PITA Neighbours

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Adamccc

Active Member
Joined
Dec 11, 2015
Messages
239
Location
Bawtry & Oxford
Car
CLS63 AMG
I've posted before re: removing cold start due to neighbours complaining about noise - but since then I found that the previous owner had disconnected the exhaust compression line that closes the valves up. Reconnected, the car is quieter than stock, (and can go loud at the click of a button) but yet the complaints have started up again!

Video of the different between quiet and loud here: https://www.instagram.com/p/BDrVlvGNGjx

I've tried reasoning with people, started leaving for a work an hour later (even though it makes me hit loads of traffic), even done decibel reading videos that show it's quieter than stock and even in loud mode is quieter than factory cars like F Type R's, New R8 etc. Has anyone else had issues with neighbours causing bother over your V8's?
 
Surely if it's below a legal limit than it's fine right? They could just be fussy so and so's.

Esp ff they can't appreciate you starting later.
 
Does the thread title "PITA neighbours" refer to your neighbours, or how they think of you? ;)

You're upset about their complaints, despite your attempts to make the noise less disturbing by leaving home later in the morning. But have you also thought about whether or not you could change the way that you start your car and drive off? For a while we had a young neighbour who had a large motorbike that was very noisy. He'd start it up early in the morning then leave it ticking over while he slowly put on his helmet and gloves, the deep throbbing exhaust vibrating our windows. Then when he eventually rode away he did so at full throttle for all of the twenty yards to the junction then full throttle again such that we could hear him for a long time. Was it necessary to leave his bike ticking over for so long? No. Was it necessary to roar away in the residential area? No. A bit of thought would have resulted in a lot less disturbance.

What I'm saying here is could you be less noisy in the way you set off in the morning? Do you drive off immediately after starting your car? Or are you one of those people who feel you need to blip the throttle a few times when in neutral after starting the engine? Do you drive off using a very gentle right foot to minimise the noise, or do you want to enjoy the power of your V8 from the word go?
 
If they make a complaint to the local council then things could possibly get awkward.

Do you leave at what could be considered an antisocial time to make a noise? The fact that you've tried to accommodate them by both taking steps to make the car quieter and are now leaving later should count in your favour, but if things have already got to the decibel meter stage, you could be in for a long haul.
 
If it's outside of the 11pm-7am bracket, the neighbours may well find the council simply aren't interested.
 
Does the thread title "PITA neighbours" refer to your neighbours, or how they think of you? ;)

You're upset about their complaints, despite your attempts to make the noise less disturbing by leaving home later in the morning. But have you also thought about whether or not you could change the way that you start your car and drive off? For a while we had a young neighbour who had a large motorbike that was very noisy. He'd start it up early in the morning then leave it ticking over while he slowly put on his helmet and gloves, the deep throbbing exhaust vibrating our windows. Then when he eventually rode away he did so at full throttle for all of the twenty yards to the junction then full throttle again such that we could hear him for a long time. Was it necessary to leave his bike ticking over for so long? No. Was it necessary to roar away in the residential area? No. A bit of thought would have resulted in a lot less disturbance.

What I'm saying here is could you be less noisy in the way you set off in the morning? Do you drive off immediately after starting your car? Or are you one of those people who feel you need to blip the throttle a few times when in neutral after starting the engine? Do you drive off using a very gentle right foot to minimise the noise, or do you want to enjoy the power of your V8 from the word go?

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.
 
Hi Adam. We live in Bessacarr, near the Yorkshire Wildlife Park. I always wondered what the noise was waking me up - it was you starting your car?! :)

Seriously it's a difficult position, but I'm sure you can put yourself in their shoes and see how bad it is.

Having said that, if it's as quiet as you can make it, and assuming your just starting it and driving off, it's difficult to see what else you can do...
 
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.

Under those circumstances I wouldn't give it any more thought.

You have done all you can to minimise the noise, just carry on. If it wasn't the car it would probably be something else.
 
If the car is legal , which it is , then tell them to f**k off and mind their own business as you have tried to everything you can possibly do pacify them.

If it bothers them that much then tell them to write to MB about their noisy cars.

If it wasnt the car they were moaning about it would be something else so just forget it and move on.

If they continued to "moan" then i would go for a straight through system and 2000w audio upgrade and really give them something to complain about then they may realize how good they had it previously.

Kenny
 
If the car is legal , which it is , then tell them to f**k off and mind their own business as you have tried to everything you can possibly do pacify them.

If it bothers them that much then tell them to write to MB about their noisy cars.

If it wasnt the car they were moaning about it would be something else so just forget it and move on.

If they continued to "moan" then i would go for a straight through system and 2000w audio upgrade and really give them something to complain about then they may realize how good they had it previously.

Kenny

How do you find it working under Boris Johnson? ;) :D
 
How do you find it working under Boris Johnson? ;) :D

Rather work under a blithering, embarrassing idiot than the CEO that is presently steering the company ship in totally the wrong direction into stormier waters. :mad:

Kenny
 
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). On the second time of starting it the called the police :wallbash:

I've been to merc and a stock CLS63 is around 78dB, mines 76dB - went across the road to Jag and an F Type R (a car I was going to buy before looking at CLS's) was 106dB on startup! The new R8 V10 was a similar story
 
Our neighbour has a big Japanese sports bike that sits at the side of the house running and revving occasionally. It's unpleasant, but they are otherwise very nice people so I'm not going to fall out with them about it.

Noise and inconsiderate parking does really get to me though.

To that end, we've had an offer accepted on a new house where we won't have any close neighbours at all and we've accepted an offer on ours. We're now counting down to a February/March move date.

At some point in the future there will be an office/garage build thread as finally I've lots of room to put something nice up.
 
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.
 
If you've measured the noise and it is fine and you don't drive off all guns blazing etc you've just got some weird neighbours.

Best to ignore and get on with life and enjoy the car, though I do feel for you.
 
Mate they are just jealous. If your car is quieter than stock cls63 then dont worry.
 
Adam, the fact they're still even being funny about it without the fact that you've gone to great lengths already says more about the type of people they are

Even after only a 15 minute chat in person I can tell you're a decent polite bloke, these neighbours seem the type that are never pleased

Keep all the info you've collected already, and forget about them. There's no helping these sort of people. I very much doubt the council would take it any further, given that it's already far below the levels of some other cars as they come from the factory

P.s, gained yourself another Insta follower! :thumb:
 
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I would get yourself a petrol chainsaw and start chopping wood up on your drive.
They will soon forget about the noise from the car.
FFS what a neighbour from hell.
I would just ignore them to be honest as they don't seem like the sort of people you want as friends anyway, so why waste your energy trying to appease them.
 
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.
 

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