Understanding AIO

[RAG]

There seems to be a lot of misunderstanding regarding AIO per another recent thread (which drifted off into KSG vs. Zaino). Therefore I wanted to share my thoughts with AIO have having used a couple liters of the stuff by now. And I'd be interested in hearing how others have successfully (or unsuccessfully) used this product.



As a swirls remover, it works okay. BTW, I've hear a lot of people say it isn't abrasive (it must say that on the packaging or something), but trust me, it has abrasives in it - if I use it to polish soft black paint, I can clearly see the tell-tale micro-marring of polishing abrasives...it just doesn't have a whole bunch of 'em.



As a last step product, it is also okay...but nothing like a pure sealant durability and slickness wise.



Where AIO excels beyond any other product I've found is in trim restoration and preservation - use this stuff to buff smooth and textured plastic (especially smooth) and you'll see what I mean.



Because it does not staim trim (actually, it improves it as above), it's great for polishing parts of the vehicle that are hard to tape off - like mirrors with both painted and unpainted plastic and even the vertical supports that typically separate the side windows on 4-door cars.



Because of its cleaning properties, it's also great for removing oxidation (ss paints) and with a PC and a cutting pad, is superb at removing water spots off of windows (and you don't have to tape off the moldings!).

 

[imported_themightytimmah]

+1 on the trim reccomendation, particularly on oxidized plastic trim. I never much cared for AIO on paint though, PB's Pro Polish seemed to give me significantly more "kick".

 

[Brian_Brice]

i like em both, i wonder if it's your pad doing the correction and not the aio? i like pro polish too its easier to remove.

 

[imported_memnuts]

There seems to be a lot of misunderstanding regarding AIO per another recent thread (which drifted off into KSG vs. Zaino). Therefore I wanted to share my thoughts with AIO have having used a couple liters of the stuff by now. And I'd be interested in hearing how others have successfully (or unsuccessfully) used this product.



As a swirls remover, it works okay. BTW, I've hear a lot of people say it isn't abrasive (it must say that on the packaging or something), but trust me, it has abrasives in it - if I use it to polish soft black paint, I can clearly see the tell-tale micro-marring of polishing abrasives...it just doesn't have a whole bunch of 'em.



As a last step product, it is also okay...but nothing like a pure sealant durability and slickness wise.



Where AIO excels beyond any other product I've found is in trim restoration and preservation - use this stuff to buff smooth and textured plastic (especially smooth) and you'll see what I mean.



Because it does not stain trim (actually, it improves it as above), it's great for polishing parts of the vehicle that are hard to tape off - like mirrors with both painted and unpainted plastic and even the vertical supports that typically separate the side windows on 4-door cars.



Because of its cleaning properties, it's also great for removing oxidation (ss paints) and with a PC and a cutting pad, is superb at removing water spots off of windows (and you don't have to tape off the moldings!).

Agree completely. :bigups

I have only used the old non-VOC compliant AIO (still have 1/2 bottle ) but find AIO a wonderful product with many uses in detailing.

 

[fdizzle]

that thread you are refering to did drift a bit, im sorry to thread jack - but people were really beating AIO down because of its low-preformance as a final LSP - but it really is an unbeatable base for KSG, which is why I made the comaprison to Zaino and its flash cure component that helps the final step bond, like the ksg to the aio - didnt mean to get off topic . .



im going to take your suggestion and use aio on plastic trim. to date i have always used protectants with mild silicones or water based, but as with anything made for plastic (most products) last not even a week or two - a month if your luckey . . . i would like to see how aio does . . .



what does the finish look like with aio on the trim, does it leave a nice satin finish ?

 

[imported_newwaxer]

Agree completely. :bigups

I have only used the old non-VOC compliant AIO (still have 1/2 bottle ) but find AIO a wonderful product with many uses in detailing.

Is there a way to tell from the label if you have old or new AIO?

 

[imported_memnuts]

Is there a way to tell from the label if you have old or new AIO?

No label difference.

I did have a member send me some of the new AIO (reformulated) and the only physical difference was in the "lighter" color of the product. I must say that the new version seems to perform the cleansing/polishing aspect of it job just as well.



Reports has it that durability as a stand-alone protectant has decreased. Personally, I can not opine on that.

 

[RAG]

that thread you are refering to did drift a bit, im sorry to thread jack - but people were really beating AIO down because of its low-preformance as a final LSP - but it really is an unbeatable base for KSG, which is why I made the comaprison to Zaino and its flash cure component that helps the final step bond, like the ksg to the aio - didnt mean to get off topic . .



im going to take your suggestion and use aio on plastic trim. to date i have always used protectants with mild silicones or water based, but as with anything made for plastic (most products) last not even a week or two - a month if your luckey . . . i would like to see how aio does . . .



what does the finish look like with aio on the trim, does it leave a nice satin finish ?

No worries on the "drifting thread" deal - that's what they always do.



Regarding plastic trim - how well it works, and the gloss level, very much depends on the trim at hand...as it varies. But if you tell me what model car you have, chances are I've detailed it before and would be able to tell you what to expect. On smooth plastic, it usually makes it look brand new (for the first week or two, it actually looks dressed)...if you have oxidized plastic, the results are astounding. On textured plastic, the results vary. The results are the least impressive on the chevy/GM truck rear bumper where it's really hard to work it in the cracks...here it leaves a very satin (yet new) looking finish. But on other textured plastic (like the plastic on my mirrors of my Tundra work truck), AIO can leave a finish a little closer to semi-gloss (looks brand new IMO). And on the smooth plastic grill of my Tundra - wham - still looks brand new 6 months later!

 

[RAG]

i like em both, i wonder if it's your pad doing the correction and not the aio? i like pro polish too its easier to remove.

I won't rule it out as I certainly don't know everthing. But, based on the pattern (little 1/8", half moon-shaped squigglies) it tends to leave on soft black paint when using a PC (I tried a couple times when I was struggling to get the desired perfect final finish on soft black paint before I really became proficient with the rotary), I'm pretty sure I was seeing the results of micro-abrasives. I don't think it was the pad, as I then went to FPII (my fav at the time) and got noticable less micro-marring (but still some on soft black).



This whole micro-marring thing is difficult, as many don't notice it cause they haven't worked on the right (or wrong, depending on how you look at it) and even then they don't have a rotary to compare with and see the difference. There's a member on this board that has apprenticed with me for 4 days...and I had tried to show him this micor-marring phenomenon on a couple black cars but it was really hard to see because they were metallic...but then we detailed a pure black BMW 850I that had clearly been repainted on at least 3 different occasions, because my ETG gave vastly different readings on different pannels, and then we found out through polishing that some of the panels were CC/BC and some were SS paint. Anyways, initial polishing with the PC yielded no micrimarring...but then we hit some panels that left an absolute mess of micromarring (PO106FF)...forcing me to grab the rotary - I was really glad he got to see it in this fashon.

 

[RAG]

+1 on the trim reccomendation, particularly on oxidized plastic trim. I never much cared for AIO on paint though, PB's Pro Polish seemed to give me significantly more "kick".

Yeah, I agree. I'm not much of a fan of paint cleansers either. If I'm going to spend my "limited" time polishing, I want to use a dedicated polish that will remove light swirls...and the absolute best one I can get my hands on (hence PO106FF and OP).

 

[15951]

I use AIO on my 2006 Lexus IS350, and top it with Souveran. You're all going to think I'm nuts, but to me, it looks BETTER if I just stop after the AIO. This car is a dark charcoal color, so I would've expected the opposite.



Anyway, I'm surprised to read about "low performance" of AIO. The stuff lasts a long time, and creates a smooth, durable finish. I've used Zaino, Megs products, etc., and I have no complaints about AIO. I apply it by hand rather than using my PC...maybe that makes a positive difference in the final result.



You know what they say about opinions...