Noise from car engine idling for hours

OzzyOzbourne on 07/08/2020 - 15:38
Last edited 07/08/2020 - 15:57

Hey, first time asking for advice, so be gentle haha

So, we're in Victoria and we have this guy on our street who sits in his car on the road in front of his house for hours at a time with the engine running. The engine is quiet, but the electric fan is very noisy emitting a loud whine and cuts in and out every few minutes. We're 3 houses away and can hear it inside our house. He will often do this from 3pm until late, sometimes 1am and then again from 7am and different times during the day.

Sure, it's a relatively small issue considering what we're going through with COVID-19, but the noise is very annoying (have to use ear plugs at night) and continues most of the day (I'm working in my office in my front room) and there's the completely unnecessary air pollution.

It's beyond me why anyone would sit in their car with the engine running for >12 hours a day. He just sits there and sometimes talks on the phone.

So, after 5 months of this my partner and I approached the guy, told him it was disturbing and polluting, but he became rather irate and told us to mind our own own business and continued since then.

So I was looking to see if any laws are being broken regarding running the car engine continuously and who to report it to?

He may also be contravening stage 4 lock down in Victoria, although obviously not going to spread COVID-19 sitting in his car, it might be a way to stop this,at least after the 8pm curfew if nothing else.

Edit… He lives in the house he parks in front of, possibly with family or friends.

Automotive

Comments

        • smartazz104 on 09/08/2020 - 17:10
          -1

          They should give him free heating.

  • smartazz104 on 09/08/2020 - 16:51
    +1

    Banana in the tailpipe.

    • OzzyOzbourne on 09/08/2020 - 16:54
      +1

      I'm just glad bananas aren't as expensive as they used to be.

      • moneyhungry on 09/08/2020 - 17:19

        $1 a kilo at coles today, also tape him when he tries start his car and post it in this thread.

        • OzzyOzbourne on 09/08/2020 - 20:08

          Haha, consider it done… I think tiktok would be best right?

  • pegaxs on 09/08/2020 - 18:32

    Shame is isn’t NSW… NSW Road Rule 291-1

  • cashless on 09/08/2020 - 18:42

    EPA will be interested if he’s creating noise at unsociable hours, so make the call and they should come out & measure with sound recorders if you are unable to sleep.

  • CalmLemons on 09/08/2020 - 18:53
    -2

    He's probably getting away from the noise of the house or on a private call. Probably charging his phone with the car on.

    If it's really bothering you, probably buy him a battery pack for like $30 so he can charge his phone while in the car.

    Kind gesture works better than asking someone who wants to be left alone. Worse case you're down $30 but least you did all you can.

    When I come home from work I probably sit in the car for a good 15 minutes just transitioning before going inside the house.

    • OzzyOzbourne on 09/08/2020 - 20:05

      15 minutes vs 12 hours….

  • [Deactivated] on 09/08/2020 - 18:54

    Well if you actually want the problem solved…

    Call 000 or the local police station, report a vehicle idling for no real reason, suspicious behaviour, you dont know, could be drug dealing or possibly burglarising homes,
    youre very concerned for the lives of you and your family, plus the community, families live here dont they

  • OzzyOzbourne on 09/08/2020 - 20:14
    +4

    Wow, I'm on the front page of ozbargain, really didn't expect (or want) that lol…. I feel like those "mothers of two" who are always on the front page of news.com.au for "breaking the internet" with a "life changing hack"… Like using a using a scouring pad to clean the shower…. Megan Markle… You ain't got nuffin' lol.

    • pegaxs on 09/08/2020 - 20:46
      +1

      “You won’t believe how he got to the front page… this one simple hack blows mother of twos mind… Click here to find out this one simple trick…”

  • Jalif on 09/08/2020 - 21:12

    Let the poor guy talk to his mistress.

  • fredk1000 on 09/08/2020 - 21:49
    +1

    Maybe he's playing Pokemon Go.

    • Euphemistic on 10/08/2020 - 12:11
      +1

      Or Pokémon Stay-put

  • freshofftheplane on 09/08/2020 - 22:38
    +2

    I feel for you man… good luck

  • DonZarrar on 09/08/2020 - 22:42

    Maybe doing trading (stock market ) . No reliable Home internet. Using phone internet which again may not good inside the home. So sitting in car. Kept engine running to charge phone / laptop without draining car battery.

    can't you try to talk to some one from his house, when you dont see the car in question around….

  • 91rs on 09/08/2020 - 22:46
    -4

    Unless this is highlighted tomorrow by Dan Andrews during a press conference about those bad criminals breaking curfew (sarcasm) this weekend and him now being $1652 poorer, i'm calling BS on all of this.
    It seems like a total non-event if you're an adult.
    Everyday life there are people doing things that will annoy other people, toughen up, put some music on, get a set of nice headphones (on sale of course).

  • Fysh on 09/08/2020 - 23:59
    +1

    can we change this story to.

    Introvert guy going crazy in lockdown needs time alone to recharge so he doesnt lose his shit .

    Maybe offer the guy a spare room in your house or garage ?

  • Castcore on 10/08/2020 - 00:10

    Impartial solution: get yourself a pair of ANC headphones like the TaoTrobics BH085's. And just use them to catch a break throughout the day or when you're working. Deals pop up on here to get em CHEAP!

  • johnno07 on 10/08/2020 - 08:19

    I hope you don't live in or anywhere near the city OP if the sound of a car idling three houses away keeps you up at night.

    • 91rs on 10/08/2020 - 10:48

      Given the comments here, there are plenty of people I'm glad I don't live near, or maybe I do but I've not been loud enough for them to call the cops, EPA or come murder me in the night. Plenty of places in the world they'd never survive with the constant noise all day and night long!

  • Euphemistic on 10/08/2020 - 12:17
    +1

    Maybe you should just learn to live with it. It’s driving you crazy because you are letting it drive you crazy. Quite often this sort of stuff will just disappear into background conditions once you take your focus off it. People live near train lines because the trains don’t bother hem after a while.

    Have a chuckle to yourself at how much fuel he’s wasting. Work out how much then stick a post it on his windscreen every few days ‘$8.96 in fuel yesterday, $22 this week’.

    • Nugs on 11/08/2020 - 16:36

      "a Maribyrnong car park, more than five kilometres from his home"
      they must have been REALLY noisy
      .

  • Miami Mall Alien on 12/08/2020 - 14:13

    And in this episode of "Indians or Bogans"…

  • Foofur on 12/08/2020 - 21:44

    I guess you will get the last laugh. Regular car cooling systems are not designed to idle for long periods - that’s why you’re hearing the fan go nuts. Something will wear out and break much earlier than normal, and if you’re lucky it will be something expensive and electronic.

    In the US they installed beefed up cooling systems on their Police cars for this reason (and for car chases lol).

  • missychat on 14/08/2020 - 10:49

    What sort of car is it. Maybe he is coding/programming his vehicle electronic control units. This takes many hours and if you dont have an external power supply you have to keep the motor running so the battery doesn't go flat and brick the ECU/vehicle. A member on one of the BMW forums had a visit from police because he spent so much time sitting in his vehicle a neighbour reported him as a possible suicide victim.

  • drserial on 07/09/2021 - 22:33

    I had a similar issue, and after almost two years found out it's security guards of Dan Andrews.

Login or Join to leave a comment
Login Join