Perhaps even more important than a good Emergency kit is knowing what is required to get out of trouble with the vehicle.

Today I spent almost 2 hrs trying to replace a main beam headlight bulb on a buddies Citroen C4 (C4 being an appropriate name for whats required to blow the damned thing up with). We were eventually able to replace the bulb with the aid of a dental mirror from a Dental kit, a Fenix CR123 flashlight and some needle nosed pliers! There was lots and lots of swearing at the French, for such a stupid headlamp access design.

I advised my buddy to swap out the other bulb as sure as night follows day the other will fail at the most inappropriate time. i.e. an emergency situation.

Having looked around some of the autoparts stores today, Whilst getting a bulb for the C4 (my buddy didn't a have set in his vehicle) all the emergency car kits were absolute junk.
Driving with a rubbish emergency kit could prove to be a pointless task if most folks don't know how fill up the wind screen washer bottle, top up their cooling water or where to add the antifreeze or engine oil, check their dip stick or know how to put on some snow chains, swap out a fuse (if they can find the fuse box) or change a light bulb and perform some basic preventative maintenance such as putting the correct air pressure in the tires.

Yes there people around who think that their cell phone will suffice.

My comment was mostly (foolishly?) hopeful. I'm sure the kits that go out with commercial vehicles into out-of-the-way places are considerably better, since this falls under legally enforced health-and-safety requirements. You won't buy them for $25.

I agree that, from a basic repair point of view, a much more specific kit is preferable -- tailored to the vehicle and the knowledge level of the person using it.

Consider, though: on at least half of the occasions where I have used my car kit, it has been to help someone else. Items actually used: booster/jumper cables, tow rope, siphon, gas can, gas-line antifreeze, shovel, traction aid, tape, clothing/gloves, basic hand tools, and communications.

Car kits should be able to cover this basic list. The abject failure lies in filling that list with disposable trash that will surely fail the second you really need it.

For tools, I keep 2 "fat 50" and one bigger ammo can in the Jeep with everything from sockets and wrenches up to a U-joint press and wheel bearing grease, extra u-joints and even a spare rear driveshaft.

For everything else, I just throw my existing SHTF bag in the back seat and buckle it in.

The kits I see in Costco always include some manual tools like pliers and sockets. I always chuckle because as if average drivers know what to do with them if they break down.

Your office cowokers learn when someone does though and come to you for tools. Any time we needed to rearrange something I would pull out the tools.
My air compressor was used to inflate the balls the developers would toss at each other so one guy pretended to let the air out of my tires one day while we were sitting in the break room eating lunch.
So afterward I walked over to his desk spinning my ratchet, sat a big bolt on his desk and walked away. then we watched him look over his car trying to figure out where it came from.