Newb ? on AIO

Strictly Detail

New member
why would i use an AIO instead of polishing with some 205 or other polishing product? And when would i use AIO ? Trying to understand and see if i need to add this to my arsenal of products/Insight would greatly be appreciated thxs
 
Like already stated it saves time. It's like a light cutting polish, that removes oxidation, some light swirls and scratches with leaving a layer of protection. Not the best of any of the above but quite sufficient.
 
For me, it's the product I use most. As a weekend warrior that does some side jobs. It's an easy sell for the customer to get the most bang for their buck and as others said, saves a lot of time. And for some AIO's like poli-seal, it's versatile enough where you can mix something with a little more cut (Opt polish) and I've even mixed up a bottle of poli-seal with about 10-12 spritz of opti-seal. No streaking or other adverse effects and I assume the sealant aspect of it was amped up a smidge.
 
I use AIO for nonabrasive paint (and other surface) cleaning and as a base for sealants (and sometimes for waxes).



IME KAIO, while not technically nonabrasive, is, *IME*, *functionally* nonabrasive on most automotive paint. Sure doesn't do anything for even very light marring on very soft paint *for me* (well, except on the very softest of matte black single stage lacquer), but there are some other all-in-one products that do have a little functional cut on most paints (like ZAIO).



I gather most people don't polish areas like their doorjambs, or the painted areas in their wheelwells. KAIO is a nice product for a quick prep of such areas, though I'd probably lean more towards ZAIO these days.



KAIO is a good quick one-step for (already cleaned) wheels. If you're gonna use a wheel cleaner (which will clean off most products at the next wash anyhow), KAIO is an OK way to spruce things up a little bit.



For a quickie one-step on the rest of a vehicle, I'd lean more towards AutoGlym Super Resin Polish, even if it doesn't clean as well as KAIO or have the corrective ability of ZAIO.
 
if a car had light scratches or swirls couldnt i just use m205 with an orange lc pad it has light cutting ?im just trying to understand if i should get this to do cars that are already in good shape and need minor refinishing. i dont want to do more work than is needed if i can get by with just some aio and then seal. im just used to compounding severe areas with m105 and then polishing entire car with m205 then sealing
 
Strictly Detail said:
if a car had light scratches or swirls couldnt i just use m205 with an orange lc pad it has light cutting ?



I'd rather use an orange *GRIOT'S* pad, or a LC Tangerine, but yeah, you have the right idea.



im just trying to understand if i should get this to do cars that are already in good shape and need minor refinishing. i dont want to do more work than is needed if i can get by with just some aio and then seal.



The issue here is that AIOs, even ZAIO, which has some actual "real" abrasives in it, just don't have enough cut to do much of anything on many paints. I think of AIOs as being "synthetic cleaner waxes" (and no, that's not a slam).



.. im just used to compounding severe areas with m105 and then polishing entire car with m205 then sealing



That's simply a different approach compared to doing only an AIO/sealant. I do my AIO/sealant *after* doing that sort of correction, and if I'm not doing correction I don't go the AIO/sealant route. I only apply sealants on finishes that are basically perfect, and that almost always entails correction.



The closest I come to the sort of thing your asking about is to use the Autoglym SRP + wax.
 
i love poli-seal. right now its my favorite. i also own kaio and zaio.

zaio is very good but a little pricey and needs to be worked in longer than poliseal and isnt as buttery smooth. kaio i think is better suited for glass and wheels n stuff. kaio stretches the farthest.



anyway none of them have great cut. so unless u have very light swirls id first do a m205/tangerine.



or theres always meguiars aio, which has more cut than the 3 i listed. i would like to try d151 PRC but it only comes in a gallon and i just need a small sample to try. plus i kind of assume sealants dont bond to d151 as well as poli-seal,zaio,kaio.
 
I love AIO! After M105 and 205, I use it to seal the entire car. You can put it on paint, all the windows, rubber, trim, wheels.....basically everything! Then come back over your paint and wheels with a product like Collinite 845 to make it pop and to protect it.



I usually don't have to do an extensive detail on the car for 6 months. Every month or so I will put another layer of AIO and Collinite just to keep up the protection.



AIO rules!:xyxthumbs
 
I've been working on a new article that talks about the difference in cleaner/waxes and finishing waxes.



In the cyber world, a lot of detailing enthusiasts get very specific about words and terms, nothing wrong with that as I'm like that too but there is a time and place for balance.



AIO is the acronym used most commonly for Klasse All-in-One which is a one-step cleaner/sealant.



In general terms, it's falls into a more simplified category simply called cleaner/waxes but there's a few people that will point out that the protection ingredients are not wax-based, as in Carnauba Wax or some other naturally occurring wax, and then they're correct you for calling Klasse AIO a cleaner/wax.



As such, I started writing a new article and simple created a category called Cleaner/Sealants to make everyone happy!





All three of the below are for the most part the same type of thing,



  • Cleaner/Wax
  • All-In-One
  • One-Step

That is they are products that clean, polish and leaves some type of protection behind on the paint.





Why use an AIO?

The reason a person would choose a cleaner/wax:cleaner/sealant:one-step:all-in-one type product is to get the job done faster in one step.



Normally for production detailing you want to use a one-step product because doing two steps reduces your profit from a time point of view but also from a chemical point of view and you could even make the case that you'll use more microfibers and buffing pads, and on and on...



I posted about this the other day ago on the AG forum to a similar thread where a new member is stocking up to start detailing. One thing I've noticed over the years is people new to detailing tend to over promise by offering to do show car detailing for what should be production detailing work. Nothing wrong with that as long as you're charging for show car work and the time it takes to do show car quality work.



Anyway, here's my reply and it related to using a cleaner/wax or a cleaner/sealant.



Mike Phillips said:
There's two general groups or types of detailing, production work and show car work.



  • Production Work = Daily Drivers
  • Show Car Work = Special Interest Cars
If you're just starting out, then stick to production work, that is buffing out daily drivers and for these you really don't want to be doing a multiple-step process, you want to wash the car, clay the paint and use a one-step cleaner/wax. Focus on making the paint shiny, not 100% swirl removal. It's about the "Time Factor" and what people with daily drivers are willing to pay.



If you're customer wants the inside cleaned and dressed and the outside washed and waxed, the you really don't have time to be doing multiple-step procedures to the exterior as washing, claying and using a one-step will already take a good amount of time and you'll still need to do the interior, glass, tires and trim.



If you're doing show car work, then you shouldn't be doing the interior, at least not on the same day and if you do the interior, that's a separate charge from the exterior. Doing show car work, to whatever level or extreme, is going to take you all day, so separate your work and how you charge.



I never liked doing interiors and really only like working on special interest cars. Because people that own special interest cars are mostly interested in having the outside look great you don't usually have to do their interiors and usually the interiors are in pretty good shape, at least they're not like the interior of a Dodge Caravan used to haul kids around every day.



The trend I always see on discussion forums is when someone gets the passion to start getting into detailing as a part time business they carry over what they do to their own car, (show car detailing), to their customer's cars but usually when you're first starting out you're not doing show car work, you're doing daily drivers.



So think through the market you want to go after and if you're going to start out doing daily drivers then get a good one-step cleaner/wax and use either a DA Polisher or the Flex 3401 as your tool of choice and then vary your pad's aggressiveness to maximize the ability of the cleaner/wax will still finishing out to an acceptable appearance and you figure this out when you do a test spot.



What I mean by that is if the finish is really neglected you might be able to use a cutting pad to give your cleaner/wax more bite and thus enable you to work faster but make sure by doing a test spot that it isn't too aggressive that it's leaving a haze in the paint. You do this with a Test Spot.



If the pad is too aggressive to leave a nice finish then switch to a polishing pad and work slower but then you don't have to do a second step to remove any haze.



Production detailing is really about time, that is doing the job well, but also doing the job as fast as you can.



Show Car Detailing is about time also but you have to charge enough that you're happy with your profit and you take the time required to do each step correctly.



You can never simply move the polisher faster over the paint to get the job done faster as that won't work.



There's nothing wrong with doing production detailing and it's actually the right way to cut your teeth in this business. It's better learn and make mistakes on a Silver Ford Taurus than Black Dodge Viper.







:xyxthumbs
 
Below is the new article I've been working on,



But first here's the copyright notice as there are a handful of professional copy and pasters in the detailing discussion world that make it a practice to lift other's writing and re-word it a little and then call it their own. I for one make it a practice to give due credit where credit is due.





Copyright ©PBMA - AutogeekOnline.net® All Rights Reserve



d



Here's the article, since this isn't in the official AG sponsored forum here on Autogeek I've removed all the clickable links so as to comply with all the forum rules. :)





~~~~~~

Begin

~~~~~~





The difference between a cleaner/wax and a finishing wax



Have you ever been confused as to which car wax to use? There are so many car waxes on the market and all of them claim to be the best? Some say they’ll last through 52 car washes? But are you waxing your car just so it will make it through 52 car washes? Or are you waxing your car because you want the paint to look good again? Like it did when it was new?



Or what if you’re taking your special ride to a car show or on a cruise? Do you really need a car wax that will bead water after 52 car washes or is there something better that will really make your car’s paint *POP* especially if hundreds and even thousands of people will be looking at it all day long while it’s on display?



2- basic groups of car wax

Let me see if I can remove just a little bit of the confusion… There are two basic groups most car waxes and paint sealants fall into, these would be,



• Cleaner/waxes or Cleaner/Sealants

• Finishing waxes or Finishing Sealants





A cleaner/wax or cleaning/sealant would offer some level of cleaning ability using either chemical cleaning agents, solvents and/or some type of abrasives and often times a combination of all three. Cleaner/Waxes are also referred to as One-Step products or All-In-One products. Cleaner/waxes can be used to restore neglected paint to good to excellent condition depending upon how bad of condition the paint is in and the cleaning ability or strength of the cleaning agents in the cleaner/wax.



A finishing wax or finishing sealant would not contain any ingredients with the intended ability to clean or abrade the paint. Products in this category should only be used on paint in excellent or brand new condition or neglected paints that have been previously cleaned and polished and thus restored to new or excellent condition.







Besides dividing products into two groups by whether they have the ability to clean the paint or not, paint protection products are also divided into two other groups or categories and that's car waxes or paint sealants.



Car Wax

Contains some kind of naturally occurring waxy type substance, for example Carnauba wax.



Paint Sealant

Made from synthetic or all man-made ingredients.





So from the above, we can have,



Cleaner/Waxes

A product that cleans, polishes and protects and contains natural protection ingredients like Carnauba



Cleaner/Sealants

A product that cleans, polishes and protects and uses all synthetic protection ingredients



Finishing Waxes

A product that offers no cleaning ability with the focus on maximizing beauty with the protection based upon naturally occurring ingredients.



Finishing Sealants

A product that offers no cleaning ability with the focus on maximizing beauty with the protection based upon synthetic ingredients.



And one more group which would be a hybrid product which contains a combination of both natural and synthetic ingredients.



If we use the loose definition above for car waxes and paint sealants, (For the wax group the primary protection ingredients are naturally occurring waxy substances and for the sealant group the primary protection ingredients are man-made or synthetic substances), then since hybrid products use a combination of both it would seem normal to call them and place them in their own category with both words, wax/sealant used to describe the category.







Let's take an in-depth look at the two basic groups, (the hybrid products will also fit into either the cleaning or finishing group).





Cleaner/Wax or Cleaner/Sealant

Now a cleaner/wax is just that, the formula will contain a blend of chemical cleaners and often times some type of abrasives, either diminishing or non-diminishing.



Together the chemical cleaners and the abrasives will remove oxidation and road grime from the surface which will restore clarity and richness of color. At the same time they’ll leave behind a layer of protection to help lock in the shine and of course protect the paint from the elements.



When you go to your local auto parts stores, most of the retail waxes on the shelves do in fact fall into the cleaner/wax category as they are targeted at the average person and the average person is driving what we call a Daily Driver, that is the car they drive back and forth to work each day and most of the time it’s parked outside. Over time, the finish quality deteriorates and in order to restore it with just a single product you’ll want a cleaner/wax.



A cleaner/wax is also what we in the detailing industry call a One-Step product or an AIO.



AIO stands for All-In-One. AIO products will do multiple processes in one step, that is they will,



  1. Clean the surface
  2. Polish the paint to a high gloss
  3. Leave behind a layer of protection
The problem for the average Joe Consumer is that most retail products don’t specifically state what type of product they are? The tell you how to apply it, how long to let it dry and then how to remove it but they leave it wide open as to what the product is and how its best used.



A cleaner/wax is best used on a neglected finish because a neglected finish needs to be cleaned. Cleaner/Waxes, or All-In-One products are designed for a large market which includes do-it-yourselfers and detailers that want to restore a bright, shiny finish to the paint but want to do it in one-step. Their goal is to get a great looking finish without having to invest the time and effort associated with a multiple-step approach which usually includes,



  1. Dedicated compounding or paint cleaning step
  2. Dedicated polishing or glazing step
  3. Dedicated sealing step using a finishing wax or finishing paint sealant
Keep in mind besides the above 3 steps that are the norm for a multiple-step process, there's also,



  1. The washing and drying step
  2. The claying step if the car is parked outside a lot and has built-up above surface bonded contaminants. (Most daily drivers need to be clayed).
If we add the above two steps, (washing & drying step and claying step), together with the multiple 3-step approach that would make the average car detailing session 5 steps at a minimum.



  1. The washing and drying step
  2. The claying step if the car is parked outside a lot and has built-up above surface bonded contaminants. (Most daily drivers need to be clayed).
  3. Dedicated compounding or paint cleaning step
  4. Dedicated polishing or glazing step
  5. Dedicated sealing step using a finishing wax or paint sealant.
Because the majority of people in this world look at their car as a mode of transportation instead of an extension of their personality, its' easy to understand that most people want and only need a one-step cleaner/wax.



A cleaner/wax doesn't need to be used, and in most cases shouldn't be used, on a car in which the paint is in excellent condition, for example a brand new car or an older car in which the paint has been properly cleaned and polished. For finishes on both of these types of cars the paint would be better served using a finishing wax or finishing sealant.



Another example would be a brand new paint job after the regular 30 days air-cure waiting time. Brand new paint should look great after you pick it up from the painter but most painters will tell you to wait at least 30 days before sealing the paint with either a wax or paint sealant.



After the 30 days have passed, a finishing wax should be used not a cleaner/wax because theoretically, the paint is supposed to be in excellent condition so you shouldn't have to use any product with cleaners or abrasives in it.





Application Method

In most cases, a cleaner/wax type product needs to be worked over and into the surface. Cleaner/waxes are not wipe on, wipe off products. Part of the cleaning action comes from you either working the product over the surface and engaging the cleaning ingredients with the paint or you running an electric polisher and the polisher is engaging the cleaning ingredients against the paint. The worse condition the paint, the more you'll need to work the product.









Finishing Wax or Finishing Sealant

A finishing/wax is much different than a cleaner/wax. A finishing wax either doesn’t offer any cleaning ability at all, or at least not enough to be a usable feature of the product.



A finishing wax is just that, it’s a wax or paint sealant used to add the finishing touch to a car in which the paint is in excellent condition to start with and/or in situations where the owner has just cleaned and polished the paint to perfection and the next step would be to apply a finishing wax.



If you use a multiple step approach to polishing your car’s paint, that is you use a dedicated compound or SMR, which stands for Swirl Mark Remover, to first remove any defects like swirls and scratches, and then follow this with a polish to further refine the paint to show car quality status, then what you want next is a finishing wax, not a cleaner/wax.





Frosting on the cake

Assuming the paint on your car is truly in excellent condition, a finishing wax will take your car’s paint to it's highest level or it's maximum potential. An analogy would be like frosting on a cake. Cake is good! But frosting on cake makes the cake even better.





If you were to use a cleaner/wax after using a dedicated cleaning and polishing process that would be what we call working backwards because you’re going back to the cleaning step and you’ve already done this step when you used the compound or swirl mark remover. What you should be doing is working forwards towards the goal, which is a show car finish. Thus you want to use a finishing wax.







Application Method

  • Wipe-on, work in and then immediately wipe off with no drying time.
  • Wipe on, allow the product to dry and then wipe-off.
Since finishing waxes and paint sealants should really only be applied to a finishes in excellent condition, there's no need to aggressively work the product over the surface like you would a cleaner wax. With a finishing wax or sealant you would apply and spread the product out of a section of a panel and then work the product gently for 2-3 passes over each square inch just to evenly cover the paint. You would not work the product like you would a cleaner wax with the idea of trying to remove defects.



Finishing waxes and paint sealants are either wiped on, spread around and then immediately wiped off. On detailing discussion forums, these types of products are referred to as WOWO products.



Some manufactures recommends their products need to dry before removing, for these types of products you would apply and spread the product out to create a thin even coating and then allow this coating to fully dry before removing.





No wrong choice

It's important to note that one category isn't better than the other as both categories of products play important roles in the car world. The focus of this article was to explain these two different categories so anyone confused about waxes in general would have a better understanding of the two basic groups. And then the ultimate goal would be to help people to actually choose and use the correct wax for their application and goals.





How to pick the right wax for you and your car

The way you pick the right wax for your car's paint is you first evaluate your car's paint and then you evaluate yourself.



Is your car brand new? If so they you probably want a finishing wax.



Is your car older and the paint is looking dull and lifeless? Then you need to evaluate yourself? Do you want to do a multiple step process? Or do you simply want to wash and wax the car and then move on with life? If you want to do a multiple-step process the you're going to want a finishing wax, if you want to reduce your time and investment to the bare minimum then you want a cleaner/wax.



As stated previously, in most cases, a cleaner/wax, cleaner/sealant, hybrid cleaner/wax or hybrid cleaner/sealant, needs to be worked over and into the surface. These are not wipe-on, wipe-off products. Part of the cleaning action comes from you either working the product over the surface and engaging the cleaning ingredients with the paint or you running an electric polisher and the polisher is engaging the cleaning ingredients against the paint.





Summary

The waxes and paint sealants in both of these groups can be great products, it just a matter of matching the right product to the condition of the paint on the car, your goals and how much time you want to invest into the project.







List of Paint Protection Products



This list is a work in progress and so far only limited to the protection products that AG offers... (now watch as someone posts, "Hey you forgot blank wax? )







Cleaner/Waxes

Menzerna Sealing Wax APO 60

Collinite Paste Sapphire Auto Wax #73SS

Mothers California Gold Original Formula Carnauba Cleaner Wax

Poorboy’s World Polish with Carnauba (BLUE)

Poorboy's World Polish with 100% Carnauba

Collinite Liquid Sapphire Auto Wax SS216





Cleaner/Sealants

XMT 360 All In One Cleaner Wax

Griot's Garage One-Step Sealant

Klasse All-In-One Polish

Duragloss Polish & Cleaner 101

Finish Kare 215 One Step Cleaner & Surface Sealant

Finish Kare 2180 Ultra Poly Wipe Sealant Conditioner

Optimum Poli-Seal

Mother's FX Synwax Paste

Mother's FX Synwax Liquid

Mother's Reflections Advanced Car Wax





Finishing Waxes

Griot's Garage Best of Show Wax

Griot's Garage Carnauba Wax Stick

Finish Kare 2685 Pink Paste Wax

Collinite Paste Fleetwax # 885

Collinite Marque D’Elegance Carnauba Paste Wax #915

Collinite Super DoubleCoat Auto Wax #476

Meguiar's Gold Class Car Wax Liquid

Dodo Juice Supernatural Wax

Dodo Juice Supernatural Wax Machine Stick

Dodo Juice Banana Armour Hard Car Wax

Dodo Juice Blue Velvet Hard Car Wax

Dodo Juice Diamond White Hard Wax

Dodo Juice Hard Candy Hard Wax

Dodo Juice Light Fantastic Soft Wax

Dodo Juice Orange Crush Soft Wax

Dodo Juice Purple Haze Soft Wax

Dodo Juice Rubbish Boy’s Juiced Edition Carnauba Wax

Dodo Juice Austintacious Soft Wax

P21S 100% Carnauba Wax

P21S Concours Carnauba Wax

S100 Carnauba Paste Wax

Mothers California Gold Pure Carnauba Car Wax

Poorboy's World Natty's Paste Wax

Poorboy's World Natty’s Paste Wax – BLUE

Poorboys World Natty’s Paste Wax – Red

Dodo Juice Supernatural Wax, 250 ml. Refillable Hardwood Pot

Collinite Liquid Insulator Wax #845





Finishing Sealants

Wolfgang Deep Gloss Paint Sealant 3.0

Klasse High Gloss Sealant Glaze

Duragloss Clear Coat Polish (CCP) #111

Finish Kare 218 Poly Wipe Sealant Conditioner

Griot's Garage Paint Sealant

Four Star Ultimate Paint Protection Boosted with Polycharger

Finish Kare 1000P Hi-Temp Paste Wax

3M Perfect-It Show Car Liquid Wax

3M Performance Finish

Meguiar's M21 Synthetic Sealant

NXT Tech Wax - Liquid

NXT Tech Wax - Paste

Liquid Glass Auto Polish

Mother's Power Wax

Poorboy's World EX-P Pure Sealant





Hybrid Cleaner Waxes/Sealants

Meguiar's Mirror Glaze #6 Cleaner/Wax

Duragloss Total Performance Polish (TPP) # 105

Meguiar's M20 Polymer Sealant

Meguiar's ColorX

Meguiar's M66 Quick Detailer

Meguiar's D151 Paint Reconditioning Cream

1Z Einszett Metallic Polish Wax

Finish Kare 2685 Pink Paste Wax





Hybrid Finishing Waxes/Sealants

Pinnacle Liquid Souveranâ„¢ Car Wax

Wolfgang Füzion Carnauba Polymer Estate Wax

3M Perfect-It Show Car Paste Wax

Mothers Reflections Advanced Top Coat

Poorboy's World EX Sealant with Carnauba

DP Max Wax

Meguiar's Mirror Glaze #26 Hi-Tech Paste Car Wax

Meguiar's Mirror Glaze #26 Hi-Tech Liquid Car Wax

Dodo Juice Blue Velvet PRO Hard Wax

Duragloss Wet Look Paste Wax

1Z Einszett Glanz Wax

Poorboy's World EX Sealant with Carnauba





Spray-on Waxes and Sealants

Wolfgang Deep Gloss Spritz Sealant

Duragloss Aquawax - 22 ounce

Duragloss Aquawax - 128 ounce

Meguiar's X-Press Liquid Wax

Meguiar's Ultimate Quik Wax

Meguiar's NXT Generation Spray Wax

Optimum Opti-Seal

Optimum Car Wax

Mother's California Gold Spray Wax

Mother's Reflections Advanced Spray Wax

Stoner Bead Max

Stoner SpeedBead One-Step Quick Wax





Wheel Waxes

Wheel Wax Glacier Polish & Sealant





~~~~~~

End

~~~~~~





As time permits I'll finish this and try to include everything as a resource to my fellow detailers.





:)
 
Again...



This list is a work in progress and so far only limited to the protection products that AG offers...





Now watch as someone posts,



Hey you forgot blank wax?







:lol
 
Mike Phillips said:
Again...



This list is a work in progress and so far only limited to the protection products that AG offers...





Now watch as someone posts,



Hey you forgot blank wax?







:lol



Where does TW Ice fall in? :think:



I found it... the trash :lol
 
Mike Phillips said:
I've been working on a new article that talks about the difference in cleaner/waxes and finishing waxes.



In the cyber world, a lot of detailing enthusiasts get very specific about words and terms, nothing wrong with that as I'm like that too but there is a time and place for balance.



AIO is the acronym used most commonly for Klasse All-in-One which is a one-step cleaner/sealant.



In general terms, it's falls into a more simplified category simply called cleaner/waxes but there's a few people that will point out that the protection ingredients are not wax-based, as in Carnauba Wax or some other naturally occurring wax, and then they're correct you for calling Klasse AIO a cleaner/wax.



As such, I started writing a new article and simple created a category called Cleaner/Sealants to make everyone happy!





All three of the below are for the most part the same type of thing,



  • Cleaner/Wax
  • All-In-One
  • One-Step

That is they are products that clean, polish and leaves some type of protection behind on the paint.





Why use an AIO?

The reason a person would choose a cleaner/wax:cleaner/sealant:one-step:all-in-one type product is to get the job done faster in one step.



Normally for production detailing you want to use a one-step product because doing two steps reduces your profit from a time point of view but also from a chemical point of view and you could even make the case that you'll use more microfibers and buffing pads, and on and on...



I posted about this the other day ago on the AG forum to a similar thread where a new member is stocking up to start detailing. One thing I've noticed over the years is people new to detailing tend to over promise by offering to do show car detailing for what should be production detailing work. Nothing wrong with that as long as you're charging for show car work and the time it takes to do show car quality work.



Anyway, here's my reply and it related to using a cleaner/wax or a cleaner/sealant.











:xyxthumbs



Thanks i like this article alot it was very helpful!
 
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