MythBusters Episode 7: "Stinky Car, Raccoon Rocket"
Air Date: December 5, 2003
A Corvette which has been fouled by a decomposing body can destroy the inside of the car.
confirmed
Pigs were placed in the car. The car was sealed with tape and placed in a container. Two months later the car was full of condensation, ‘raining’ in the car, and the seats, doorpanels, and carpets were dirty and disintegrating.
A Corvette which has been fouled by a decomposing body cannot be cleaned up enough to remove the smell completely.
plausible
With the aid of a professional cleaning company, the car was cleaned, but it is impractical to disassemble the car, because if you want to do it, you need to clean every small piece and then reassemble it. There were also uncleanable parts like the seats and they were thrown away.
A Corvette which has been fouled by a decomposing body cannot be cleaned up enough to be sold.
busted
The MythBusters did find a buyer who was willing to purchase the car for spare parts.
A hillbilly was blasted 200 feet (60 metres) out of a culvert when he tried to light gasoline in an attempt to chase down a raccoon which had wandered down the pipe.
busted
The hillbilly (Buster, a dummy) was simply lit on fire when the gasoline was ignited. The only way the alleged result of the myth was duplicated was by encasing Buster in a foam sabot and propelling him out of the culvert using gunpowder.
Newer: Episode 8: "Escape From Alcatraz, Duck Quack, Stud Finder"
Older: Episode 6: "Lightning Strikes Tongue, Tree Cannon, Beat the Breath Test"
The only thought I was left with was… you killed a pig just to make a TV show. I am not a crank… and yes I eat meat. But wow, taking a life to make a TV show. Then again, why not kill people to get control of world oil supplies
September 20, 2007 at 12:00 AMIt died of natural causes.
September 20, 2007 at 3:15 PMScenario:freezer left unplugged for 2 months in summer. Meat spoiled (really nasty). Used fomaldehyde, ran thru system for 2 weeks. Eliminated smells. Might work on stinky car. Maybe car can be saved.
September 20, 2007 at 6:35 PMIn the funeral industry we use enbalming fluid to get rid of bad odors in cars. Place 2oz of enbalming fluid in a cup that will not melt. place the cup of enbalming fluid in the car and roll the windows up for 2 days in the hot sun. This will eliminate any smell
September 20, 2007 at 10:12 PM“A Corvette which has been fouled by a decomposing body can destroy the inside of the car.”
Who wrote that, and why did it seem to make sense to them?
November 3, 2007 at 12:33 AMI am in the restoration business. it is posssible to remove the smell of death, as well as skunk or burnt flesh or anything organic in origin. Ozone is the answer. It may take a few days ,butit will get rid of the smell.
November 26, 2007 at 5:11 PMI’ve wanted to contact you for a very long time about the myth you tested and concluded that it was impossible to sale a car as if it were brand new after a cadaver had decayed within it. I live in Georgia and know of a man that actually did this very thing. They restored a car that two people had died and decayed within by putting the car inside an airtight container and replaced the air with Carbon Monoxide. This was done after the car was thoroughly cleaned with disinfectant and Deodorizers ofcourse.
December 25, 2007 at 12:11 AMthis is not a reply i need you to bust a myth for me please!because i realy love your show and well i heard about some man and he shot a snake and he wanted to set it on fire so he put it in a drain pipe so then he got some gas and when he got in the pipe he was shot out of the pipe and he was shot out 210 feet.
January 20, 2008 at 3:15 PMU should try to drive a car going at least 50 then throw it in revers. I hear it could drop the engine. also what happens to an engin when u put jet fule in it or the car in general. please just send me a tape when u make it of this. i watch your show like every other day. thank u. give it hell.
February 3, 2008 at 7:32 PMU should try to drive a car going at least 50 then throw it in revers. I hear it could drop the engine. also what happens to an engin when u put jet fule in it or the car in general. please just send me a tape when u make it of this. i watch your show like every other day. thank u. give it hell.
February 3, 2008 at 7:33 PMRyan Hilla
515 Saginaw Street
Harrison MI 48625
Could either Greg Boyle or Alex in the funeral business please post the products you have both recommended and places of purchase as i am interested in trying them. Australia has different laws on different chemicals. We are very interested in testing the case as we have a vehicle that had a body that was decomposing for 4 days in.
March 10, 2008 at 11:12 PMCheers Paul
Thank you Mythbusters for getting me hooked on your show. This was the first episode to truly turn my stomach, I haven’t stopped watching since!
March 20, 2008 at 3:54 PM