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Old 14th April 2011, 21:08   #31
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Re: My Rs.525 lesson in stupidity at a Petrol Pump Station.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Brix View Post
I had gone to put diesel in a bunk near my place(Kamadhenu IOC Petrol Bunk .................
PHOTOS OF THE OFFENDING PRODUCT:..................

If you do happen to come upon this guy, I'd advice you to ensure that he does not come within 10 feet of you or your car.

A couple of guys had approached me at an IOC petrol bunk in Bangalore recently. ( I have a feeling it must have been the same guys ). Its exactly the same product shown in your pic.

Sorry about my longish post, but I couldn't resist posting.......

When I was refuelling one Feb 2011 evening , one guy (taller) approached me and said it can remove any stains, make the glass sparkling.

Without me asking, suddenly the other guy (medium height) sprayed from another bottle on the C pillar and said its teflon and put his finger on the paint and said "see it won't get scratches after spraying this one"

**************************
Actually I had some AC (yellow) stains on both the front doors that was persisting for long and looking ugly.
When I asked at the Hyundai service station, they had told "these are AC stains sir, we have a blah blah - cleaning process paint treatment and we can get rid of it, it costs ~ 2000 Rs" and i had not got it done thinking its so costly and they may be actually peeling off the paint.
**************************

So with this AC stain in mind, I asked him casually, will even this stain go away ?

He said "Haan, sir nikal jaayega" and he put some paste from the small dabba and presto, the AC stain disappeared !!!

Wow !!! I thought, finally I can get rid of the stains. Then I thought what will I do with all those bottles in the packet ?? its just going to lie there in the house and I'm not going to use it for sure.

So I told him " I don't want to buy the whole thing - so many bottles for 500, why don't you just get rid of the two stains on the doors and I'll pay you 100.
He agreed and removed the stains and I paid him 100 bucks.

I felt it was more that time (rather than buying the whole pack for 500), but now after reading your post, I feel I luckily did the right thing that day


That guy was still insisting "Aapko le lena chahiye tha, you are getting so many things for just 500 " somehow I didn't feel like buying it that day.

Last edited by for_cars1 : 14th April 2011 at 21:13.
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Old 14th April 2011, 21:25   #32
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Re: My Rs.525 lesson in stupidity at a Petrol Pump Station.

Don't fret too much on it now my friend. Everybody has an off day once in a while.

And you should feel good now that after sharing this experience, more people will be prudent against guys like these.
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Old 14th April 2011, 22:04   #33
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Re: My Rs.525 lesson in stupidity at a Petrol Pump Station.

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Originally Posted by sohail99 View Post
He took like 5-6 rounds around my but couldn't find any scratch!
While leaving I gave him a smile lol!
OT: How do you manage that in Delhi/NCR? Do you drive less, drive at night, don't drive??
It is really hard to find a scratchless car in Delhi NCR.
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Old 15th April 2011, 00:38   #34
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Re: My Rs.525 lesson in stupidity at a Petrol Pump Station.

The only time I bought anything other than petrol or oil from a bunk was in 2000 when I had a white 118 NE. This guy applied a little of a white powder and brushed it off with a wet cloth and viola that part of the car was brilliantly white. So I bought it for 85 bucks and tried doing the same for the whole car, it worked but i had a more serious work out that day. Had to rub it and rub it and still was not enough, I gave up.
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Old 15th April 2011, 01:12   #35
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Re: My Rs.525 lesson in stupidity at a Petrol Pump Station.

Have purchased a product in the same way you mentioned. But guess was lucky that the things were intact. The price was Rs.350 though.
I was a little wise guy on this particular day. I told the guy to remove all the scratches on the car. and so this guy went about removing not one or two but all the scratches. Most of them came off. and as promised if they all came off i would buy the product. So i did buy a pack from him. Also felt sorry for the guy that he worked hard under the sun and was sweating profusely. So gave him 50 bucks for his trouble.

Sorry to hear that you had a bad experience. But it definately is wiser to buy products from the reputed brands, and not these sold at pumps products. Anyway lessons learnt, am sure it won't happen again.

Drive Safe!
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Old 15th April 2011, 02:13   #36
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Re: My Rs.525 lesson in stupidity at a Petrol Pump Station.

We see these sales guys selling various bundled products at various fuel bunks across Mumbai.

They especially target Maruti owners, I was almost hit by one such bum when I owned a Wagon-R early this year.

The IOC fuel pump opposite Siddhi Vinayak Temple in Prabhadevi have these salesmen doing their rounds. They spray this solution on the dashboard which then makes a faded gray-dash look brighter and darker. they also spray this on rear view mirrors especially black color and also door handles that are black color.

Similar product is the "Fix it Pro" which has resin fluid in it and needs to be applied on scratches on car paint, apparently it seems the resin fills the scratch and the UV rays help to merge the resin with the car paint when exposed to sun light. However, what they don't show in the TV commercials is that after applying it the car needs to left out in direct sunlight for a min. 48 hours before the results can be seen (BULL CRAP ) !!!

Trust me guys this really does not work however on the TV shows it seems to work as expected. on TVC or Shop18 channels it retails for some 1500 bucks and with it you get the Suraksha Kavach or some other products too while on Ebay.in it sells for Rs.180/-

Completely useless and waste of money. Instead get yourself WAXPOL or best "Chakachak - Phataphat" for Rs.40

white powder mixed with water in a bowl, make a paste and deposit it on the affected area and leave it to dry. Then use a soft damp cloth such as a handkerchief and rub it off, buff the area if required and then rub it again.

Viola !! you have a clean shiny surface, then rub waxpol on it or give your car to a local mechanic with a polishing machine and for 500 bucks he polishes your enter car.

Try the following links for some products :

eBay India: SCRATCH OUT FORMULA 1 LIQUID CAR POLISH ORIGINAL (item 270734418229 end time 18-Apr-2011 22:59:23 IST)



WAXPOL for Rs.150/- and this product as seen below in the url make a good combo. :

eBay India: **Car Polisher MAKE YOUR CAR LOOK NEW AS BEFORE** (item 220767394096 end time 15-Apr-2011 10:38:43 IST)
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Old 15th April 2011, 05:11   #37
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Re: My Rs.525 lesson in stupidity at a Petrol Pump Station.

This seems like a widespread con. Have also seen people selling such stuff at various pumps in Mumbai. I regularly visit only a particular pump to tank up & have noticed it there also, but very randomly & rarely. Im organising my views below:

THE SALESMAN:
As observed by other members here, the salesmen are kind of pushy to sell the product along with demonstrating it to you. Couple that with the poor fellow doing his work in the hot sun & the con works like a charm being only a one day offer. Although, i would like to add that its probably not the salesman who is to be blamed. There must be someone behind the scenes who is the real culprit. The poor salesman must just be a guy in need of money & the person behind the scenes promises him that its an innocent product & he will get a good commission. Imagine the guy stands all day, that too in the sun & works hard to convince every passerby to buy.

THE CON ITSELF:
After reading various instances on this thread, i bet its a common manufacturer who produces cheap chemicals, brands them with various bogus brands & company names, sets up websites for each of these companies (not a tough job at all & dirtcheap) & hires salesmen to sell. Sounds simple enough.

Ive come across the same types of products badged as "Euro Smart"
The website is here - :: BSC SMART CAR CARE PRODUCTS ::
Heck, they even mention that they are associated with Bharat Petroleum, Indian Oil & HP at the bottom of the site
Dont want to defame them if its a real company but just putting it here as they use the same method of distribution.

CAUTION:
Personally, im very cautious & particular about anything that has to do with chemicals & id advise everyone else to do the same. Be it car care products, or simple household cleaners. Always buy reputed stuff. Chemicals are something you dont want to take a chance with as they have the potential to seriously harm you & your family.

@BRIX:
- Cant blame the salesman completely here as it was you who left the stuff in your hot car. We all know the kind of ovens they are when parked in the sun. Though it was unintentional & probably negligence, always take care to never leave anything in your car, specially liquids (apart from harmless water).

- On another note, dude seriously, forget about your car & go to a doctor immediately for a thorough checkup. Like ive mentioned above, chemicals are not something you want to take a chance with & nor is your health!
As for your car, a good detailing job will take care of it.

Last edited by Xehaust : 15th April 2011 at 05:15.
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Old 15th April 2011, 06:54   #38
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Re: My Rs.525 lesson in stupidity at a Petrol Pump Station.

I would firmly tell these guys to back off if I see them at a station. Sometimes it seems that their approach to your car is well timed to coincide with the moment that the petrol guy shows you a zero on the pump. I do suspect that they could be working hand in hand with the filling guy and short filling your car while your attention is diverted to this useless stuff. Whether you buy or not, they would have made their money anyways.
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Old 15th April 2011, 07:18   #39
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Re: My Rs.525 lesson in stupidity at a Petrol Pump Station.

Refrain from getting tempted with such things.

As some wise man said, "nothing comes free"

Just dont entertain such guys and deny them with a clear mind (not getting confused with cheap deal).

Yes to an extent it is not the fault of guy. He is just trying to earn a living. As for me, I dont entertain them but do fill up those "FAMOUS" holiday cards as each of card filled helps the guy with 2 Rs.

PS: one can consider keeping a dog in car as salesman repelent.
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Old 15th April 2011, 10:22   #40
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Re: My Rs.525 lesson in stupidity at a Petrol Pump Station.

Quote:
Originally Posted by n.devdath View Post
OT: How do you manage that in Delhi/NCR? Do you drive less, drive at night, don't drive??
It is really hard to find a scratchless car in Delhi NCR.
I detail my i20 and keep her safe!
Any scratches and dents(if any) are dealt with the same day(or ASAP, whichever is earlier). I can remove most of em myself anyway!
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Old 15th April 2011, 10:30   #41
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Re: My Rs.525 lesson in stupidity at a Petrol Pump Station.

I guess everyone would have had a similar incident happen to them - but they may or maynot have bought the product itself.

In my case once at a petrol pump a guy similarly offered to show the magic his product would do on the black trims on my Laura. I liked what I saw. I had to get a puncher worked upon at the tyrewala at the pump.

I told the guy that there are many such products with me and what was required was for someone to apply them rather then sell me one more container.

I next made a deal with the guy to apply the stuff that was giving a vibrant look to all the black plastic areas all over the exterior plastics of my car for Rs. 100. I would not buy the product and he has to apply this from his already opened can from which he was doing the demo.

He did a good job over the next 20 mins and I paid him Rs. 100, work was done while the tyre got refitted and I was happy overall.

I guess the fact that I insisted on the work being done on the spot helped and he obviously could not sell me some junk.
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Old 15th April 2011, 10:34   #42
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Re: My Rs.525 lesson in stupidity at a Petrol Pump Station.

The con is an old one. What they use is usually not what they sell, so if you are tempted, open the packing and test all the bottles before paying.

On my old M800 which was full of scratches some one tried a lot, but I got rid of him by saying there is no use getting rid of scratches as there will be new ones the moment I visit a parking lot.

In another incident, I let them clean the car and then thanked them profusely for a good job done. No buying as they have done all that was needed to be done. The same person never approaches again.
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Old 15th April 2011, 10:41   #43
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Re: My Rs.525 lesson in stupidity at a Petrol Pump Station.

On the petrol bunk opposite ISRO, these guys have a table on which they display such products. I never thought of buying it inspite of insistence. Also, I am not sure about the long time effects of such chemicals.
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Old 15th April 2011, 11:20   #44
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Re: My Rs.525 lesson in stupidity at a Petrol Pump Station.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Xehaust View Post
Chemicals are something you dont want to take a chance with as they have the potential to seriously harm you & your family.
+1 to this.

Who knows what these con artists are adding to these so called polishes and aerosols. The chemical components could be carcinogenic for all you know. A well branded product should have passed certain tests for human contact. One can take a guess for these "juugad" stuff.

Further, several strong chemicals in formulated products like polishes and cleaners can actually deface the powder coating and color if present in larger quantities.

Please use only (well known) branded products for your car.
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Old 15th April 2011, 11:40   #45
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Re: My Rs.525 lesson in stupidity at a Petrol Pump Station.

Quote:
Originally Posted by for_cars1 View Post
So with this AC stain in mind, I asked him casually, will even this stain go away ?

Then I thought what will I do with all those bottles in the packet ?? its just going to lie there in the house and I'm not going to use it for sure.

So I told him " I don't want to buy the whole thing - so many bottles for 500, why don't you just get rid of the two stains on the doors and I'll pay you 100.
He agreed and removed the stains and I paid him 100 bucks.
As mentioned in my earlier post this is also exactly what I did got them to do up the car once for Rs. 100, job done, no harm done and no unnecessary bottles to carry in the car.

Good to see someone else also thought alike.
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