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AIBU?

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Original poster

How can this be allowed?

141 replies

BadAmbassador · 25/09/2025 00:12

This is my very first AIBU!

I’m afraid I’m turning into THAT neighbour - help 🤣

I live in a quiet residential street, houses with families, houses on my side are quite close to the road ie not far back at the end of a long drive.

11.15 this evening, really loud engine/mechanical noise started up outside my house, across the street. The kind of noise that would wake you up if you were asleep.

Looking outside - there’s a big van with the side door open, engine running, interior bright light on, man inside doing something to a tyre on a very noisy piece of equipment.

Evidently he’s repairing someone’s car tyre in situ (as posed to them taking it to a garage), so an emergency call out service for people who don’t have a spare tyre.

I went outside to see what was happening because it was so loud. Gave man in van a very hard stare which he ignored for quite a while 🤣 He carried on another 10 mins or so, eventually seemed to realise I was still there and turned off the noisy machine - he’d left it going while he was fiddling with the tyre. Engine still running of course. So 15 minutes of very loud, intrusive noise - like having roadworks outside your house at night when you’re in bed.

Is that acceptable? It’s not a busy high street with loads of traffic noise, it’s not a main road or a motorway. I know you can’t help where you break down but surely there are bye laws about loud noise after 11pm and this is just really inconsiderate?

it wasn’t a lone woman driver being helped btw it was a man. He stood and had a loud chat with the mechanic in the middle of the road before driving off - cheers for that, now know exactly where the mechanic is based 🤣

Is it me? Why is it me? 😭

I saw curtains twitching but I was the only one who went out - if he hadn’t finished the job when he did I would have gone over to say something. And I’m small, shy and non confrontational but this was Very Annoying!

However I HAVE reached the age/life stage of not giving a fuck 🤣

I dunno, what’s normal behaviour any more? One person’s convenience for a street full of people having a broken night’s sleep? Woken babies?

Storm in a tea-cup? Shut up and put up? Angry mob with pitch forks?

Help me Mumsnet! 🤣

OP posts:
Kittybakes89765 · 25/09/2025 11:59

Thank God im a women so it would have been acceptable for me to get a car repair 🤣

Cottagecheeseisnotcheese · 25/09/2025 11:59

@BadAmbassador it is entirely possible that the person concerned had rang for the emergency at 7-8pm and was not a priority, as not on a motorway and so service took 3-4 hours to reach them after initial request. If you have a breakdown and a flat tyre is a breakdown it can take anything from 1-6 hours for someone to reach you. Many people have a home start service so if your battery or tyre is flat they will come and get you going it's not just for breakdowns during travel it's a 24/7 service. It's roughly people seen in order though priority is given to breakdowns blocking traffic then people with someone vulnerable with them or alone.

Original poster
BadAmbassador · 25/09/2025 11:58

Thanks for all your comments every one. Clearly it is allowed, it's what happens these days, it's normal and to be expected and I was unreasonable in the extreme.

For all those concerned about the mechanic - I was exaggerating about the 10 minutes staring - and I can reassure you that he was completely untroubled by me standing in the dark across the road looking at him. He was a big bloke who looked like he could manage himself quite well.

If it happens again I'll know what to expect. I had no idea what was going on - we've had late night road repairs nearby recently but this was much louder - there were flashing lights - was wondering at first if there was a burst water main or something.

I don't think I was unreasonable to want to go and see what was going on but I was completely unreasonable to question whether this should be allowed. I had never heard of it or seen it before, but now I know and understand why people need this. I know it doesn't take too long if it happens again.

I don't think it was a neighbour, a lot of people use this road to park. I'm very nice to my neighbours.

I'm just a quiet person who dislikes sudden unexplained loud noises late at night. I'm not a shouty aggressive person who likes to cause trouble or stop other people dealing with their emergencies.

AIBU has not disappointed - I have roundly had my arse handed to me 😆

I think I'm going to leave it there now and hide the thread.

OP posts:
notacooldad · 25/09/2025 11:54

I would have been annoyed, churnned to my self but accepted the situation, knowing it was a temporary thing, it wasnt going to last that long, once the repair was done the job would be finished and it was a one off.
Shit happens someti.es and as we do t live in isolation we have to put up with minor inconveniences from timto time.

Another time it could be you having aproblem and needing help.

Silvers11 · 25/09/2025 11:52

BadAmbassador · 25/09/2025 11:42

This is a good point. I was surprised this that was an acceptable thing now but going by the replies, most people would not bat an eyelid at the noise or even want to find out what it was, so I am unusually fussy and definitely unreasonable.

Show quote history

It's not initially 'acceptable' to most of us at that time of night - and you wouldn't be the only one to wonder what on earth was going on at the beginning. But these things happen and a one of repair thing was very understandable. Most new cars don't have spare tyres any more and you can't drive on flat tyres without risk of causing more damage to the whole wheel.

During the day, when we had a flat, our breakdown service man, put a spare wheel and tyre on our car - then followed my husband in his van while he drove to the nearest tyre replacement place and then took his spare wheel and tyre back to his van before he left. At that time at night, not possible to do and from what you said it wasn't even a neighbour, but someone who had being visiting a neighbour?

So annoying, absolutely, YANBU for that part at all - but you were being unreasonable to make such a fuss about it, once you realised what was going on.

tripleginandtonic · 25/09/2025 11:50

Can't believe you're complaining about it OP. It was an emergency. Yabu.

Original poster
BadAmbassador · 25/09/2025 11:49

Lanzarotelady · 25/09/2025 08:18

I only hope OP none of your neighbours have reason to call an ambulance in the middle of the night, you will be put out with a siren and flashing lights won't you.

I do hope you can recover from your awful ordeal.

I suggest a lie down in a darkened room in order to recover from your long hard stare at a man trying to help another man out with an emergency.

I'm very grateful for your concern., thank you. I hope you have also enjoyed telling me off! All is well.

OP posts:
Original poster
BadAmbassador · 25/09/2025 11:46

persisted · 25/09/2025 05:43

I’ve been dropped off by a massive recovery lorry before. Reversed down the street, spent 10 minutes clanking about getting the car off. Chat about the paperwork and what needs to happen. It was after 11pm on a Saturday.

If anyone had come out to have a go I’d have told them to sod off. I was well aware it wasn’t ideal having spent 6 hours waiting in a car park for him.

As I said, I would not have had a go, I'm not a have a go kind of person. I would have asked politely how long it was going to take. Now that I've seen how it's done and how long it takes, I won't need to ask if it ever happens again.

OP posts:
Original poster
BadAmbassador · 25/09/2025 11:42

FreyjaOfTheNorth · 25/09/2025 04:37

Since you were awake anyway, it’s hardly worth getting worked up about.

One day that might be you that needs an emergency tire repair or replacement late at night and you need to get to work/get to the hospital to visit a dying family member, etc.

This is a good point. I was surprised this that was an acceptable thing now but going by the replies, most people would not bat an eyelid at the noise or even want to find out what it was, so I am unusually fussy and definitely unreasonable.

OP posts:
Original poster
BadAmbassador · 25/09/2025 11:39

DaisyChain505 · 25/09/2025 10:38

It was a one off. Going outside was OTT.

Maybe. Like I said though, at first I needed to see where the noise was coming from and what was happening - I had to go outside to do this as there was a van outside my house partially blocking the view. I'm happy with my actions though. The AIBU was more about the getting annoyed and clearly I am BU to get annoyed. I'm allowed to take an interest in something that is disturbing the whole street.

OP posts:
Original poster
BadAmbassador · 25/09/2025 11:37

FastFood · 25/09/2025 11:12

It's a one off, for 15 minutes, really not the end of the world.
Going outside and staring without saying anything is quite rude though.

Possibly. I think when you're aware that you're making a very loud noise late at night outside people's houses you're probably used to people looking at you. As I said it was dark and I wasn't even on the same side of the street. And he was no doubt handsomely rewarded for his time and trouble.

OP posts:
Original poster
BadAmbassador · 25/09/2025 11:34

ARichtGoodDram · 25/09/2025 04:29

Presumably they could get a taxi, which would be the more polite thing to do.

Presumably you can both easily get a taxi and easily afford a taxi... not always the case.

I'm pretty sure the taxi would be cheaper than a call out charge for the tyre service - unless he was driving to another city or something. But then yes, he's still have to go back and get the car the next day so more inconvenient or extra cost eventually.

OP posts:
FastFood · 25/09/2025 11:12

It's a one off, for 15 minutes, really not the end of the world.
Going outside and staring without saying anything is quite rude though.

godmum56 · 25/09/2025 10:42

Negroany · 25/09/2025 00:49

My car doesn't have a spare, so not "every other car".

Show quote history

mine either.

DaisyChain505 · 25/09/2025 10:38

It was a one off. Going outside was OTT.

Balloonhearts · 25/09/2025 10:38

Well what did you expect him to do, sit there until morning? You can't drive on a flat. Sometimes cars break down and vehicle recovery/emergency repair is noisy.

BetterOffNow · 25/09/2025 10:36

Darragon · 25/09/2025 00:29

Well given that there are noise laws in the UK and restrictions on how late noisy work can be done, no, the OP wasn’t being unreasonable. The flat tyre should have waited until morning or quietly switched out for a spare like every other flat tyre in the UK at night. Or are you going to weave us a tale that the poor neighbour was an on call surgeon with no spare tyre and access to a taxi?!

Show quote history

Maybe they had an early start so it needed to be done in the evening?
Maybe they had a motorway journey to do in the morning so the spare wouldn't be sufficient (most are only OK up to 50mph)
It sounds like it's a one off - really no need for OP to be so cross.
Heaven forbid someone would need emergency services in the evening, she'd have to stare at them for their noisy sirens!

SprayWhiteDung · 25/09/2025 10:26

As regards the complaints about the repairman leaving the noisy machinery going throughout... as well as it taking longer to keep starting and stopping it when needed, it's often actually more annoying to others that way.

There's a horrible noise, then thankfully it stops. Then it's noisy again, then it goes away. Then it's back again. Many people would find it infuriating and feel on edge, and wonder 'just how long are they going to keep doing this for?'.

A single constant annoying noise for 10-15 minutes that is then stopped and doesn't return is probably much easier for most others to rationalise and cope with - especially as they don't know the full story about what is going on outside and how long it will take before it's fully dealt with unless they're standing there intently, twitching the net curtains and staring and giving the professional the evils.

Highlighta · 25/09/2025 10:16

I dunno, what’s normal behaviour any more?

I think your tolerance level is what the issue is.

Tubestrike · 25/09/2025 10:12

MidnightMeltdown · 25/09/2025 01:00

Presumably they could get a taxi, which would be the more polite thing to do.

It’s not an ambulance. It doesn’t need to be fixed right away.

Show quote history

How do you know that it didn't need to be fixed right away. There are many reasons that someone needs their car to be working and a taxi is not an option.
Sounds like it was a one off , live and let live, we're all inconvenienced at some point.

CoralOP · 25/09/2025 10:11

I assume that as the time he managed to get his tyre fixed was unsuitable to you then you offered him a lift to work the next day and helped rearrange the fix for a time that was better for you...?

YABVU, fair enough if he was a dickhead of a neighbour always revving his car but the bloke has a flat tyre and someone has come to fix it at the only time they could.

GoldDuster · 25/09/2025 10:09

However I HAVE reached the age/life stage of not giving a fuck 🤣

I would suggest that maybe, you have not.

didgeridid · 25/09/2025 10:05

It would annoy me but it's tough luck. Someone needed a tyre repair so had to get it done. He can't help that he broke down at night. Cars don't come with spares anymore so he can't do it himself

BitOutOfPractice · 25/09/2025 10:04

Annoying but a one off for understandable reasons. YABU.

Changedforcontroversialpost · 25/09/2025 10:02

Annoying but most likely a one off, move on. If it happens again then go and say something.