What Are Slim Jims?
The original Slim Jims were produced in the 1970s and today they are still useful on older cars. The device is a thin strip of metal with a notch cut out at the bottom. It slides down the car window into the door. The notch is used to catch a rod that runs inside the door and connects the lock and the lock buttons. If the Slim Jim snags the rod and pulls it, the lock pops into the open position. More recent cars are produced with a shield that prevents Slim Jims from catching the rod. Apparently, a few people can still get the device to work on modern cars, but experts advise against it. The claim is, these people aren’t using Slim Jims in the way intended, and it takes considerable skill to get the door to open.
