Is ABCing necessary if?

[shooter112]

I am new to detailing and as someone once told me "A little knowledge is dangerous". I am detailing a 16 year old black Dodge 2500 Ram diesel pickup with approximately 300,000 miles. The truck has not been neglected but not treated as well as many of you keep your daily rides. My plan is to first clay the truck then use Wolfgang`s Uber Compound followed by Wolfgang`s Finishing Glaze followed by Wolfgang`s Deep Gloss Paint Sealent then possibly apply two coats of carnauba wax ( P21S). I will using a Porter Cable DA for all the work but the waxing stage. Finally, I will get to my question is ABCing necessary and if so which brands do you recommend?Thanks for you help.

[Accumulator]

shooter112- Welcome to Autopia!


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"ABC" is a brandname, it`s the decontamination system sold by ValuGard.` While I`m a big proponen of the stuff, and I would use it, NO it`s not absolutely mandatory unless there`s a significant contamination issue, stuff that needs to be neutralized as opposed to merely cleaned off (as with clay).` So while it`s arguable that you probably should use the ABC, it`s not like you have to for things to turn out OK.


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BTW, I wouldn`t do the sealant + wax combo, I`d just pick one product and use it by itself.` And FWIW#2, on a black truck I`d want something that lasts a really, *really* long time.

[Junebug]

16 years old and that big, unless you are skipping your cross fit class (lol) I would just keep it easy. Wash, clay, 3D Adapt or Meg`s D300, and a decent sealer.

[Junebug]

I would like to add, last summer I detailed a Dodge 2500C with quad cab, 4x4, black and did I mention it was 2005? Did I mention it was grimy and after cleaning crud off I discovered waterspots from years past. It was a long detail and if you are an overweight middle aged redneck like me, then you know what a be-otch it felt like. Oh and did I mention it was in the mid 90`s and a might on the humid side.

But, I was as proud as a nerd scoring the winning touchdown and bangin the head cheer leader when the truck was done. The owner was speechless, seriously, I gave him the numbers and he said I didn`t charge him enough.

Those are the moments that make it worth it!

[shooter112]

Thanks for the reply`s.


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I am not a overweight middle aged redneck, more of a senior aged redneck.


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I don`t mind putting the time and effort into the job but I don`t want to do any more than is necessary. I know it will never look like it did when I bought it in 1997 but I still want it to look good.


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Maybe I should start on my wife`s white Mazda 6 first. She isn`t as particular as I am.

[Accumulator]

shooter112- Doing the Mazda first might be a good idea.` White is generally very easy so that`d be a means of ramping up slowly.


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Heh heh, as a "senior aged redneck" you should be able to do both vehicles OK, but that truck *will* be a job-o`-work.

[shooter112]

I`ve spend 2 days detailing the truck several times over the years but I was doing the job by hand and I was a little younger then. I usually detail my wife`s car first because by the time I am done with the truck, I`ve had as much fun as I can handle. I am hopeing the new PC will make it easier and give me better results.


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By the way, I have been reading about the Nanoskin Autoscrub pads. Would these be better to use than the Clay?

[David Fermani]

ABC isn`t mandatory, but sure does make for a great prep to a 16 year old truck!`

[Accumulator]

shooter112- The Nanoskin pads are very popular with many people (not with me, though I`ve never tried them).`


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Eh, if I thought it were that contaminated I`d ABC it, but it`s easy for me to spend your money.`


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FWIW, the more I think about this, and it reminds me of the *VERY*-used `00`Tahoe that`I resurrected for my daily dog-hauler, I think that I would spend the $ for the ABC.` ABCing is basically just doing three washes, and IMO that`s by far the easiest way to decontaminate a big vehicle that needs serious work.

[David Fermani]

Not to mention a good dose of clay-barring.`

[LawrenceSA]

My opinion is that if you are able to remove the harder contaminants through a chemical process (ABC, Iron-x, dedicated tar removers etc) then there will be less chance of dragging them over the paint when claying. This will not only reduce the chance of clay induced marring, but will also prolong the life of your clay as it will not load up as quickly with contaminants.


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Furthermore, claying will only shave off the portion of the contaminant that protrudes above the paint.....in the case of ferrous compounds such as brake dust which may have sintered INTO the paint, this leaves some of the contamination in the paint. Surely if you are going to go through all the effort of decontaminating the paint, correcting and then sealing it, it makes sense to completely remove ALL the contamination, as opposed to `locking it in`?


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In an environment where the better the preparation of the paint surface the better your LSP bonds (and therefore lasts), the more optical clarity you get etc..... to me a full decontamination is a no-brainer.

[Meticulous]

Like others have said I would it probably needs a really good decon to start and ensure the polishing and sealing steps are maximized. A good strong wash like Chemical Guys Citrus Wash n Gloss or Dawn, Iron X or other iron remover, clay or nanoskin, compound/polish, sealant.


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You are using the PC; what side pads are you using? I find that 5.5 work much better with the PC. Anything bigger then that and you will have a hard time correcting. Also you are using WG Paint Sealant, which has a 12 hr cure time, are you going to top with 2 coats of wax right after application? I would go with WG Paint sealant and then top with wax the next day.

[shooter112]

Thanks I guess I will be adding the denomination to the list of things to do. Which brand do you all recommend ? I am using 5.5" pads. I plan on leaving it sit overnight after sealing then waxing. Thanks again for the help.

[Accumulator]

shooter12- I`d layer the sealant before using the wax, but then *I* probably wouldn`t use the wax period