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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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

801 replies

ThreeJumpersIsNotEnough · 16/12/2018 17:21

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 ... Hmm

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?

OP posts:
ChardonnaysPrettySister · 16/12/2018 18:44

Do some people just post to be contrary?

Not OP, she's accepted she's BU with grace.

MuchTooTired · 16/12/2018 18:45

You can get heated seats that plug in to the cigarette lighter which could help warm you up? Theyre about £20 I think. Maybe a hot water bottle for your dd like PP have suggested.

bmbonanza · 16/12/2018 18:45

I'd just carry on -I would park as far away from them as I could and be as quiet as possible but if I wanted to run the engine - I do this too in the morning - I would carry on. Safer for you if it is properly defrosted. Sorry but its not exactly a major noise and they will just have to suck it up!

DasPepe · 16/12/2018 18:46

“YANBU, it’s both much more comfortable to get into a warm and, it’s better for the long term ‘health’ of the car. (Especially if it’s a diesel)“

I know there are bigger polluters out there, like factories and productions plants and farms.
BUT oh my fucking lord, if anyone ever asks why the earth is in such a shit state. Convenience

If everyone did this we’d be choking on fumes. Btw which direction is you exhaust pointing in the morning?

Ollivander84 · 16/12/2018 18:47

I start work at half 9 so I don't need to be up at 7am. When I did night shifts I was just getting into bed at 7am

IWouldPreferNotTo · 16/12/2018 18:48

I had this problem many years ago and my solution was to put one of those small oil filled electric radiators in the car with an extension lead on a timer. It warmed the inside of the car up perfectly and didn't need to leave a window open as the rubber seal around the boot was enough for the lead to get through.

themoomoo · 16/12/2018 18:49

I'd just carry on -I would park as far away from them as I could and be as quiet as possible but if I wanted to run the engine - I do this too in the morning - I would carry on. Safer for you if it is properly defrosted. Sorry but its not exactly a major noise and they will just have to suck it up
what a lovely considerate person you are.........

HugoBearsMummy · 16/12/2018 18:50

Yep sorry another U from me too. Ice scraper / de icer or a little Luke warm water on windscreen and wear a coat and blanket for your daughter. DH has an extremely noisy truck (builder) and I think our neighbours would murder us if he left it running every morning.

QuilliamCakespeare · 16/12/2018 18:50

Yes, YABU. Awful for the environment.

Canibuildasnowman · 16/12/2018 18:50

YAbu. We had a neighbour who did this ( until one of our other neighbours went batshit crazy at him afternpolotenrequests were ignored) it is really hard to get back to sleep if the noise is constant. Get in the car be cold for a couple of mins but wrap up and use a screen protector for the frost. If there’s only two of you then you really don’t want to fall out with them!

NicoAndTheNiners · 16/12/2018 18:50

Sell your car and get one with a heated front windscreen. Life changing. No scraping.....ok side windows need doing. And yeah, be cold for a few minutes until the blowers heat the car up more.

Sweetpea55 · 16/12/2018 18:51

If you park further away won't you be annoying someone else?

loveka · 16/12/2018 18:51

Whether YOU think 7 is late to be asleep is irrelevant.

Not everyone lives their lives the same. Not everyone has children at home, not everyone starts work at 8 or 9.

It is anti social to make totally unnecessary noise in the street that will wake many people just so YOU can have 5 extra minutes of warmth.

Unbelievable.

suddenlypanicked · 16/12/2018 18:51

Leave the engine on fuck em

JacquesHammer · 16/12/2018 18:52

Many jobs start 0800-0900, if I or DH were still asleep at 0700 we'd be late

I’ve never lived further than 15 mins from where I worked.

I now work for myself at home.

My DD starts school at 8.50 (used to be 8.40).

I’ve never needed to be up at 7.00am and would be irritated to be constantly woken by a neighbour

MsLexic · 16/12/2018 18:52

No I wouldn't do this, but it is such a tiny thing, I wouldn't complain if someone did. Just get some de icer spray and warm up some microwave hotties.

StrongTea · 16/12/2018 18:53

Think there is probably more to this than the car engine running. Stay in a similar set up and can honestly say I don’t hear neighbours car start and engine running.

Charmlight · 16/12/2018 18:53

Some earsore buggers on here.

Judeeee · 16/12/2018 18:54

Well aren't you the lucky one. Carry on being smug Biscuit

BoebePhuffay · 16/12/2018 18:55

Well I think YANBU. I do this too. It’s either that or drive with zero visibility as my windscreen is fogged up. I really don’t care that it’s illegal.

JacquesHammer · 16/12/2018 18:55

Well aren't you the lucky one. Carry on being smug

I don’t think that word means what you think it does...

FrangipaniBlue · 16/12/2018 18:56

My neighbour does this.

His driveway goes up the side of my house, double width drive but in winter he parks right up against the gable end of my house (which sits on the boundary) presumably to try and keep it sheltered from the frost.

At 6.30 every morning he starts it up and leaves it running for 10 minutes.

The car is literally 6ft from my bed.

The wall vibrates.

YABVVVVVVVU

suddenlypanicked · 16/12/2018 18:56

@IWouldPreferNotTo
That is a fire hazard
Hahaha oh my goodness

sonjadog · 16/12/2018 18:59

You don´t need a special frost guard. Take an old blanket, put it across the windscreen. Shut the corners in the front doors so it doesn't blow away. Job done.

In the morning, remove the blanket (windscreen is clear), use ice-scrapers to clear the side windows, the back window de-ices itself in a few minutes and then off you go.

OccasionallyIncomplet · 16/12/2018 19:00

Yes - you are unreasonable. Also you are 'quitting' the vehicle which is an offence if on a road.

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