MisterSnoop- That *is* worth mentioning, how the CAIO takes a bit of work to get out of the pads! A good Pad Cleaning Product can help a lot, but yeah...still a lot of work under hot water (and wearing nitrile gloves). I always dedicate my pads to specific products, so having those "just for CAIO" wasn't unusual for me.
Bull6791- Sorry, I picked the wrong day to be offline! Lots of Qs worth discussing...
As per the above, I'd sure want some good Pad Cleaner to get the CAIO out of the pads. And it's another reason to buy more than you think you need (loaded-up pads don't work well).
I don't use the Decontamination Towels due to a concern that I'll mar my paint. Two ways I can imagine that happening:
1) if you dislodge a speck of [abrasive stuff] you won't know it, and the towel might drag that speck across the paint, causing a scratch. That's why it can take me *FOREVER* to do a Claying as I literally work inch-by-inch using tiny little pieces of clay; I want to know what's going on every second I'm rubbing that stuff against my paint (and I use plenty of Clay Lube too).
2) the towels themselves are at least slightly abrasive even when wet with Lube, which is why they are not recommended for use on decals or matte/flat/satin paint. If something can change the texture/gloss of those surfaces, then that could also do it to nice glossy paint, and I won't risk that. Note that would not be a concern on a vehicle that already needed a lot of correction.
I generally prefer Chemical Decontamination when I'm doing a full Detail. Chemical Decontamination will get the [bad stuff] out of the pores/microfissures of the paint whereas the Towels/Clay basically only remove what's up on the surface. That's why "rust blooms can seem to come back" after somebody mechanically decontaminates a contaminated vehicle.
My go-to products for ages have the ValuGard (sic) ABC system, but that's not commonly available on the consumer level. I haven't used the Stoner's product, but I'd take Setec's word for its being OK. I most recently use the Griot's Surface Prep product (through a foam cannon) followed by their Iron Remover. This approach worked OK on the vehicle I was doing, but it wasn't bad and I did think that the products could be stronger.
I'm just about to start a big Full Detailing Project on a decade-old crossover my wife wanted. Accumulatorette doesn't quite have my standards, but she does want her vehicles a whole lot nicer than the average "nicely detailed car" so I have my work cut out for me! I'm starting with the same Griot's products I used the last time, and we'll see whether I feel I have to get out the ValuGard stuff.
The Gri8ots Surface Prep can be diluted (1:10) with water and thus used without the foam cannon, if that matters to you.
In *your* case, I'd still do a little work to determine whether it actually needs decontaminated or not. If you see any rust blooms, then sure, have at it! Ditto if the "baggie test" reveals stuff stuck to the surface of the paint. If you see tar, I'd use a solvent to get it off. No point in doing unnecessary work!