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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

to think that if your car has a loud engine your neighbours just have to put up with it?

38 replies

BayLeaves · 16/05/2017 12:39

First we got asked if my childminder can park somewhere else when she comes at 7am, as her car has a loud engine and was waking them up.

Now we don't have a childminder anymore but we have changed our own car which also has a loud engine and leaves at 7am. It's not 5 days a week - more like 3. I haven't had any comments yet but I bumped into the neighbour today and they seemed really grumpy. I am just waiting for another passive aggressive text to complain. know they haven't actually said anything yet so I can't complain but I'm just wondering if they do complain who is being unreasonable...?

I understand it's horrible being woken up by outside noise and I've had lots of times when I've been really angry with noises waking my son up when he was a baby. However, AIBU to think if you live in a suburban with houses fairly close together and lots of car owners, don't you just have to put up with it? People have to get to work and surely when you buy a car you don't base the purchase on how quiet it will be for the neighbours?

(I should also add we don't sit on the driveway for ages revving or having the engine ticking over, it's just a loud "brum" when the engine starts up and off we go!)

OP posts:
PlymouthMaid1 · 16/05/2017 12:48

On the whole yes you have to put up with it but where I live we have a number of vans which park by my house to avoid waking their own families: that is cheeky in my mind.

HildaOg · 16/05/2017 12:53

Yabu. It's inconsiderate and anti social to needlessly wake your neighbours up at that time. There's no need to have a car with a loud engine. It's 2017, buy a normal car.

Instasista · 16/05/2017 12:54

This is hilarious. Your neighbour asked you, and potentially expects you, to park round the corner rather than on your own drive so they don't have to hear your engiene?! Shock

How else are you supposed to get to work/ wherever you are going if you can't start your car?!

LizzieMacQueen · 16/05/2017 12:55

Do you mean diesel?

Instasista · 16/05/2017 12:55

Oh yeah Hilda. OP just go out and buy a new car to please your mad neighbour. Coz that's normal 😭

Justmadeperfectflapjacks · 16/05/2017 12:56

Noise abatement orders are before 7am and after 11pm. .
Live your life and enjoy your car!!
My ds is saving for a Subaru so I will be aware of neighbours when I do get school run in it!

gleam · 16/05/2017 12:56

It's a part of living near other people, imo.

TheRealPooTroll · 16/05/2017 13:22

Gosh I wouldn't complain about anyone's car noise whatever time of the day it was. Unless they were revving it or something. People need to go to work an some people work shifts or need to leave before 7 even. It's hardly the crack of dawn. If you work yourself or have children to get ready for school you wouldn't be sleeping much later anyway surely? I'm a sahm and I have to be out of the house for 8:15 to get the children to school on time. Regardless it's a normal and unavoidable noise on a residential street.
Is your engine particularly loud? It seems picky if they've taken exception to both yours and your cms cars.

YouWouldntLetItLie · 16/05/2017 13:40

What on earth car are you driving? Confused Greased Lightning, or Chitty Chitty Bang Bang?

PatriciaHolm · 16/05/2017 13:45

Assuming you aren't revving it like a boy racer, I can't see the problem. We used to own a Subaru Impreza and a neighbour has a Mitsubishi Evo, and yes you can hear them but 7am is hardly unreasonable.

Looneytune253 · 16/05/2017 13:48

I get a little bit annoyed at one of my neighbours cars (a loud boy racer style) starting up every morning at 7am until i remember that my hubby's car is actually louder and he goes to work at 5 😂

GnatsChuff · 16/05/2017 13:55

Is it genuinely a loud engine, or has the car had modifications to make the exhaust louder? Or is the exhaust blowing? If it is because of modifications or need for maintenance YABU and should get repairs done or remove the noisy exhaust. If it is just general car noise, YANBU.

HeyHoThereYouGo657 · 16/05/2017 17:28

Your hubby goes to work in a loud car at 5.00 in the morning ?

Don't think I'd be laughing if you were my neighbours .

Original poster
BayLeaves · 16/05/2017 19:26

Not a diesel, a fairly powerful roadster/sports car as husband has a long commute so this makes the drive more comfortable/enjoyable and the childminders car was just a normal family car with a powerful engine. No modifications. 7am, not 5am!

OP posts:
blueskyinmarch · 16/05/2017 19:31

Cars are just normal living noise. You cannot expect anyone to change their car just because they leave for work early. This place is hilarious sometimes. Grin

NapQueen · 16/05/2017 19:34

A bog standard car making bog standard noise really isnt complaint worthy. A noisy sports car which is being left running or being revved is a pita.

Slightly jeal that your CM picked the kids up!!

onemouseplace · 16/05/2017 19:39

My next door neighbour has a ridiculously loud engine, but doesn't leave at anti-social hours so we find it more amusing than anything else ("X is off out again", sort of thing).

We also live on a road a couple of streets away from the bus garage, so the bus drivers often park up near us before their shift. There are couple who drive up and park up and then sit and listen to their really fucking unnecessarily loud car stereos at stupid o'clock for 5 mins before they leave to start their shift - that is anti-social.

Looneytune253 · 17/05/2017 07:43

hey what else was he supposed to do? Not go to work haha.

kmc1111 · 17/05/2017 11:52

I never understand why light sleepers think everyone should be deathly quiet just because they wake up at the slightest noise. A certain amount of noise is to be expected if you live with and around other people, if you can't sleep through that that's your problem to handle.

strikhedonia · 17/05/2017 12:02

As long as the car is being used reasonably, it's unpleasant for the neighbours but that's life.

What is not reasonable are:
Starting your car and leaving it running for 10 minutes
Revving like a lunatic
Being in your car with very loud music on - we can hear you
Being in your car to make phone calls (hand free) - it's so loud, the whole neighborhood can hear your conversation. I am always amazed that people don't seem bother to share their private conversation with the world.

At 7am, I would try no to slam the doors too much, but I would start the car and drive away. (at 5am too if I need to drive anywhere)

HeyHoThereYouGo657 · 17/05/2017 12:03

Looneytune . Point taken Grin

Was in a bit of a mardy mood yesterday . Sorry

Chillidawg · 17/05/2017 12:16

DH leaves for work at 7 and drives an air cooled vehicle - if you've never heard an air cooled engine, well lucky you!
Neighbour's are renovating their house and sleeping in a caravan on their front so probably about 12 feet away from the engine.

It's tough caboodles here though - we put up with their hangover induced rows, noisy dog and shouted telephone conversations. Swings and roundabouts. At least DH drives away, their dog is there 24/7.

SoupDragon · 17/05/2017 12:23

Tossers down the road have poncey low slung souped up "ordinary" cars with engines that sound like F1 racers. I dream of persuading the council to install full on speed bumps down the road so they get stuck. (The road is quiet and not a through road so they won't put them in though)

In reality I just roll my eyes at how unneighbourly it is in a quiet residential road.

AwaywiththePixies27 · 17/05/2017 12:25

a fairly powerful roadster/sports car as husband has a long commute so this makes the drive more comfortable/enjoyable and the childminders car was just a normal family car with a powerful engine.

So it's a sports car? Yes I can see why the neighbours pissed off because they are as noisy as fuck but I'd just quietly seethe about it, I wouldn't be telling you park on the corner.

AwaywiththePixies27 · 17/05/2017 12:26

PlymouthMaid1 do you live on my street? Grin We've got a whole bloody cul de sac that parks all their bloody vans and minibuses and other stuff outside our houses so they dont wake their own families up.

Perfectly okay to wake ours up at ungodly hours though! Hmm