PITA Neighbours

[st13phil]

If the car is legal , which it is , then tell them to f**k off and mind their own business

Tempting as that is (and boy, I can imagine how tempting it could be), disputes with neighbours can really spoil your enjoyment of your home and worse is to come when you want to sell and have to answer the question about "have you ever been in dispute with your neighbours".

Yeah going to have to - it's such a shame as I've gone above and beyond to make things right and I don't want to fall out with anyone or make anyone unhappy. When I first bought the car I wrote a letter and posted it to all the houses nearby saying sorry for the racket I'm in the process of getting the valves fixed (at that time didn't know that the vacuum pipe had been disconnected).

Perversely, in trying to do the right thing you seem to have inadvertently alerted the neighbour to something you felt uncomfortable about.

Personally, if it were to be mentioned again, I'd be inclined to simply point out that the car is completely road legal and that you take all reasonable steps to keep any perceived noise to a minimum and leave it at that. Unfortunately it does sound as though you have someone completely unreasonable to deal with

 

[Deleted member 6183]

My neighbour has one of those rowdy 2 seater Jags, I love it when he fires that up.

 

[Adamccc]

...with the valves closed it is probably quieter than a diesel starting up.

Pretty much

OP...do you like where you live?

Just asking.

Your sound clip shows what the car is like when you are revving it. Do one where you just turn the key...no throttle.

Yep, love it here!

Here it is on tick over switching between the different modes: https://vid.me/DBoY

It is rather loud when open, but as I've said, they're always closed when I enter or leave my house no matter when what time of day it it.

 

[renault12ts]

I get that...but does it "bark" when you turn the key?

 

[JLR1969]

Completely valid point and I'd understand if I was leaving it to warm up for 10 minute with the valves open and then reclining out of the village, but I ensure the valves are closed, make sure my seatbelt it on and handbrake is off BEFORE I start the car and then start, immediately into drive then pull away at 1k revs - I'm literally out of the village in 8 seconds! It's also once a week that I go in the morning and it then gets started up maybe 2 other times a week. I'm also always very cautious with a cold engine so it's not like I nail it once I'm on the dual carriageway. I'm really not trying to piss off anyone and trying to be as helpful as I can but I'm kind of getting to my wits end with curtain twitches. Police have already been around and said it was completely fine and they wouldn't do anything.

REMOVED

There are people dying in the world of starvation and they have an issue with a noisy car for a few seconds.

Typical first world problem, have they got nothing better to moan about.....

REMOVED
... Rant over

 

[baxlin]

Just read this with interest, I must be extremely fortunate with my neighbours, as over the years I've been in the habit of starting the 3wheeler inside my garage every couple of weeks if it's not been used. With Harley silencers giving a nice sound, and minimal air filters meaning there's quite an intake roar, it's not the quietest of vehicles.

I think I must be more considerate. Thanks for making me think..........

 

[Mrhanky]

I feel for you as it's a real pain falling out with neighbours regardless if they are unreasonable or not.

From what's been said I'm not convinced anything you do will appease this person. I would just let them get on and do what they feel they need to do. No amount of pandering to their needs will ever be enough.

 

[brucemillar]

Adam

It sounds from what you say that you have gone the extra mile to appease these people. It may be the case that you never will manage to do so.

Sadly what often happens is that a trigger issue builds in peoples minds to the point that it remains and escalates even after the initial trigger had been removed. Noisy Kids grow up and stop being noisy but the anger in the offended neighbour gets worse even after the kids have flown the nest.

The problem now is that were you to write another letter explaining what steps you have taken and the rationale of listening to other cars etc. This may just pour petrol on their irrational argument.

Do you know if it is one neighbour or several? If one household or person, then a private chat explaining what you have done (as on here) may help. However, it sadly may just be that this life and will never get resolved even were you to buy an electric car. They may simply hear the whine of the motors or the shutting of the door.

You could of course complain to the Police of being harassed by these people stating that impacts on your quality of life but that again may escalate the situation.

Apologies that I am not much help but I wish you well. I know how upsetting this can be.

 

[Adamccc]

Cheers Bruce, I'm really expecting a solution just wondered if anyone else has had issues, as big V8's come with a decent noise level whether they're stock or not - my friends C63 used to make a right racket, and she went to work in it every single morning.

No, definitely no more letters - I think they're trying to get me via the Environmental Agency for noise pollution now It mainly seems to be the woman across the road from me, but I think she's tried to rally up support from some of the other houses too. I could understand more if I was every bloody morning but I go to work on Monday and am away for most of the week - get back about 7pm and then am working from home and chilling at the weekend so they hear it a max of about 3 times a week! With the fuss they're causing, you'd think I was starting it at 2.30am every single day.

 

[brucemillar]

Well I have a C55 and that is loud at cold start. My neighbour is a neighbour from hell so that is the smallest of his complaints.

I did witness a rather ugly incident in a multi-storey when a lady started C63 just as a family with babies in buggys negotiated the C63's rear end. The bark scared the kids that started to scream. Mum and Dad then started a full on rant at the lady in the C63 calling her "stupid cow".

 

[Adamccc]

Jesus people are so moody - smile, calm your kids and move on!

 

[davidjpowell]

Personally I enjoy the 63 sound, but I can understand those who don't.

There's a moped which drives behind my office at 2.30 and back past at 3pm. It drowns out phone conversations. I'd like to hunt him down and stab his exhaust in a certain place...

 

[E55BOF]

C63s (and for that matter many other cars as well) can be antisocially loud, as can the sort of a***holes who think everybody should enjoy the noise as much as they do, but from your video, the problem is your neighbour, not your car. Some people are just unreasonable, and you can do nothing about that, so best just to ignore her as much as you can.

If the police aren't interested, neither will the council be; they may well give her a decibel meter and recording device to use, but if there's no substance to her complaint they will do no more than that. Don't worry about it.

I don't suppose you're moving soon? Put up a 'For Sale' board and tell her that a Hell's Angels chapter has made an offer on the house...

 

[Deleted member 65149]

Can't get my head around this....with the valves closed it is probably quieter than a diesel starting up.......think you really must have neighbours that have issues.

RAF Tornados are quieter than diesels starting up

 

[coneybiller]

On reading this thread, I feel for you. What a ridiculous amount of time and energy has gone into making serious complaints over something as trivial as this. If you were to spend a lot of time on the driveway with it running and revving it up and generally being obnoxious then fair enough. But to go to the environmental agency, over a not-so-loud noise, that really takes the mick.
To be honest, let her throw all of her toys out of her pram, let her complain and complain to the relevant authorities. When they come knocking and carry out their noise pollution testing, find that its well within limits and the fact the car is quieter than a stock version, then she has no leg to stand on, you can politely smile and wave at her as you gently drive off each day!
They clearly have nothing better to do, they're probably sat waiting for you to pull off listening for the noise. Where as most people would get on with life!

EDIT: To add to the fact they haven't even knocked on your door to explain their feelings on the subject as well, then IMO they don't really have the right to complain!

 

[Grovsie31]

After all the steps you've taken, I would be getting a bit ****** of with them as well.

If they are still being asshats I would probably fire it up with the valves open a few times in the middle of the night.

Sod em.

 

[Scott_F]

After all the steps you've taken, I would be getting a bit ****** of with them as well.

If they are still being asshats I would probably fire it up with the valves open a few times in the middle of the night.

Sod em.

A sure way to exacerbate the situation by annoying all those neighbours who haven't complained.

 

[Alex]

A sure way to exacerbate the situation by annoying all those neighbours who haven't complained.

Pretty much so. A neighbour (A) across the road in my old house had an argument with their neighbour (B) across another road about kids playing on the their shared road during the time when (B) was coming back from work in his souped up VW Golf with farting exhaust. As a result (B) started coming back home using "my" stretch of the road, revving the car as he was passing (A)'s house, which in turn annoyed a few of us living the other way from them two. I've been hating souped up Golf cars ever since

 

[andybond]

Are these the same people that moan about the airport yet moved in under the flightpath ?

Ill keep an eye out for you , not seen you yet and I am only down the road. Red c63 here.

 

[njkmr]

I think it needs a posse to turn up and show em what real noise is......
Make sure you are out so it doesn't look like you have organised it...!
Hee hee heee!!!