Hmmm. A new zipper slider I installed less than three years ago (Post #17, June 2020) now looks like this:
Odd, because half my factory originals still work, and I have pretty good at moving them periodically to prevent sticking. It was just another metal long-grip pull, not apparently different from the new batch of replacements (
YKK #5 Nylon Coil Long Pull Zipper Sliders / $.99 per). By the way, the Ericson color is "beige" or "khaki."
The trick to replacing pulls, many of us have found, is to detach the zipper tape from the headliner for an inch or two (only one side is detached in the photo below).
That allows the end of the zipper tapes to hang down so the new slider can be inserted. It's much harder if you try to pull two zipper sides together while they're still attached to the headliner.
Sliders are expendable, but the plastic coil zippers are not. If they get damaged, as mine was from removing the corroded slider, the new slider can only run on the undamaged side. The injured area is isolated by a sewn stop to keep the slider from running aground. The result doesn't look bad.
...
Both ends of this zipper had wood trim covering the ends, which makes the job easier than if the zipper tape is floating in the headliner.
For those, it is necessary to detach the zipper tape by cutting the stitches of the welt until an inch or two of tape dangles down (the distance between the red arrowheads below). Once the slider is on, the welting is sewn back together to serve as the slider stop. Done neatly, it isn't unsightly. I have several floaters stuck--I'll fix them when I need access.
Or the next owner will, when he does....
What's the right lube for zippers? Anything that works. I ordered a special stick, but silicone is probably just as good. Plastic coil zippers don't corrode like metal zippers do, our issue is only, and always, the slider.
