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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Warming up car engines/revving MUST YOU!!!

25 replies

chegirlwithbellson · 12/12/2009 14:28

Ok I am very tired and pregnant. So may be UR but at the moment I feel murder would be justified.

I have a neighbour. He has a car. Its quite old. He gets up at between 6 and 6.30 am. His car is usually parked outside my house. Our house is set around a green (not as idylic as it sounds - this is East London).

For months (even before it was cold) he has been starting his car engine at stupid oclock and leaving it running for between 20-30mins. He has some sort of problem with his battery because it used to take him about 10 attempts to start the thing and this was a very noisy process. That appears to be resolved (took about two months) thank goodness.

He appears to be terrified that his car will explode if the engine is not given a good run every bloody morning, including weekends.

I feel for the bloke, he has to get up early to go to work, he probably has a crap job but AIBU to not want him to do this outside my frecking window every frecking morning?!!!

It wakes me up, I cant get back to sleep. Its bad enough when I have to get up a 7am anyway but at the weekends or in the holidays I could have a lie in!

I eventually cracked this am when I looked out the window at 6.34 and he wasnt even in his bloody car. He had turned it on and gone back in his bloody house.

I waited for him to come back out and said as politely as I could 'must you? Every morning, your car, driving me mental, please!!'

Ok didnt make much sense but thats all I could muster. I think the sight of a pregnant woman in a bright pink dressing gown and leopard print slippers alarmed him a bit. He managed 'sorry, yes sorry, sorry' and did look as if he had been expected someone at some point to stop.

What should I do if he doesnt? Can I slash his tyres? Acid on his bonnet? Antifreeze in his petrol tank?

OP posts:
RustyBear · 12/12/2009 14:50

When I was a child our next door neighbour nearly killed my brothers by warming up his car with the exhaust pipe just inches from the air brick in their bedroom wall. Luckily my mum came in to the room in time, but the doctor said they had been lucky.

Original poster
chegirlwithbellson · 12/12/2009 14:59

That has crossed my mind a few times Rusty. Where I used to live at lot of the accomadation was below road level i.e. basement flats. I remember this happening at least once

Thank God your mum came in and saved them.

There was a man who owned a huge truck, the type used for picking up cars. He used to park it outside my house and he also insisted on warming it up for half an hour. It was when my DD was sleeping downstairs in the front room. She was terminally ill and didnt have long to live at the time. I was so upseting to have to march out there and ask him to stop and why. He was really pissed off but even he couldnt bloody argue about it.

Is it really neccessary? My car is about 15 years old but I find a few minutes is enough to get her going.

OP posts:
SausageRocket · 12/12/2009 15:02

Go out, take the keys out of the ignition and take them into your house. Or get in it and park it around the corner so that the annoying git thinks it has been nicked [evil]

He is a nutter if he is leaving his car running and unattened for 30 mins every day. Even if it is a shit heap, it is still tempting for a joyride.

SausageRocket · 12/12/2009 15:02

unattended

Original poster
chegirlwithbellson · 12/12/2009 15:29

You are the second person to suggest that sausage. Its beginning to sound like a sound idea.

OP posts:
SausageRocket · 12/12/2009 15:30

do it.

you've asked him nicely.

SausageRocket · 12/12/2009 15:31

make sure you park it illegally so he gets clamped / towed away

Brunettelady · 12/12/2009 15:32

Yeah, I agree with sausage. You can always blame hormones!

sweetnitanitro · 12/12/2009 15:34

My parents' neighbour used to do this too, my dad just used to go out and turn the car off. The neighbour got the message in the end if yours doesn't then you might accidentally drop the keys down the drain. I know pregnancy made me very clumsy

Original poster
chegirlwithbellson · 12/12/2009 15:38

Steady on girls my pelvic floor muscles are a bit weak

Have told OH its his turn if bloke does this again. That'll learn him. My OH at 6am is enough to scare anyone off. (he is actually very nice and gentle but looks big and bad).

I might sneak in, nick his tax and then report him. They come round and tow away within minutes round here.

OP posts:
Brunettelady · 12/12/2009 15:51

The only problem is with the tax, is its all on the system so they could probably check whether he does have tax. I would love for him to look out of his window with you driving past in your bright pink dressing gown. Make sure you give him a wave as you go by.

Original poster
chegirlwithbellson · 12/12/2009 15:55

I am amazed, as ever, at the depth and breadth of knowledge on MNs. Every potential criminal act can be checked for viability

OP posts:
SausageRocket · 12/12/2009 15:56

As far as I know it is still an offence not to display a tax disc even if you are actually taxed.

Brunettelady · 12/12/2009 16:01

Is it? Oh well, just wave at him as you go past. Then when you get out, run off down the road in your leopard print slippers with his tax disc, cackling to yourself.

Original poster
chegirlwithbellson · 12/12/2009 16:02

See! So much knowledge, so much wisdom, so many evil ideas

OP posts:
Poppity · 12/12/2009 16:08

My neighbour firmly believes revving louder and louder outside our sitting room window to be a cure all for his car.

Any 'mechanics' involve him sitting in his (metallic purple with white leather seats and extra fat exhaust pipes) car with his foot on the accelerator until it sounds as if it will take off. Then he does it al over again, for about an hour, several days in a row.

Sometimes he gets a man out to do it for him.

fiveisanawfullybignumber · 12/12/2009 16:20

Some nice strips of smoked kippers pushed through the front grills of said car should do the trick. The more older and smellier they get the better.

GroundHoHoHogs · 12/12/2009 17:02

Oh God poppity how have you not shot him yet?

Poppity · 12/12/2009 17:07

I don't have a gun. Sole reason.

Poppity · 12/12/2009 17:11

Chegirl, you could get your OH to lift the back up on bricks. They did it once to a guy where I work, it tok him ages to work out why he wasn't going anywhere.

GetDownYouWillFall · 12/12/2009 17:17

You could always hire a skip and have it delivered right outside your house so he can't park there anymore, or use a few road cones (cheaper)
Seriously tho, can't he park it a bit further away?

thighsmadeofcheddar · 12/12/2009 17:17

I would calmly take the keys out of the ignition and then hurl them down the road or into someones garden.
Job done.

30 mins every morning, ridiculous! Poor you chegirl.

Original poster
chegirlwithbellson · 12/12/2009 20:55

Even when he parks further down the road, because of the way the houses are laid out, the sound travels.

I cannot be the only person he pisses off.

Thanks for further thoughts and ideas.

I cant belive I never thought of nicking the keys. Doh!

OP posts:
KristinaM · 12/12/2009 20:59

have no useful suggestions re neighbour but just wanted to say congrats on pg [waves to chegirl]

Original poster
chegirlwithbellson · 12/12/2009 21:03

Thanks Kristina

OP posts:
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