Page 3 | Report neighbours, idling cars on drive

Ginglymostomatidae · 2022-12-12T06:48:49+00:00

Our neighbour has 2 prius cars. Instead of taking then for a drive, he'll turn the car on, and let it idle on the drive for around 15 mins each car. Its always at anti social hours and it wakes us everytime. This morning he done this at 4.20am and I've been awake ever since and I'm exhausted. He's done this at 2.45am on a Sunday morning before, and nearly always on a weekday. He WFH. Would you report? And where?

Aprilx · 12/12/2022 07:56

Ginglymostomatidae · 12/12/2022 07:35

I have mentioned it - he tells me he has to, because of the engine. He's been doing this every week, for the 3 years we've lived here.

He works from home. He rarely leaves the house.

It does make a noise, as explained above, it's a hybrid.

It waskes us, because we live in bungalows, and the nature of his drive means its right next to my bedroom window

So he runs his car and then goes back into the house without driving anywhere? Very weird.

AiryFairyLights · 12/12/2022 07:56

Ginglymostomatidae · 12/12/2022 07:35

I have mentioned it - he tells me he has to, because of the engine. He's been doing this every week, for the 3 years we've lived here.

He works from home. He rarely leaves the house.

It does make a noise, as explained above, it's a hybrid.

It waskes us, because we live in bungalows, and the nature of his drive means its right next to my bedroom window

If you have spoken about it with him in the post can you ask him to do it during the day in future?
Tbh is been 3 years - why is it upsetting you now after all this time?

ImTheOnlyUpsyOne · 12/12/2022 07:58

I wouldn't even be able to hear a prius driving down the road, so I find this very odd that it's disturbing you so much

tulips27 · 12/12/2022 08:06

I know how you feel, @Ginglymostomatidae , it's 5:45 in front of my house but that is for the person's job so there's nothing I can do. It is frustrating because for me that person is parking under/in front of my bedroom too when they could park in front of their own. He's not my neighbour, he lives five or six houses away but I suspect they have complained so he started parking in front of my place instead.

icelolly12 · 12/12/2022 08:08

Report someone running their own car engine for 15 minutes on their own property? No this really isn't a thing 😂

Morechocmorechoc · 12/12/2022 08:09

It's antisocial and a detriment to your quality of life and therefore it is reportable. No different to fireworks banging. If he isn't using it at that time he can do it during day time hours. Google noise nuisances I think it points you to the council.

Hereward1332 · 12/12/2022 08:09

Totally wrong to run it at antisocial hours, but there is a good reason for what he's doing.

Hybrids have two batteries - one to power the car, a smaller 12v battery to power the electrics. If he doesn't drive often, the small battery can go flat physically locking him out of his car. It needs to be charged regularly, and this idling is actually the recommended way to do it.

icelolly12 · 12/12/2022 08:13

Google noise nuisances I think it points you to the council.

Pretty sure the Council have bigger fish to fry with actual anti social behaviour and noise disturbances... also they will just request that you reach out to your neighbour as a first point of contact to resolve it yourself.

WhaleInAManger · 12/12/2022 08:15

Would people really idle their cars at those unsociable hours to defrost them?

Nope. I wouldn't scrape at that time, either - except as an emergency one off.

If I were regularly having to de-ice the car at 4.20am, I'd be getting a windscreen insulating cover and a couple of dehumidifier packs for preventing mist inside the car.

Pipsquiggle · 12/12/2022 08:16

If it has been going on for 3 years, I think you have to be specific about hours which won't impact your sleep E. G. Between 7am and 11pm. Be as flexible as possible so that if he says 'no' it's really obvious that he is being the dickhead

Point out where your bedroom is.

If he still says no, then it's about documenting everything and raising to the noise department at the council

tulips27 · 12/12/2022 08:25

@ That's interesting to learn, but why couldn't he do it after 6:30/7?

tulips27 · 12/12/2022 08:26

Sorry, I see you agreed it is a bit antisocial.

lieselotte · 12/12/2022 08:29

My mum's neighbour used to do this, not quite so early but maybe 6am. She asked him not to, but he said he had to warm the engine up before he drove it! Not in the 2000s you don't! And not in the summer too. He moved away eventually.

I can de-ice my car in a couple of minutes with a scraper and the blowers going, and I have a hybrid car. It really doesn't take that long. Especially if you think ahead and stick something like an old sheet over the windscreen so that doesn't need doing!

I have no idea why people say they have to run hybrids on their driveways for maintenance. Just take it round the block for a drive!

Blip · 12/12/2022 08:33

This is bizarre and doing it in the early hours of the morning seems pretty inconsiderate. I don't understand the need to do it at all though?

Can any Prius owner explain?

lieselotte · 12/12/2022 08:33

Hybrids have two batteries - one to power the car, a smaller 12v battery to power the electrics. If he doesn't drive often, the small battery can go flat physically locking him out of his car. It needs to be charged regularly, and this idling is actually the recommended way to do it

Well perhaps if you never drive the car (in which case, why bother having it). I keep hearing this about hybrids but nobody has ever told me I need to do this with mine (also a Toyota but not a Prius), and it wasn't used for weeks at a time during the covid lockdowns.

LlynTegid · 12/12/2022 08:33

The other thing you could do is seek the advice of the local Toyota dealer, which no doubt will be that it is unnecessary, get a printout of the relevant page of the users guide, and stick it to the car window with glue.

Alreadyxmas · 12/12/2022 08:42

There's no such thing as starting a car at unsociable hours. People are free to do what they want when they want, within reason. Starting a Prius is reasonable, it's not a bloody monster truck. If you are having sleep problems then you need to move or wear earplugs.

DunkingMyDonuts · 12/12/2022 08:43

He sounds a complete berk. Nothing you can do with those utterly selfish (and if he is doing it at 2.45am) complete weirdos

Bournetilly · 12/12/2022 08:43

If he’s not going anywhere/ de icing the car there’s no reason he needs to do it at that time. Why can’t he do it during the day? I would report him seeing as you’ve already spoken to him.

ImAvingOops · 12/12/2022 08:44

You can't reasonably tell your neighbour what he can/cannot do with his own car on his own drive. I doubt that the noise a Prius makes is anywhere near loud enough to be considered anti social. Those noise rules are for people playing loud music all night or drilling holes in the wall at 3am!
Get done ear plugs and be grateful that this is the worst thing your neighbour does!

BringMeTea · 12/12/2022 08:50

I would be enraged by this. What a prick.

Flapjackquack · 12/12/2022 08:58

Depending on your council OP, some have phone lines specifically for this purpose. If yours don’t I would contact the dept that deals with noise complaints. It’s not only a noise nuisance but unnecessary pollution too. My council specifically have a campaign at the moment to cut down on people idling.

GrumpyPanda · 12/12/2022 08:59

It's not a choice between scraping and idling. He can get an electric engine block heater - they only cost a few pounds and don't make any noise. If ge has a power supply on his drive, as he must if he's charging the car at home, it can be programmed to come on an hour before he has to leave. Maybe OP should simply get him one for Christmas?

GrumpyPanda · 12/12/2022 09:00

GrumpyPanda · 12/12/2022 08:59

It's not a choice between scraping and idling. He can get an electric engine block heater - they only cost a few pounds and don't make any noise. If ge has a power supply on his drive, as he must if he's charging the car at home, it can be programmed to come on an hour before he has to leave. Maybe OP should simply get him one for Christmas?

To add - engine block heaters is what all my neighbours used back when i was living in Sweden for a few years.

Quveas · 12/12/2022 09:04

Your neighbour, who works from home, gets up in the middle of the night when it is cold and dark, to go out and start his car and leave it idling. I am in awe of this resilience. I'm struggling to think up a good reason to go outside during the day, never mind at 4am.