Neighbour made noise nuisance complaint to council re my car
Discussion
Hello all,
So I found out one my neighbours have complained that I rev my car regularly at early hours of the morning on a regular basis. This is actually not the case.
I do accept that my car is noisy, but its not a daily driver and only comes out of my garage on a sunny day or when its dry and i havent driven it in 2 weeks or so. So generally after a couple of weeks, saturday morning around 11am, I get in my garage and closed it behind me as I am aware the thing is very loud when it starts cold. The noise does settle down after 30-60 secs. I understand the reverberations can pass on to neighbours house but by that time, they are usually out. When they are in, when I am reversing out of the garage, their car alarm has gone off a couple of times. I have spoken to them and apologized and have assured them I am going to install valves which would help. They have been very understanding and have said they like cars themselves and that I shouldnt worry about it. I normally then idle for 2-3 minutes and then drive off. The idle is smooth and normally around 1k rpm. I have never revved in my neighbourhood despite being asked many times by young lads and kids. And absolutely never fired up the engine after 5pm or earlier than 11am. I only drive it a couple of times a month.
The car is a Lambo Gallardo which i bought last september. I have removed the old cats for decat and muffler out for an x-pipe. And I admit it is loud. But to be perfectly honest, there is no significant change in volume since going aftermarket (maybe 10% louder during cold start) but i totally accept it you wouldn't believe me.
Can I please hear thoughts from fellow PH'ers? I know the obvious are that I need to put cats on the car. But the noise complaints seem to be about revving for extended periods and noise at odd times which is not true.
See the letter attached.
Do you think I should respond to the letter?
So I found out one my neighbours have complained that I rev my car regularly at early hours of the morning on a regular basis. This is actually not the case.
I do accept that my car is noisy, but its not a daily driver and only comes out of my garage on a sunny day or when its dry and i havent driven it in 2 weeks or so. So generally after a couple of weeks, saturday morning around 11am, I get in my garage and closed it behind me as I am aware the thing is very loud when it starts cold. The noise does settle down after 30-60 secs. I understand the reverberations can pass on to neighbours house but by that time, they are usually out. When they are in, when I am reversing out of the garage, their car alarm has gone off a couple of times. I have spoken to them and apologized and have assured them I am going to install valves which would help. They have been very understanding and have said they like cars themselves and that I shouldnt worry about it. I normally then idle for 2-3 minutes and then drive off. The idle is smooth and normally around 1k rpm. I have never revved in my neighbourhood despite being asked many times by young lads and kids. And absolutely never fired up the engine after 5pm or earlier than 11am. I only drive it a couple of times a month.
The car is a Lambo Gallardo which i bought last september. I have removed the old cats for decat and muffler out for an x-pipe. And I admit it is loud. But to be perfectly honest, there is no significant change in volume since going aftermarket (maybe 10% louder during cold start) but i totally accept it you wouldn't believe me.
Can I please hear thoughts from fellow PH'ers? I know the obvious are that I need to put cats on the car. But the noise complaints seem to be about revving for extended periods and noise at odd times which is not true.
See the letter attached.
Do you think I should respond to the letter?
madmedman said:
Hello all,
So I found out one my neighbours have complained that I rev my car regularly at early hours of the morning on a regular basis. This is actually not the case.
I do accept that my car is noisy, but its not a daily driver and only comes out of my garage on a sunny day or when its dry and i havent driven it in 2 weeks or so. So generally after a couple of weeks, saturday morning around 11am, I get in my garage and closed it behind me as I am aware the thing is very loud when it starts cold. The noise does settle down after 30-60 secs. I understand the reverberations can pass on to neighbours house but by that time, they are usually out. When they are in, when I am reversing out of the garage, their car alarm has gone off a couple of times. I have spoken to them and apologized and have assured them I am going to install valves which would help. They have been very understanding and have said they like cars themselves and that I shouldnt worry about it. I normally then idle for 2-3 minutes and then drive off. The idle is smooth and normally around 1k rpm. I have never revved in my neighbourhood despite being asked many times by young lads and kids. And absolutely never fired up the engine after 5pm or earlier than 11am. I only drive it a couple of times a month.
The car is a Lambo Gallardo which i bought last september. I have removed the old cats for decat and muffler out for an x-pipe. And I admit it is loud. But to be perfectly honest, there is no significant change in volume since going aftermarket (maybe 10% louder during cold start) but i totally accept it you wouldn't believe me.
Can I please hear thoughts from fellow PH'ers? I know the obvious are that I need to put cats on the car. But the noise complaints seem to be about revving for extended periods and noise at odd times which is not true.
See the letter attached.
Do you think I should respond to the letter?
Muffler you say? So I found out one my neighbours have complained that I rev my car regularly at early hours of the morning on a regular basis. This is actually not the case.
I do accept that my car is noisy, but its not a daily driver and only comes out of my garage on a sunny day or when its dry and i havent driven it in 2 weeks or so. So generally after a couple of weeks, saturday morning around 11am, I get in my garage and closed it behind me as I am aware the thing is very loud when it starts cold. The noise does settle down after 30-60 secs. I understand the reverberations can pass on to neighbours house but by that time, they are usually out. When they are in, when I am reversing out of the garage, their car alarm has gone off a couple of times. I have spoken to them and apologized and have assured them I am going to install valves which would help. They have been very understanding and have said they like cars themselves and that I shouldnt worry about it. I normally then idle for 2-3 minutes and then drive off. The idle is smooth and normally around 1k rpm. I have never revved in my neighbourhood despite being asked many times by young lads and kids. And absolutely never fired up the engine after 5pm or earlier than 11am. I only drive it a couple of times a month.
The car is a Lambo Gallardo which i bought last september. I have removed the old cats for decat and muffler out for an x-pipe. And I admit it is loud. But to be perfectly honest, there is no significant change in volume since going aftermarket (maybe 10% louder during cold start) but i totally accept it you wouldn't believe me.
Can I please hear thoughts from fellow PH'ers? I know the obvious are that I need to put cats on the car. But the noise complaints seem to be about revving for extended periods and noise at odd times which is not true.
See the letter attached.
Do you think I should respond to the letter?
Quoted before the flounce…
It doesn't matter on the wording - you've caused sufficient irritation to your neighbour(s) that they've bothered to write to the council and complain.
I would suspect that if you returned the car to a legal state (ie. put the cats back in) then you would probably find you either have less of an issue or none at all.
Don't get me wrong, I like a nice exhaust sound. I just don't want to hear it at 110dB from someone else's car two roads away.
I would suspect that if you returned the car to a legal state (ie. put the cats back in) then you would probably find you either have less of an issue or none at all.
Don't get me wrong, I like a nice exhaust sound. I just don't want to hear it at 110dB from someone else's car two roads away.
Your car is loud enough to set off their car alarm and you run it at idle for 2-3 minutes before setting off you say? I'd say that's fairly antisocial.
On the plus side for you it's unlikely the enforcement officer/ investigation will turn up anything if you only do it every two weeks on a Saturday.
On the plus side for you it's unlikely the enforcement officer/ investigation will turn up anything if you only do it every two weeks on a Saturday.
essayer said:
I’d ignore it, personally, but maybe reversing into the garage might be a better option so you can drive straight off?
If the allegations are incorrect I might reply with the truth. It might also make you look like reasonable person (as opposed to a hooligan which is what the neighbours would like).Funk said:
It doesn't matter on the wording - you've caused sufficient irritation to your neighbour(s) that they've bothered to write to the council and complain.
I would suspect that if you returned the car to a legal state (ie. put the cats back in) then you would probably find you either have less of an issue or none at all.
Don't get me wrong, I like a nice exhaust sound. I just don't want to hear it at 110dB from someone else's car two roads away.
I doI would suspect that if you returned the car to a legal state (ie. put the cats back in) then you would probably find you either have less of an issue or none at all.
Don't get me wrong, I like a nice exhaust sound. I just don't want to hear it at 110dB from someone else's car two roads away.
Agree. No need to idle it for so long. Just drive it off. You are doing nothing useful for the car by your idling - it's actually better for the car to warm it up by driving.
Thanks all for all the replies. I appreciate it.
essayer said:
I’d ignore it, personally, but maybe reversing into the garage might be a better option so you can drive straight off?
Thank you. I think I may have to learn to reverse, but its tricky as rear visibility is not great. But I still have to start the engine as its a bit of a hill up from my house to out of the estate heebeegeetee said:
Either way, it's anti social imo.
It is antisocial. I am thinking of installing valves and see how much of a difference that would make. normalbloke said:
Muffler you say?
Quoted before the flounce…
Despite having a huge oem muffler, it was still loud. I am now thinking it was probably because there is a vacuum leak and the valves werent closing properly. Quoted before the flounce…
p4cks said:
Haha brilliant. I’d ignore the letter until the council do their investigation, if any. At this stage they’re just telling you that someone has whinged to them.
I hope my neighbours don’t complain when I get my new cats on my Gallardo
Haha. No, you would have no isses with the 200 cell cats. And you're keeping the oem backbox thats different than that in 2008s. So it would be very civil. I hope my neighbours don’t complain when I get my new cats on my Gallardo
Funk said:
It doesn't matter on the wording - you've caused sufficient irritation to your neighbour(s) that they've bothered to write to the council and complain.
I would suspect that if you returned the car to a legal state (ie. put the cats back in) then you would probably find you either have less of an issue or none at all.
Don't get me wrong, I like a nice exhaust sound. I just don't want to hear it at 110dB from someone else's car two roads away.
Thats my plan to tame down the sound. I am been very aware of it but I thought I wasnt doing it at odd hours and thought i could get away with it, just like some noisy DIY#ers could who only work at specific hours. But I think i have no choice to get the CATs and at least be MOT'able for now. I still feel like I minimized my situation as someone had to write to the council because of me. Even a simple word with me would have made me embarassed enough to do something about it. I would suspect that if you returned the car to a legal state (ie. put the cats back in) then you would probably find you either have less of an issue or none at all.
Don't get me wrong, I like a nice exhaust sound. I just don't want to hear it at 110dB from someone else's car two roads away.
guyvert1 said:
They should be bloody grateful to be able to hear such a wonderful sound !
Haha. Thanks. But it doesnt sound as good during cold start, only when it gets going and revs up to 8k mcdjl said:
Your car is loud enough to set off their car alarm and you run it at idle for 2-3 minutes before setting off you say? I'd say that's fairly antisocial.
On the plus side for you it's unlikely the enforcement officer/ investigation will turn up anything if you only do it every two weeks on a Saturday.
I think thats lesson learned that i shouldnt idle about at all and just should leave. I thought it was not too bad out in the open but apparently i was acclimatized to the volume of the sound. On the plus side for you it's unlikely the enforcement officer/ investigation will turn up anything if you only do it every two weeks on a Saturday.
Simpo Two said:
If the allegations are incorrect I might reply with the truth. It might also make you look like reasonable person (as opposed to a hooligan which is what the neighbours would like).
I was thinking of writing to them to say i accept the car is loud and i am doing something about it but that i am not revving or speeding about the residential area. Speed Matters | Speed, Plod & the Law | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff