Car engine left on for hours

[Springg]

Hi,
I'm not sure in what category to place this concern.
My neighbour leaves his car engine on for hours at the time( he is driving a semi old sports car). This is taken place in our shared private underground indoor carpark and I'm worried about the poisonous air this is creating and potential danger to leave the car unattended in this manner.
Can anything be done?

[DreadPirateRobots]

Why is he doing it?

Have you asked him to stop?

[Tulipvase]

It’s illegal to do both things. Whether anyone will do anything though….. Do you know why he does it?

Do you have a management company you could report him too?

[crochetmylifeaway]

Are you sure it's the engine and not the cooling system? These can go on and off for quite a period of time after a car is turned off.

[TwigTheWonderKid]

It's illegal to idle an engine or leave a car running and unattended on the public highway but if this is private property I'm not sure what you can do apart from talking to your neighbour.

[sofasofa42]

I would leave a note on his window explaining your concerns .

[Springg]

Today I found a letter in his car window " car engine on to charge the battery".
It would be interesting to know if anything can be done? They charge people for putting their recycling in the wrong place so how can a car be allowed to be on all night unattended on a regular basis?
it shouldnt make a difference if its on a public road or private carpark.

[Changingplace]

Do you have a management company? I’d speak to them about it and see if they’ll talk to him, it’ll probably come across better coming from them than you.

[NeedToBeStrongStepAway]

Add a reply to it - maybe see a mechanic for a new battery and/or alternator. Or remove keys i would

[notanotherrokabag]

Is it a big enough car park that you could hide it and worry him? If so I'd drive it round the corner, turn the engine off, and leave him to find it.

[Bumblebeeinatree]

If it's an old car/battery that might be true, but only once every few days/weeks otherwise he's taking the p*ss, and costing himself a lot of money just idling the car. Ask him why he has to do this all the time and if he is he made of money?

[Scintella]

f you can, a much more efficient way to charge your battery would be to take your car out for regular journeys. How long to drive to charge battery can depend on the vehicle and the type of battery it uses, but you will usually find it will charge faster this way. If you aren’t able to do this, investing in a trickle charger is a great way to keep your battery both healthy and full of charge.

my dh is a car geek ,to charge a battery you take it for a drive. Also DH has trickle chargers that you plug into the mains. Suggest this

[gamerchick]

I'd move it toma different spot me just to fuck with his head.

[Ponderingwindow]

DH and his father both own classic cars.

i get very testy when DH turns on the cars in the garage attached to our home because the fumes bleed into the house. Sometimes they do need to run them as they are being repaired, but I insist it be done outdoors. This annoys fil but thankfully DH has my back.

battery charging is easily handled with a trickle charger. Your neighbor needs to buy one.

[Springg]

An update,
the council wrote back to me
"As this is happening in a private underground car park and not on the street or a council owned car park, you would need to contact the owners of the carpark/property to get further assistance in dealing with the resident leaving their car engine running. "

Problem is this guy use to use to be chairman of the management company . Its been going on for years ..
How can it be legal to leave a car running unattended?
Something bad could happen?

[Snippit]

If it’s unattended drive it off the premises and leave it somewhere with the keys in the ignition. Pretty dumb leaving it running in the first place, that should shit him up and maybe think again. If there’s cctv around wear a hoody and covid mask and dark clothing, the stupid bugger won’t have a Scooby who it is 🤣

[Springg]

Problem is you need a key to open the gate to the underground carpark and there is cctv.So his car is safe from thieves unless another resident opens the gate😂

[Snippit]

@Springg

Problem is you need a key to open the gate to the underground carpark and there is cctv.So his car is safe from thieves unless another resident opens the gate😂

What a shame, 😝

[IDoNotConsentToAstonResearch]

Is there a carbon monoxide detector in the garage? I would think getting evidence it is causing an unsafe build up of fumes might make it harder for him to ignore.

[tribpot]

So his car is safe from thieves unless another resident opens the gate
His car isn't safe from you just turning the engine off, though.

I think you will need to raise it with the management company. He leaves it running all night?? What the hell is the car park like first thing in the morning?

[TwoLeftSocksWithHoles]

I think that if you push a potato into the exhaust pipe and it will stall the engine.

[MagpiePi]

@TwoLeftSocksWithHoles

I think that if you push a potato into the exhaust pipe and it will stall the engine.

I was just about to say the same!

Or leave some leaflets on his windscreen about where he can buy a trickle charger.

[IDoNotConsentToAstonResearch]

I would also discuss whether it would invalidate your or his insurance.

[Summerhillsquare]

So odd. Far cheaper for him to buy a new battery.