# Detailingworld™ Review - Orchard Autocare Luminos Paint Cleanser



## Hereisphilly (Nov 17, 2014)

*Detailingworld™ Review - Orchard Autocare Luminos Paint Cleanser*

*Introduction*
Thanks to Ronnie for his sample programme he's running at the moment, apologies this review has taken a while coming

I use a couple of products Orchard Autocare (Citrus Preclean and Wheel cleanse) and have had good experiences with their snowfoam sample http://www.detailingworld.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=384893
I'm on the look out for a decent prewax cleanser so thought I would request this sample and give it a go

Their website can be found at http://www.orchard-autocare.com/, and CleanandShiny also stock all their range http://www.cleanandshiny.co.uk/brands/Orchard-Autocare

*The Product*
The product was supplied in a 100ml sample bottle, is thin in consistency and has a very chemically smell.










*manufacturer says:*
_Luminos is a dedicated, non-abrasive cleanser designed for the removal of residual wax and sealant. Luminos is specifically intended to leave the minimum possible level of residue so contains no fillers, glazing oils or silicones. The advanced cleansing agents and macro-emulsifier technology ensures the ideal droplet size within the product to reliably penetrate LSP layers without any risk to the surface. Volatile anti-mar additives ensure a slick application minimising the risk of marring when applying. After use, the surface is super-clean and contamination free and ready for the application of your LSP of choice. It is suitable to be used prior to both the application of wax or sealant and means you can do away with the need to IPA wipe down after finishing minimising the risk of swipe marks or accidental scratching. Luminos can also be used to prepare plastics and glass as well prior to sealing meaning that it is the only multipurpose cleanser available on the market.
Luminos will remove environmental grime that can dull the paint finish, random tar spots, polishing oils and fillers left behind from compounding. Buffer trails and holograms caused when machine polishing. Luminos is also good for removing polish that has been ground into plastic trim and will leave trim clean and ready for protection._

The description of the product is somewhat misleading I think.
Its described as a non-abrasive cleaner, but then advertised as being able to remove buffer trails and holograms, something only an abrasive product can achieve.
The consistency certainly seems like a chemical cleaner, so I'm guessing this is the case










*The Method*
The product was applied to the car with a clean MF applicator, and overlapping circles were used to spread a thin layer










It went on easy enough, almost too easily as it seemed to bead up and react to my sealant underneath. Something I've never experienced before. 
Checking the applicator after a panel yielded almost no change in colour, which again is something I wasn't expecting, as these types of products almost magically manage to pull up some level of dirt from the clean (and decontaminated) paint









There are no cure times listed on the website, so with this being a cleaner type product, I opted to remove after each panel with a plush 470g gsm cloth
Unfortunately this is where the problems arose. The product was both grabby and smeary all at the same time, and almost refused to be buffed off. Great care and multiple cloths were needed to almost mop up the very thin layer in order to not leave any reside behind.

The picture I took, although hard to see shows the product still lingering after two passes










If there were any drops of water hiding in a panel gap, or underneath some trim etc, and the cloth caught this, the single drop of water would smear for a good foot along the car and be very very difficult to remove fully without creating more smears

Brand new cloths washed once before use were used throughout, and the smearing was still experienced. After much effort, all of the product was eventually removed

I then decided to see if all the sealant had been removed after my mammoth effort, and crazily I found that the water still beaded up well on the panel(s). This is not what I wanted to see as it implied that my sealant still hadn't been removed. I unfortunately didn't manage to get a photo of this, but we all know what beading is like!

*Price*
Orchard Autocare Luminos costs £21.95 for 500ml from Orchard Autocare Direct URL
This is definitely priced at the top end of the market

*Would I use it again?*
Unfortunately this is a product I most definitely wont be using again, there is not much more I can say

*Conclusion*
This is both an easy conclusion and a difficult one at the same time.

Although easy to apply, the difficulty in removing coupled with poor end performance means that this is one of the few products I have used where I cannot recommend it to anyone.
The fact that it is expensive too compounds the issue too

Its difficult to say this as it's extremely rare to find a product so wide of the mark in its intended use.

The misleading description just adds to my opinion of it, and someone could be buying this product expecting it to be able to correct paint somewhat, and this not being the case

"Detailingworld™ reviewer has followed the Manufacturers Instructions and accepts no responsibility to any circumstances arising from any member using these products or following this test "


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