Liquid Lustre wax

[ahunt01]

Anyone ever heard of Liquid Lustre wax? A friend said he saw a company spokesman use it at a car show. The guy sprayed spray paint on the hood and let it dry, and then applied the wax, waited and then buffed off and the spray paint came off. He then set a part of the hood on fire and once again the wax supposidly made it look new again. He also used Hydrochloric acid, and sand paper and it supposidly fixed this.

I`m wondering what kind of tricks they used to do that?:confused: Obviously it`s snake oil lol, it fooled my friend really well. He came back from the show with tons of the crap.:rolleyes:

[Scottwax]

Meh...I saw the demonstration also at the Dallas Autorama one year. The guy used a hose and let some water trickle across the hood and then claimed water would just sheet off the car if it rained. BFD, any well waxed surface will sheet water when you run a hose across it. I reached into the water underneath the display, got my hand wet and shook it over the hood. Yep, you guessed, the water beaded right up and about half the people watching the demostration walked away.

[Mr. Clean]

I seem to have heard that story before. Is there a point to it other than the product beads water like other waxes, and the people at the demonstration had short attention spans. Have you tried the product? Can you comment on its performance?

[chris0626]

The fire demo rang a bell for me too, so I did this search (http://www.autopia.org/forums/search.php?s=&action=showresults&searchid=108607&sortby=lastpost&sortorder=descending) and came up with a couple of interesting threads.

[Scottwax]

Originally posted by Mr. Clean

I seem to have heard that story before. Is there a point to it other than the product beads water like other waxes, and the people at the demonstration had short attention spans. Have you tried the product? Can you comment on its performance?



The point is that the guy was intentionally lying to the people gathered around the demonstration. He claimed it would sheet when it rained which was a complete and total lie. If they lie about that, what else are they lying about?

[Mr. Clean]

Originally posted by Scottwax

...was a complete and total lie. If they lie about that, what else are they lying about?



You mean, you perceived a lie. Actually, if it rained as hard as the hose, the water would sheet. I believe sheeting action is quite common for the bucket and hose washers among us, in fact the sheeting action is used to aid in reducing surface water before drying.



Again, are you able to comment on the performance of the product based on your personal use? You have, in the recent past, voiced concerns about others making judgements about products of which they had no personal knowledge. I just thought you might hold yourself to those same standards.

[Scottwax]

Originally posted by Mr. Clean

You mean, you perceived a lie. Actually, if it rained as hard as the hose, the water would sheet. I believe sheeting action is quite common for the bucket and hose washers among us, in fact the sheeting action is used to aid in reducing surface water before drying.



I call it like I see it. I know that trick and it is intentional. No two ways about it, no shades of gray. He said anytime it rained, which would include light rain and drizzle, the water would just sheet off.




Again, are you able to comment on the performance of the product based on your personal use? You have, in the recent past, voiced concerns about others making judgements about products of which they had no personal knowledge. I just thought you might hold yourself to those same standards.



Where in my post did I say anything about the product`s actual performance? I did not comment on the shine, gloss, durability, ease of use, etc. I made a mention that the person doing the demonstration was not being honest about the sheeting action of the product and that was it. I don`t use products when I can`t trust them to be honest.



Do you have a problem with me or something? Did I abuse you in a past life? You seem to be very confrontational about this. :nixweiss

[Mr. Clean]

Originally posted by Scottwax

Do you have a problem with me or something? Did I abuse you in a past life? You seem to be very confrontational about this. :nixweiss



No, I have no problems with you (though we don`t agree on politics. :) ) I do not intend to appear confrontational, I am simply trying to understand the point of the posts.



When I read reply to a post here on Autopia I do expect to see responses relating some experience with a product, either positive or negative. When I see the same post about the same product, neither of which has anything to do with actual experience, then I question the point (or motive) behind the post.



I have witnessed for several years (4+) the demonstration for Liquid Lustre at the State Fair of Texas. I must say that I have yet to see a fire lighting, but have seen the sheeting demonstration as well as the beading. The test panels used were set up under several halogen worklights. I`m guessing that the demonstration(s) though possibly scripted are not the same from venue to venue. I don`t see how someone could confuse the difference between a light rain and a hose running steadily on the surface.



As I noted in my reply to any earlier thread, I did purchase Liquid Lustre and used it with. IMO it performs similarly to the American Shine Carnauba Wax product in terms of shine and application and removal. Both can be used in direct sunlight, but Liquid Lustre should be applied and removed panel by pane, while American Shine can be applied to the entire vehicle before removing.



Is Liquid Lustre a great product? Not in my opinion. Is it a good product? I think yes. Is it snakeoil? Not in the least.

[Scottwax]

I don`t see how someone could confuse the difference between a light rain and a hose running steadily on the surface.



I don`t know what the confusion is. He ran the hose over the end of the hood so the water sheeted off and then claimed that was proof that if it rained on the car after you used Liquid Lusture that the water would simply sheet off. I simply proved that what he was saying was not true, which makes what he was saying a lie. I don`t purchase products from anyone who I know is lying to me, it`s that simple.



My motive? Just to show that the person doing the demonstration was intentionally deceitful. To me, that says a lot about a product and even more, about those who sell it.

[John G]

I`ve tried the product and have NO complaints. It is a easy process that cleans and waxes in one step. It is great for touch up work (water spots and bird droppings). It goes on easy and comes off easy without a bunch of powder residue left behind. You do a small area, then wipe clean. Works great on windows and lenses front and back, then MF car. Yes, I have seen those same salesman at the Auto shows. Not impressed with their presentation but I do like the product. I use the CA duster to clean off the dust. That is MY experience with Liquid Lustre.

[ahunt01]

Interesting that atleast it works well as a wax. If it can act as a "miracle" fixer, wouldn`t that mean that it is abrasive as heck. I mean, if it can fix a panel that had acid driped on it or was sanded with sandpaper, it must be one heck of a cleaner wax.

[imported_BretFraz]

Those of you who have Liquid Lustre in their inventory, remove the cap and take a whiff of the product. I did it on my bottle and about fell over from the strong solvent odor.



There`s nothing special about this stuff: High in solvents, some amount of mechanical abrasives, and some amount of either wax or silicone to make water bead and paint shine. This product has been around for decades and is very similar to other products that have been on the market for the same length of time.

[Mr. Clean]

bretfraz,



I got down my last bottle to reaquaint myself. Right you are about the solvent "scent", though not overpowering to me. For my use, the ability to apply and remove easily in the direct sun made up for the smell. The smell is not overwhelming when not in the confines of a garage. The shine factor is certainly acceptable for me. The solvents also help to take care of tar and road grime on the lower panels. Liquid Lustre is also not the only wax talked about on the forum that has a petrol smell to it.



As I noted I don`t think it is a wonder product. Since buying it 4 (or so) years ago, I have come across several other products which I prefer, but I`m not tossing my last bottle either. Just because some distributors have questionable marketing tactics shouldn`t necessarily demonize the product.

[ahunt01]

Just because some distributors have questionable marketing tactics shouldn`t necessarily demonize the product.

ROFL, the marketing tactics isn`t "questionable" at all. It`s worse, they promote it similiar to weight loss pill companies.

On a positive note, I`m glad LL gives a decent shine. Maybe my friend didn`t completely throw his money away. Lord knows I`ve bought tons of waxes when I was younger just because they had a cool bottle, so I know what it`s like to fall victom to false claims.

[John G]

Brezfrat is right. It does have a smell but tolerable. I use 2 fans in the garage and keep the air moving. The easy on and off is a plus for me. I agree with Mr. Clean. It definitly cleans off road grime with ease. I use a cotton towl to apply and remove then followup with a MF. It really looks good IMHO. The product does not last forever but that means I can enjoy a clean looking car for 60-90 days. I also use "Wax as you dry" in between LL applications.

Mr. Clean, what other products are similiar?