The Old "Metal Polish" Scam

Discussion in 'Truck Stops' started by RiverOtter, Dec 23, 2009.

  1. RiverOtter

    RiverOtter Light Load Member

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    Feb 13, 2009
    Lexington, KY
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    I wrote and posted this elsewhere many years ago, and I think it bears repeating to a new and different group of drivers!

    I was at the Pilot truckstop in Troy, Illinois a couple of weeks ago, and I saw this scam being run by a peddler in the parking lot. I was amazed that people still fall for this trick, it's one of the oldest scams in this industry - until I realized that unless you've been around awhile or been burned by it, you don't know of the "Metal Polish" scam. So here it is...

    You're sitting in your truck eating your lunch, or perhaps you're at the fuel island, and someone will approach you and try to sell you some metal polish. They'll claim it's an excellent product and cleans aluminum with ease - just wipe it on, let it dry, and wipe it off.

    They'll take a paper towel, and pour just a little bit of this milky white polish on it, and begin wiping a small piece of aluminum on your truck - probably no bigger than a pack of cigarettes. The peddler will wipe the area for about 20-30 seconds, and then tell you it needs to dry. In about another 30 seconds a white residue will form, and the peddler will take another clean paper towel, wipe off the residue, and lo and behold... your aluminum is bright and shiny!

    Simple as that - wipe it on, let it dry, and wipe it off. What could be simpler? And, you have the opportunity to buy a 20-ounce bottle of this metal polish for only $20 (or thereabouts - depending on how bad they need money, and how stupid you look...).

    So you give the peddler $20 for a bottle - you've just seen it work with your own eyes, and it does polish your aluminum to a nice bright shine, you saw the dirty paper towel with your own eyes.

    If you buy a bottle, join the crowd - you've just fallen victim to one of the oldest scams in the industry. And it's so remarkably simple!

    No trick paper towels loaded with metal polish, no "bait and switch" tactics - they'll sell you the bottle that they use to prove that you are getting the exact same metal polish that they used on your truck.

    "So, what's the scam?" you ask. Let me tell you a little more about this metal polish.

    It's enviromentally friendly - it won't harm the enviroment if it gets into the sewer system or the water supply. It's non-toxic - it contains no harmful chemicals or petroleum distallates that will harm your skin, you can literally bathe in it and not be harmed. It's also non-poisonous - in fact, it's so non-poisonous that should you have heartburn from eating a greasyburger or two, you can take a couple of sips of this metal polish and relieve your acid indigestion.

    "Bull***t!" you scream. "Ain't no way you can drink metal polish!"

    Trust me, everything the peddler tells you, and all I've told you is the absolute, 100% truth - just not all the truth.

    For this miracle metal polish that you'll pay $20 a bottle for is a chemical compound known as "sodium bicarbonate in an aqueous solution" - or as it's known in plain English: "baking soda in tap water".

    Yup - plain old Arm & Hammer baking soda in tap water. The same baking soda that you stick a box of in your refrigerator at home to keep odors down. The same baking soda that is the primary ingredient of carpet deodorizer. The stuff they sell at WalMart for .79 per box - plain old, everyday household baking soda.

    Take about 5-6 tablespoonfulls of baking soda, mix it in about 16-20 ounces of water, shake it up, and BINGO! - instant metal polish. Just wipe it on, let it dry, and wipe it off.

    Far be it for me to try to tell you how to spend your money. If you want to spend $20 for about .10 worth of baking soda and water... be my guest. As a matter of fact, if you're willing to spend $20 on this metal polish, send me an E-mail, I'll make you a heck of a deal on a half-gallon of the stuff!

    And, I've got some oceanfront property in Kansas you might be interested in buying also! :)
     
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  3. farmerleach

    farmerleach Light Load Member

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    Dec 1, 2009
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    I don't know about the polish, but that kansas ocean front sounds nice :biggrin_255:
     
  4. jtrnr1951

    jtrnr1951 Road Train Member

    GREAT, now I'M outta work !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Thanks a lot Driver !!!!
     
  5. Les2

    Les2 Road Train Member

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    Jul 25, 2008
    kicked back in my lazyboy...
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    Kerosene is another way to get a quick and easy shine for these guys, but they won't give you the bottle they are using if thats in it.
     
  6. Walter T

    Walter T Light Load Member

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    Mar 16, 2009
    Chicago, IL
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    Sounds like a good side job.
     
  7. DJ trucker

    DJ trucker Light Load Member

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    Dec 23, 2009
    Columbia, SC
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    RiverOtter is right on this scam
     
  8. HP9K

    HP9K Light Load Member

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    Jul 19, 2010
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    I was buying this really great set of speakers from these guys in a white van when I saw someone else falling for this "metal polish" scam! I guess PT Barnum was right.
     
    88228822, QuietStorm and bbt_387 Thank this.
  9. Bumpy

    Bumpy Road Train Member

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    Jan 27, 2009
    New Ulm,MN
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    Yes it does,close to home for me....:biggrin_255::biggrin_255::biggrin_25525:
     
  10. Bumpy

    Bumpy Road Train Member

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    Jan 27, 2009
    New Ulm,MN
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    And what of (usually in the south) the ANNOYING wheel polisher,I mean,I have never been tempted, (WHY) cause I am a company driver,-flatbedder to boot,but Gawd,they seem to be everywhere it isn"t -10 below
     
    exACT driver Thanks this.
  11. gearslammer

    gearslammer Bobtail Member

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    Mar 21, 2011
    Salisbury, N.C.
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    Im not saying that their aren't some polish scammers out here because I am sure their are...But I wouldnt advise taking a sip of this metal polish lol... Most polish men that have the polish that is in a 20 oz drink bottle have diferent things mixed in that bottle.

    But I will tell you what most polish guys use to make thier own polish and that is Zephyr brown tripoli heavy to medium cutting rouge bar or Zephyr green medium to light cutting rouge bar mixed with paint thinner most of them use mineral spirits oderless paint thinner made by Kwik Strip. Some guys take the green bar and mix it with a 1/4 of the white zephyr final finish rouge bar in the mineral spirits oderless paint thinner in which I recommend... Some guys add rain-X to repel the water which to me is kinda over kill concidering that the Zephyr Bars is a compound which is like wax so natural the Zephyr bar that is mix in the polish mix will act like a wax that repels water.

    And I know some of you drivers will say,,, ahhh that stuff dont last long enough well I know from personal experience that it will last for a long time unless of course you run in the rain alot because think about it rain is acid rain because of polution in the air, polution from the chemicals on the road like gas, oil, and diesel. And what does gas do to a paint job or grease gas will strip paint and cut grease and well the polish compound is a wax compound so if there is gas on the roads from leaky cars, trucks etc etc and it rains and that rain gets on your aluminum then naturally the gas or desiel that is coming up off the road during the rain is going to cut all the polish off your aluminum in time.

    Snow in the brine mix they put on roads or you do alot of traveling along the coast naturally mud, brine, and salt water is going to make your aluminum look like crap and salt will defenantly break down the polish and start making your aluminum dull and pitted.

    You can find the Zephyr brown, green, and white rouge bars in most Petro's and T/A truckstops the brown bar is around 12 dollars the green and white are around 10 dollars. Now you can buy magic mix for like 12 to 14 dollars in comes in like a 8 0z bottle, White Diamond for like 14 to 19 dollars in a 12 oz bottle. Zephyr pro 40 metal polish from I think 18 dollars to 39.99. And all them polishes are good polishes I prefer Zephyr pro 40 but I dont see paying 18 to 39 dollars for a bottle.

    So this what I do I buy the Zephyr Green rouge bar for 10.99 and I goto wal-mart and I buy a gallon of Kwik Strip meneral spirits oderless paint thinner and I take my electric outside stove and I get a old pot and I will put 1 pound Zephyr Green bar and a 1/4 of the white bar in the pot and i will pour about a 1/4 of the mineral spirit in the pot. Now their is two ways you can do this you can shred the bar and let it set in the thinner over night and it should desolve over night into the mineral spirit. Or I myself melt the bar in the pot, now you dont want to breath the fumes and dont be stupid and put it on high and not watch what your doing now if your careful and use your brain you can melt the bar into the meneral spirit.

    1 one pound bar of Zephyr green rouge and 1/4 of the white rouge bar and 1 gallon of mineral spirits normally makes me about 8 20oz bottles of polish when you pour the mix from the pot into the bottles fill the bottle half way and let the polish settle drop a washer or a old nut into the bottle so when you do use the polish you will have something in the bottle that will break up the green settlement on the bottom, just like the little BB you hear inside of a paint can does.

    When you see that a 1/4 of the bottle is solid green polish then take the mineral spirits paint thinner and fill the bottle the rest of the way. Dont pour the whole mix in the pot into a bottle because then you have too much polish in one bottle.

    If you do that trust me you will be 100% satisfied with the polish take a old tarnish penny or anything copper,silver,aluminum,gold or chrome that is just black with tarnish and test the polish out trust me you will be happy.

    I drive a truck myself but I also run a small polishing business on the side I refurbish wheels,tanks,steps,grills,cat walks,bumpers, pondtoons, motorcycle parts and wheels etc etc I do it by hand and by sanding, high speed cutter/buffing machines.

    But getting back to the polish that you have seen someone selling in a 20oz bottle if it was made with actual rouge bars then I think you got a pretty good deal to get a 20oz bottle for 20 dollars concidering a 16oz bottle of just about any type of liquid polish normally goes for 15 to 20 dollars. 16oz vs 20oz hmmm do the math. granted the polish man might not have but maybe 5 dollars per bottle in making the polish from buying a rouge bar and a gallon of mineral spirits that most likely cost him around 22 dollars in total to get both the bar and paint thinner and he made about 8 bottles from it. But you cant look at it like that because trust me the name brand companies are making money off their polish too and it isnt going to do no more or protect any better than making a polish from the rouge bar and mineral spirit paint thinner...

    Keep it between ditches catch ya on the flip side
     
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