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?

YABVU. Either defrost your screen, man up and start the car when you're ready to go or, do as suggested, park further away because, unless your bags are full of bricks, walking a bit further 'in pitch black with bags' is no hardship!!

Someone used to do this outside my bloody house every day and it pissed me right off because i worked shifts.

You're being massively unreasonable. It's anti social as fuck.

I would do hot water bottles and blankets - it is illegal and that's very early.

-2 is freezing not just very cold.

That's the temp my car and phone have been telling me it has been last week when I've been going out at 6.45am.

Nonetheless, I agree I can't be annoying the neighbours with my noise.

A bit worried now reading about the water potentially damaging windscreens. I'll just need to triple layer my gloves and do a manual scrape with my torch in the other hand. Hate winter!

I put blankets over radiatiors so they are ready for my DCs to have over them in the car, so they hold the warmth for as long as it takes for the car to warm up.

Another YABU I'm afraid. Very anti social and rubbish for the environment too. I'm north Scotland so I get his cold it is but i still don't think this is a fair solution to dealing with it.

I take a hot water bottle but in cold days my engine is def running for a few minutes while I faff about demisting the window and scraping etc. My brother has a heated electric car seat cover thing. It plugs into the cigarette lighter

YANBU. They live in a residential area FFS. You need to put up with residential noise. Unless you are in the habit of complaining about them then they need to let people do life.

Get an electric car

Put the aircon on. I know it seems counter-intuitive but it clears the moisture from inside the windscreen super-quick.

I feel your pain but your neighbours are right.

De icer and a scraper is your best bet, as if its cold enough, pouring water on your windscreen can freeze pretty instantly and is even harder to scrape off, as it creates a sheet.

Take hot water bottles with you in the car?

Get de-icer instead of hot water. And put that screenwash that does to -20 in your squirters

Buy a watering can.

In the morning, fill it with hot tap water. Pour it over the windows, mirrors and lights.

The glass will not crack.

For £23 you can get a heated seat cover!!!!! You would have to fight over it though. Although vigorous scraping will warm you up loads.

Don't think there's any other solution then than just to leave as soon as I've defrosted and started the car - what like most people do?!

Seriously though OP why can't you cover the screen as others have suggested?

It’s not illegal, because the OP isn’t on a public road.

“while that vehicle is stationary on a public road”

She’s not going to be issued a ticket because she leaves her cat idle on private land serviced by a private road. A traffic warden would be trespassing trying to ticket her

I don’t think YABU AT all, I do it most school mornings too...I don’t have neighbors. But I really don’t see the problem it’s the same as someone parked up waiting for you??!!

🚗 not 🐈

Buy a windscreen cover, no ice then

P.s.

The hot water makes the glass warm, so it does not refreeze, and it dries.

@Irishgal123 would someone be waiting outside with their engine running for 15 minutes? (Illegal btw)

If you did that near my house every morning I'd probably let your tyres down*

*actually I had a neighbour who did this and I just quietly seethed and hoped someone else would let their tyres down.

Seriously though, it's really annoying and very fucking antisocial. Your neighbours all hate you.

Yes, this absolutely drives me insane. My nanna's neighbours do this all year round and sometimes it's half an hour, if I lived there I'd definitely be saying something - nanna won't let me though!

Sat stationary barely warms the car up anyway.. just put your coats on and deal with it for a few minutes.

But I really don’t see the problem it’s the same as someone parked up waiting for you??!!

You should turn your engine off for this too...