# Car Talk Roadside Survival Kit Problem

**URL:** <https://community.cartalk.com/t/car-talk-roadside-survival-kit-problem/126082>\
**Category:** Maintenance/Repairs\
**Created:** [October 2, 2018, 4:44pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/car-talk-roadside-survival-kit-problem/126082 "2018-10-02T16:44:46Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 6\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Arno\_2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ed8c4c/32.png) [@Arno\_2](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Arno_2)\
**Post date:** [October 2, 2018, 4:44pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/car-talk-roadside-survival-kit-problem/126082/1 "2018-10-02T16:44:47Z")

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```
My spouse bought the Car Talk Rodside Survival Kit. It’s been in the trunk for years. But we’ve just noticed that the plastic zippers don’t work..

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Tug as we might the zippers won’t budge. My guess is that trunk heat melted them.  
What’s to be done? Pack a box cutter? Have any been replaced?  
“Survival” requires acces.

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**Author:** ![VOLVO-V70](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/8e8cbc/32.png) [@VOLVO-V70](https://community.cartalk.com/u/VOLVO-V70)\
**Post date:** [October 2, 2018, 4:59pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/car-talk-roadside-survival-kit-problem/126082/2 "2018-10-02T16:59:24Z")

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I don’t know how long you have had this but the show has been off the air for years and if this kit had a warranty ( doubtful ) it probably expired when you opened the box that it came in.

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**Author:** ![texases](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/texases/32/862_2.png) [@texases](https://community.cartalk.com/u/texases)\
**Post date:** [October 2, 2018, 5:12pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/car-talk-roadside-survival-kit-problem/126082/3 "2018-10-02T17:12:15Z")

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Scissors and a zip-lock - problem solved!

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**Author:** ![bing](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/bing/32/4619_2.png) [@bing](https://community.cartalk.com/u/bing)\
**Post date:** [October 2, 2018, 5:33pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/car-talk-roadside-survival-kit-problem/126082/4 "2018-10-02T17:33:28Z")

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I always carry a knife. When we would provide winter kits with our fleet cars, they were always checked and refreshed once a year. Especially food items are likely full of worms and everything else dried out. Just pack your own and refresh and be happy.

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**Author:** ![pyrolord314](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/6a8cbe/32.png) [@pyrolord314](https://community.cartalk.com/u/pyrolord314)\
**Post date:** [October 2, 2018, 5:37pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/car-talk-roadside-survival-kit-problem/126082/5 "2018-10-02T17:37:03Z")

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wow those kits aren’t even on the website anymore…maybe it’s a collectible now!

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**Author:** ![Yosemite](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/yosemite/32/643_2.png) [@Yosemite](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Yosemite)\
**Post date:** [October 2, 2018, 9:47pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/car-talk-roadside-survival-kit-problem/126082/6 "2018-10-02T21:47:14Z")

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I would try a little silicone spray on the zipper.

It that doesn’t work, I’d cut it open , replace any food stuff, and get a new bag for it all. Army surplus stores have all kinds of well built bags.

We camp quite a bit and on our last trip of the season, we rub every zipped with a bar of soap and work the zipper a few times.  
The soap lubricates the zipper, and in the spring it will open without a problem.

My dad always kept a old bar of soap around the shop. Rubbing wood screws on the soap and they go in much easier.

Yosemite