The car detailing Facebook account Scrub showed off a purportedly abandoned 1988 Cadillac Coupe DeVille covered in dust. However, social media users think there’s something off about the classic sedan, specifically that it’s been made to appear in worse shape than it really is.
“Last plated in 2003, I believe,” the Facebook user says at the top of the video. As he narrates about the car, footage shows the Cadillac’s dismal condition, along with the extensive cleaning process it underwent.
From the onset, the ride looks like it was trapped in Shelob’s lair from “The Lord of the Rings”. That’s because it’s entirely covered in what looks like dust bunnies and cobwebs. A low-level pressure wash is applied to the hood, and the grime comes off, revealing the car’s red coat of paint.
“Wait ‘tll you guys see the interior of this car,” the Scrub content creator remarks.
Next, footage of the ride’s exterior window panel being vacuumed appears on screen. Then, the vehicle restoration specialists work on the remaining windows and half of the vinyl hood and body. After being sprayed down and having some of the accumulated foliage wiped off by hand, it receives a coating of a soapy cleaner. Following this, the detail team then begins wiping the DeVille down with lint-free cloths before it’s sprayed yet again.
A 37-Year-Old Cadillac With a Spotless Interior
Although the narrator says the DeVille had been abandoned for 22 years, its interior appears to have been impeccably cared for. This could mean that the car detailers left the “before” section of the car’s interior out of the video, or the car was kept in a temperature-controlled, air-tight, sealed container with zero moisture in its cabin.
The ride sports spotless white leather seats with a two-tone maroon aesthetic. At the end of Scrub’s video, its resplendent inside is shown off, looking like it probably did when it sat on Cadillac showroom floors in 1988.
In the post’s caption, Scrub provided further details on the Cadillac. According to the account, the Cadillac was “abandoned” and had 35,000 miles on its original engine.
Commenters Were Dubious
While there were throngs of people who found it pleasant to watch the car get cleaned, some didn’t think that Scrub was being entirely honest about the vehicle.
“Y’all just throwing dirt and dust on these but still satisfying to watch,” one penned. Another Facebook user sarcastically replied, “That dirt kept the paint pristine! Who knew…”
Others took Scrub at their word. One commenter speculated that the Cadillac was in such good condition because it was stored indoors. According to them, any of the flotsam and jetsam gathered on the vehicle stored inside cleans off easily, and it’s the outdoor elements that damage the exterior. “As long as it’s stored inside, that dust won’t scratch a thing,” they said.
Pristine Paint Job: Sun Protection
Preserving paint is one of those frustrating parts of maintaining a vintage vehicle. Drive, along with vehicle detailing websites Envirowash Solutions and McDowells Repair, reports that the sun is public enemy number one when it comes to paint damage. Thus, the car coat preservation aficionados recommend keeping cars indoors. But they also note that garage parking isn’t a cure-all solution.
McDowells adds that some colors fade in sunlight more than others, naming red as one of the biggest culprits when it comes to sun damage.
While it may preserve the paint, Presidential Detailing, another car cleaning company, notes that keeping one’s vehicle in a garage also has potential downsides. For instance, sunny and humid climates, such as Florida, can lead to a buildup of moisture. Sunlight and heat can seep into the garage from any windows or cracks as well. This, combined with any water buildup, can not only eat away at a car’s paint but also create a greenhouse petri dish inside a vehicle’s cabin, which could eat away at the interior’s fixtures.
Motor1 previously reported on a rather gnarly instance where a Range Rover owner left their car unattended for a week, only to come back to find it teeming with mold. And the conditions his SUV was subjected to featured many of the same variables as indoor-parked rides that Presidential Detailing mentioned on its website.
So if a garage isn’t an option, there are other ways to preserve your paint. Ceramic coating and regular washes can go a long way to ensuring your car keeps looking fresh. Drive writes, “Just a simple soap and water wash is often enough to maintain healthy paint.”
Motor1 has reached out to Scrub for further comment via Facebook direct message. We’ll update this if they respond.
