AIO + Zaino?

[Bruce]

Does anybody have any good (or bad) experience to report using Z2/Z5 over AIO?



AIO would give the clean paint Sal Zaino wants, with no wax or oils, but I assume it leaves something behind in the way of shine and sealant protection. The question is whether that something would be compatible with Zaino bonding and optics.

[dtsang]

i`ve done zaiono over aio. 3 weeks so far and no problems. do a search, there have been others that have done it. if i recall, aio does very little in terms of protection. that`s the reason for the sg



gl...

[cerdas]

I just tried it a few weeks ago for the first time myself... it`s a fantastic combo!! AIO is the perfect pre-cleaner for Z2, no need to worry about oils or silicones, just a slick, clean surface for the Z to bond to. And so far, it seems to have bonded very well. The paint it much more slick than it was with the AIO alone, and it beads in the rain far better.

[imported_BretFraz]

Have any of you guys spoken with Sal about this combo? If so, what did he say?



AIO offers a nice level of protection. The talk of AIO offering no protection is a recent occurance and I`m not sure where it gets its basis in fact.

[dtsang]

i haven`t emailed him, but i can`t imagine that sal would recommend this combination. i`ve emailed him in the past asking about topping zaino w/ carnuba, and his response was:




Do not put wax on top of Zaino.

Zaino Show Car Polish is 99.9% optically perfect. Do not put anything on top of Zaino except Zaino. That would defeat the whole purpose of my product.





i don`t fault him for that response, and i understand how one would want to promote their products, but clearly others have done so w/o any problems. now if there is something chemically wrong w/ this, who knows. personally i like the idea of aio rather than washing w/ dawn to prep the surface. w/ dawn, you are left over w/ that film which you will need to wash off w/ a car wash detergent.



as for aio`s protection, i`m still newbing around, but i was able to find some reference here (http://www.autopia.org/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=28333&highlight=aio+protection) in regards to the lenghth of it`s protection.

[CharlesW]

Originally posted by bretfraz

AIO offers a nice level of protection. The talk of AIO offering no protection is a recent occurance and I`m not sure where it gets its basis in fact.

My thoughts exactly.

In fact David B. posted about the fact that AIO and SG were not originally marketed as a two step process.

My only experience with AIO as a stand alone product has been on my alloy wheels. One set has clear coat another set is painted silver. The brake dust washes off with just regular car wash shampoo for at least a month, maybe longer. Since using the AIO on the wheels, I have never had to use a wheel cleaner product.

AIO has to be one of the best products I have ever used.



Charles

[Jamlad]

I have been using the Zaino over AIO treatment and have been pleased with the results. I skip the Z1 step and apply Z2 directly on top of AIO.

[seattletls]

Topping Zaino is amazing.

[cerdas]

Originally posted by bretfraz

Have any of you guys spoken with Sal about this combo? If so, what did he say?



AIO offers a nice level of protection. The talk of AIO offering no protection is a recent occurance and I`m not sure where it gets its basis in fact.



When I use AIO by itself, a day later it no longer passes the "squeak test" and it doesn`t bead well. I know that neither of those are fair indications of protection, but they are all that I have to let me know if I`m running out of protection. My vehicle is a daily driver that is outside 24 hours a day, so the long-lasting slickness and the tight beads of Z2 makes me feel safer, and it`s more impressive to look at/touch.



I`m not arguing that AIO doesn`t protect, I`m sure that it does. I`m just saying that the Z2 is more reassuring by giving me a tactile/visual representation of it`s protection.



AIO + Z2 = :up

[BradE]

I`ve used the AIO + Z2 combo on quite a few cars and it works just fine. I have not noticed any durability problems, and the Zaino still performs as it always does.



I give the AIO + Z2 a big :up

[imported_BretFraz]

Originally posted by dtsang

i haven`t emailed him, but i can`t imagine that sal would recommend this combination. i`ve emailed him in the past asking about topping zaino w/ carnuba, and his response was:







i don`t fault him for that response, and i understand how one would want to promote their products, but clearly others have done so w/o any problems. now if there is something chemically wrong w/ this, who knows. personally i like the idea of aio rather than washing w/ dawn to prep the surface. w/ dawn, you are left over w/ that film which you will need to wash off w/ a car wash detergent.



as for aio`s protection, i`m still newbing around, but i was able to find some reference here (http://www.autopia.org/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=28333&highlight=aio+protection) in regards to the lenghth of it`s protection.



If people don`t know how these two products interact, how would they know if they were having a "problem"?



I too have topped Zaino with a carnauba, at a customers request. But I`d never do it on my car and I`d never recommend it. There are 3 basic strengths of Zaino:



1. Durability

2. Reflectivity

3. Slickness



A topper eliminates #2 and #3, and who knows what effect it has on #1. So why use Zaino at all if you are going to chuck 67% of the product`s advantages?



If you`re mixing Zaino with other products for only aesthetic reasons, that`s fine. It`s your money and your car. But personally I see it as a waste of perhaps the best car care product available. Kinda like pouring ketchup over a $50 filet mignon or putting retreads on a Ferrari, IMO.

[dtsang]

i agree w/ you on 2 and 3. personally i top zaino so it doesn`t attract as much dust.



but so as no to thread hijack, i think aio is fine surface prep for zaino.

[Jesstzn]

If using AOI as a prep for Zaino wouldn`t you still have to do the Z1 or the ZFX additive to the Z2 to have the proper crosslinking?



And on the Sal comment on the topper I got the same type of response from Sal when I asked him how to remove Zaino. He said and I quote. "You never have to strip Zaino and start over again" . I was asking this Q because up here with the bad winters and road sand there is going to be maring of the Zaino and some paint. I wanted to know how to strip the Zaino so I could start over and this way see the paint I need to pay attention to and not buff the hell out of a sealant. I prefered to remove the Zaino and start over. He was NO help. Very protective.

[BradE]

I still use Z1 or ZFX after AIO.