose, a poster described the problem to Grok. The poster says it explained how to measure the hose's inside diameter and what the standard hose-fitting repair looks like, and the fix was a piece of cake.

Build a university decision matrix for a daughter choosing between four schools, using Grok for data

A parent built a one-page decision matrix to help their daughter choose between the four universities that accepted the student, using Grok as the data source and factoring in Florida's Bright Futures scholarships. They shared it so the daughter could adjust the scoring and add criteria themselves.

Trace a car transmission problem to a faulty fuse with Grok

A driver with a transmission problem talked it through with Grok, which suggested troubleshooting steps. The driver says the cause turned out to be a faulty fuse, avoiding an expensive repair shop bill.

Narrow down an intermittent furnace problem before the HVAC visit with Grok

With their furnace acting up intermittently again, a poster ran all the symptoms and everything they'd tried through Grok. They say it walked them through the most likely issues and narrowed them down a lot; even if they couldn't fix it themselves, it armed them with information to cut troubleshooting time so the HVAC company would come prepared.

Recreate grandma's bread pudding from memory with Grok

Years after last making their grandma's bread pudding, a poster gave Grok the basics of the recipe they remembered instead of searching for hours. The poster says the recipe Grok came back with was exactly what they were looking for.

Get a Tesla's 12V power outlet working again with Grok

An X user says they wanted to plug in a Starlink but think they fried something by plugging 12V gear into the Tesla's 16V cigarette-lighter outlet, and didn't expect to get a service appointment in time. They say Grok troubleshot the problem and helped them reset the eFuse, and the Tesla is fixed.

Troubleshoot a misbehaving espresso machine with Grok

An X user gives Grok a shout-out for helping them fix their HP printer and then, the 'biggest challenge of all', their Breville espresso machine, which they say now works better than it has in years.

Prepare questions for a doctor's visit and a travel packing list with Grok

An X user lists what Grok helped them with over a couple of days: looking at over-the-counter medication options and drawing up questions for their next doctor's visit, planning purchases and a packing list for a cross-country trip to a funeral, and planning their next batch of poetry submissions.

Choose and walk through a cheap tax e-file with Grok

An X user says they sent Grok one message about filing federal and state taxes for a basic household (salaried husband, part-time independent contractor), asking for an efficient, cheap e-file with direct deposit. They say Grok guided them step by step, they filed for under $50, and they saved $200+ compared with past years.

Get tips for budgeting holiday spending with Grok

GOBankingRates asked Grok for its best tips on budgeting for holiday expenses. Grok suggested setting a total covering gifts, travel, food and decorations, with a common guideline of 1% to 2% of annual income, saving a small monthly amount ahead of time, tracking spending with an app like YNAB or a spreadsheet, and cutting gift spending in favour of travel or hosting if family time matters most.

Estimate how much to save for retirement in 20 years with Grok

GOBankingRates asked Grok about a hypothetical 47-year-old earning $72,000 with no retirement savings, retiring at 67. Grok estimated $866,575 would be needed, assuming 70% of income in retirement ($91,028 a year in 2045 dollars at 3% inflation), an estimated Social Security benefit of $56,365 (2024 dollars), a $34,663 annual gap and a 4% withdrawal rate.

Design a 7-day high-protein, low-carb meal plan with Grok

An X user says they used Grok to design a 7-day meal plan around their goals, sharing their constraints: 100 grams of protein a day, low carb, low-lectin vegetables, goat cheese, A2 dairy, healthy fats, two meals a day, fermented foods and berries. They call it an amazing tool.

Plan a taco-night grocery list by voice with Grok in a Tesla

Jake Lowney says that while driving their Model Y they asked Grok to help plan a grocery list for carne asada tacos, guacamole and chips for dinner with their kids. They say it nailed the list, added a local beer suggestion, and saved them mental bandwidth before the shopping trip.

Troubleshoot a scooter that won't start with a Grok checklist

Todd Robbins asked Grok for a troubleshooting matrix for a friend's 2006 Vespa GT200 that wouldn't start. Testing showed no fuel and no spark; the matrix's immobilizer column suggested trying a spare key, and when their friend fetched one the scooter started right away. They say a web search for the same matrix gave scattered, cursory results.

Find a mobile mechanic for a dead car battery with Grok

An X user says that at 8 am their car battery was dead; at 8:15 they asked Grok to find a mobile mechanic, at 8:17 they tapped the phone number, the mechanic arrived at 9 am and the battery was replaced by 9:30 am.

Rewrite a resume from three reviewers' points of view with Grok

Andrew Donato uploaded their own draft resume so Grok 3 could match their voice, then asked it to critique the resume as a fast-screening in-house recruiter, an outsourced recruiter sourcing a senior sales leadership role, and a CRO. At each step they asked how likely that reader was to reach out and tweaked toward a 9/10, then had Grok merge the feedback in their original tone. They say the two-page result has already gotten them a few responses.