YouTubers love to ruin their muscle cars on purpose. But this 2018 Dodge Challenger needed some TLC not because its owner was in search of clout, but because it was a daily driver. That's right, a muscle car that gets used through snowstorms and salty roads.
Because muscle cars go hand in hand with being "American," we tend to forget how popular they are North of the border. Like many of its rivals, the Dodge Challenger is a local hero in Canada, being assembled at the Brampton factory in Ontario. No wonder they made the GT AWD model!
Car-cleaning expert The Detailing Geek is also based in Canada and recently got involved with a dirty Dodge. No, not the town in Iowa or even a pickup truck, but a 2018 muscle car that had seen better days. You can tell the owner loves his car. It's not banged up or anything, though the paint is barely visible under the dirt and road salt that's caked onto it. The detailing specialist believes it hasn't been washed a single time this winter.
Power-washing the exterior is obviously going to be the first step, though this can be a bit more challenging in freezing conditions. The low temperatures make work a little more difficult and turn the workshop into a slippery, foamy mess. Is it worse for the paint to wash it with water that's going to freeze or leave the salt on? What do you guys think?
The real detailing job comes only after that. An undercarriage washer takes the salt off, while the rest of the body gets hand-scrubbed. With that out of the way, work focuses on the interior. The cloth seats, carpets, and trunk are all covered in dog hair and grime. Cleaning that up is the closest thing car people will ever get to ASMR content, the relaxing stuff you watch before trying to get to sleep.
Apparently, the carpets in the Challenger are really good for cleaning, and the paint holds up to the weather. So if you live somewhere dirty or cold and want a muscle car, this might be the one to get. Also, you don't need a Subaru if you have a dog; get a V8 muscle car, it will be fine.
Mihnea's favorite cars have already been built, the so-called modern classics from the '80s and '90s. He also loves local car culture from all over the world, so don't be surprised to see him getting excited about weird Japanese imports, low-rider VWs out of Germany, replicas from Russia or LS swaps down in Florida. Full profile
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