AIBU to leave my engine running for ten mins at 6.45 each morning (M-F)?

[ThreeJumpersIsNotEnough]

Neighbours have just come to the door with a Christmas card and a polite request to be more quiet in the mornings.

I usually leave at 7am to drop dd at breakfast club and get myself to work at 8am (I work Mon-Fri only - no weekends).

Now it's getting colder, the car is unbearably cold in the mornings so last week I started nipping out 10-15 mins earlier while dd was brushing her teeth so the car would be warm for us getting in and the frost/ice would be mostly melted from the window.

Neighbours have revealed that they are normally woken by me leaving most mornings at 7am but they can put up with it as I leave immediately so they are able to go back to sleep. However, they are not willing to put up with what I've been doing recently as they have found it impossible to go back to sleep having been awake for so long waiting for me to leave with the engine running ...

They have suggested I park further away from the house.

This is my first winter with these neighbours. They only moved in beginning of the year and we're polite to each other but not any more than 'hello' acquaintances. We live very rurally - just our two houses - in woodland area. Any noise carries and it is mostly silent (why I moved here - now I'm the one being a noise pest, it would appear). No street lights. 5 minute drive down our landlord's private (god awful road) onto the public road where there are other houses.

If I parked further away, that is further for me and DD to walk to the car each morning - in the pitch black - with our bags. Likewise, it is further for us to walk to the house each evening when we get back.

Not sure what the solution is. I told them I wasn't keen to park farther away (due to the above concerns) but they've asked me to give it a try at least for tomorrow. I've agreed to try it.

AIBU to ask for your ideas on what a peaceful resolution to this would be?

Confess I haven’t read all the messages but am wondering whether the neighbours of all the window scrapers are peeping through the curtains and saying “There she/he goes again with that blasted scraper. Why doesn't she/he get a de-icer spray?” (I’m sure they aren’t good for the environment)

Really annoying to be woken by an idling car. I know it’s chilly in the morning but it’s not the Arctic circle, being chilly for 10 minutes is not going to hurt you unless there are other health issues.

I don't mind sitting in the cold car but I hate the freezing steering wheel. Do any of you wear gloves because of that?

Screw that. Warm up your car. If they're THAT tired they will fall back asleep. What do they do about garbage trucks, school buses, dogs barking and birds chirping. Don't buy into your car is destroying the environment nonsense. When you see these social justice/environmental warriors suiting up and heading to the fukashima nuclear plant or cleaning up Chernobyl THEN they can bitch about your car warming up. Don't sweat it unless your muffler is damaged if not then let them get over it or buy earplugs.

A couple of minutes max should be enough to take the chill off.
But 10-15 mins is environmental and noise pollution.

It's ILLEGAL for bloody good reason!!!!!!!

Running an engine when stationary releases up to TEN TIMES the toxic pollutants and particulate matter as when the car is moving. You are literally poisoning the air.

I hate people that idle cars and your neighbours are right to be angry with you.

Utter selfishness and ignorance!

Wear hats & scarves. Keep fleece blankets in the car for you both to put over your legs and take a hot water bottle or wheat bag pre-heated in the microwave. If you're that isolated I suggest you keep on good terms with your new neighbours and give them a box of chocolates or bake them a cake as an apology.

If you want to clear your windscreen - Don't use chemicals as many idiots are advising, just run some water over your windscreen. Not hot, just cool is fine.

OMG - that is a ridiculous thing to do, both environmentally and out of consideration.

I would hate you.

Hate to break it to you @sunshine11 but sitting in a cold car for 5 minutes won't make your kids ill.....

omg are you my neighbour, i get woken every day by the same thing, it drives me mad wht people feel the need to do this, i have actually started waking up before he starts his morning ritual of engine running . my hubby goes to work at 5 and i dont hear a thing . please stop

Halfords -20 windscreen wash is very good, also can you still buy pre-icer, to be applied to the windscreen the night before?

Whenever we’ve used blankets, they’ve frozen to the windscreen .

If its realley cold a few quick wide scrapes over the screen with a credit card and run the engine for a couple of mins if that and we're away.

And can see fine too. Car quickly warms up if its not perhaps you need a new thermostat?.

I think blankets inside not outside on the windscreen.

How do you propose to keep 'em in place Onecutefox?

Dear OP
I think the consensus is YABU however, some of the comments on here are disgraceful clear your windscreen as per demist with the engine running so you can actually see where the fuck you are going safely with the kids in the car and other road users and apologise to your neighbours oh and don't beat yourself up over the out right nastiness shown on here have a merry Xmas and new year x

My neighbour does this at 6am each weekday morning. It drives me nuts. I've never told them as they are lovely neighbours but it sure grates on me!

The air con was no help demisting the windows this morning, mine doesn’t start blowing until it can blow the desired temp, I set it at the lowest temp above cooling (18) and five minutes later nothing had started happening yet as my car seems to take a long time to heat up.

Don't, for goodness sake, put warm/tepid/boiling water on your windscreen. The sudden temperature change can crack it! Can't believe people still do this

Unfortunately you are being very unreasonable here...Not something I would consider doing - from a sound pollution and an environmental pollution perspective 😔

Sorry if this has been mentioned but I think you can get timer night heaters, like what truckers use, so could set timer for 15 mins before you're due in the car?

I have to agree with everyone else here. I have two irritating neighbours, one who goes out at 4am and scrapes her car whilst running her car and then drives of killing her clutch every.damn.morning. The other across the road who leaves his car running and blares his music so loud that I can hear every audible word of “Thunderstruck” by AC/DC at 8am with the windows shut on my day off. Was not best pleased. On my early starts I use lukewarm water with a little bit of salt or de-icer and generally by the time I’m two streets down my heating is warm enough. My heater (up until recently) had broke so I put on a jacket and layers so unfortunately you might just have to do the same because as someone who experiences similar and worse behaviour it’s just unfair

@Justaboy, How do you propose to keep 'em in place Onecutefox?
What do you mean? The blankets? People had suggested to keep the blankets on the seats.

I was just answering to this - Whenever we’ve used blankets, they’ve frozen to the windscreen. Unless people really do put blankets on the windscreen then I apologise.

@kermitrulesok

What makes you think that?

Have you ever seen it, with your own eyes?

I never have, and I do it every frosty morning.