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what do I about a neighbor's car (Mustang Cobra) with loud mufflers?

SAC69

SAC69

Active Member
Donator
Last fall a neighbor's son down the street, about 100-150 feet away, bought a 90's Mustang Cobra and the loud aftermarket mufflers are a real problem for me. I can be in my farthest room, doors and windows closed, TV on and I can hear this car start up, and it's the front bumper pointed towards our house, not the exhaust either...at approx 5:15 am almost every morning. When spring and summer arrive and we start to sleep with the windows open I know it's going to be a significant annoyance as our 2nd story bedroom faces to this car.

I need your opinion on what to do but here are some ideas I've considered:

1. Throw a Molotov cocktail through the window and hope the car burns up.
Downside: It's a Mustang.
I may get caught and really don't want to find out what happens in the shower at the local jail.

2. Knock on the door and ask him to...what?
Downside: I don't want to cause any trouble face-to-face and I think the son is big enough that he can kick my ass.

3. Call the Police Dept Code Enforcement Division anonymously, fink on the kid and have the PD write him a fix-it ticket.
Downside: Cowardly thing to do.

4. Mail him an anonymous letter advising to replace the mufflers before option 1 or option 3 happens.
Downside: Creepy, cowardly thing to do

5. Buy a .50 cal rifle and shoot a hole in his engine block from the darkness of my bedroom.
Downside: Cost of the .50 cal.
Making sure SWMBO is gone when the shooting happens (will be difficult for her to be gone at night.)
The jail/shower problem again.

6. Wait for the SOB to move or sell the car in who knows how many years.
Downside: I may go insane while waiting for this.

I've happened to be following behind him recently and it looks like a nice stainless steel system.

Please help with any advice.
 
Another downside of number 5: Gov. Arnie banned 50 cal BMG's. Can't get one legally.

Option 7: stuff the exhaust pipes with potatoes.
 
I'm sorry, but my brain couldn't process past a teenage male getting up at 5:15 am almost every morning.
 
I don't know what advise Dave will give but I'd just pop over sometime and talk to him. You both like Stangs so start just getting to know him. In a short time you can ask all about his car and work into the conversation that it's pretty loud at 5:15 am. Knowing most teens he has no concept of others and might be surprised to hear he has a loud car...
 
Please help with any advice.
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His generation usually doesn't give a rat's ass how loud their exhaust is or who it bothers. I see the same type of kids/cars around here and just shake my head and thank my stars that I have no neighbors. There's a younger guy at my office with an '04-ish Mustang GT that I could swear has NO exhaust system on it. I asked him one day what was wrong with his car's exhaust system and he stated that it was "supposed to sound like that". Really? It's supposed to be obnoxiously loud and sound as if it's running w/o exhaust manifolds?

Back on point, sorry.

Yeah, you're pretty much screwed.


The only "right" thing to do is to confront him, but I honestly feel you'll be wasting your time.

Residential neighborhood.... annoying..... consideration of others.... blah, blah, blah. Any argument you make will likely fall on deaf ears, but what other choice do you have? If you involve the authorities, you'll probably be setting yourself up for replacing your beaten to a pulp mailbox every other week.


Hopefully he'll move away from home within the next few years?
 
Pretty much my car you're describing.... Wicked loud Fox... Bassani catted X, Mac muffs...

I take it easy in the morning (leave for work at 5:45), but you guys gotta be kidding me!!!

You can't tell me you've never had a loud car... that's just not right

I'm not a kid, and I ain't moving soon :pf
 
If you have a loud car then you don't need a horn :coo


Best advice would be to live with it till he leaves or move to the country (preferred). I've had loud cars since I was 17, at just shy of 49, that has not changed.
 
If you are going to turn him in or write a letter to the JP, i wouldn't say anything to the kid prior. Ever try sleeping with ear plugs?
 
You could always take a chance and get to know the kid. If it turns out he's nice, maybe work it into the conversation. Maybe even point out that somebody could complain and cause trouble (not you because you're a car guy too), and see if he responds. If he doesn't, or if you can tell right away he is a jerk, call code enforcment.
 
"midpack" said:
You can't tell me you've never had a loud car... :pf
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All my classic Mustangs had modified exhaust and my 69 is modified now, (headers, turbo's) but it does not wake up people 2-3 blocks away, plus it's not a daily driver.

I guess I need to lump this kid's type with those f^&%*$*@-jackass Harley owners who run straight pipes.
 
BTW, I live under the landing pattern at NAS Oceana in Virginia Beach. I get FA-18's flying roughly 4-600 feet over my house on a regular basis. I don't mind or complain. It goes with the territory here.

What you need to ask yourself, is if you can live with it or not. If you can, let it go. If not, then take positive measures to make the problem go away.

You voiced a lot of concern about repercussions for complaining. In VA Beach, code enforcement is anonymous for this reason. If enough people felt strongly enough about something that your town created an ordnance to protect against it, then it is your right to be protected against it and not feel threatened or fear retaliation. Also in VA Beach, if you call for code enforcement for my grass being too high, and my neighbor has a car in his driveway out of inspection, and the guy across the way has a pile of trash in his yard, and the lady diagonal has paint chipped off her trim boards with bare wood exposed, all 4 of us are getting hit by the inspector, not just me.

Also, the city of Virginia Beach used to have a noise ordnance that set the noise limit at a level a "responsible person" would find too loud, a vague statement. This was deemed unconstitutional due to the potential for arbitrary enforcement and was thrown out. They intend on setting a new policy based on a specific decibel limit but have not seen that put in effect yet. What exactly is your city's policy, if any, on noise violations, or "disturbing the peace"?

All stuff to consider.
 
"sigtauenus" said:
BTW, I live under the landing pattern at NAS Oceana in Virginia Beach. I get FA-18's flying roughly 4-600 feet over my house on a regular basis. I don't mind or complain. It goes with the territory here.

What you need to ask yourself, is if you can live with it or not. If you can, let it go. If not, then take positive measures to make the problem go away.
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Which was there first, you or the noisy neighbor? For me that's the main issue. If you were there first and a noisy neighbor moved in, then you have every right to complain to have the peace of mind of when you moved there. I hate people that move next to a airport, arena...etc, then complain about the noise.

Sacto does have a noise ordinance. It's so many decibles at the property line. I had a neigbor that moved in near me when I was living in Sac, and complained about my garage. The letter stated that I was running heavy equipment in the garage -- ie. my compressor I brought a noise meter home from work, and had everything on and checked. I was under the limit. If it bothers you talk to code enforcement. If they are anything like Shasta County's, they are complaint driven. If no complains, they can't do anything.
 
i wake the neighbors every weekday at 5:45 with the glaspacks on my 66. I figure if I have to be up, why shouldn't they be up also. :pbj
 
had the same problem recently. kid about 3 doors down boght a chev 4x4 with straight pipes. it isn't too terrible when driven correctly, but he wants EVERYONE to know he's got a loud truck by gunning it every few feet the braking so he can do it again. if the kid parks in the yard & moves to the driveway it's not a simple matter of backing up & pulling in, he has to gun/brake all the way to the end of the street & circle back up. i had my son (who knows him) text him & tell him he can stop, that i'm not impressed at all & it settled down considerably. now he pretty much idles by the house & saves his crap for the neighbors on up the street.
 
Another option is to let the home owner's association write him a letter. That is if you have one in your neighborhood.
 
"68EFIvert" said:
Another option is to let the home owner's association write him a letter. That is if you have one in your neighborhood.
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Fortunately (as they are a PITA), no HOA in this area.

I may try to befriend him next time I see him washing the car and discuss the mufflers in a roundabout way. Unfortunately, the solution (quieter mufflers) costs money so it's possible that even if he dislikes the exhaust, he may not be able to afford a change at the moment...maybe Mr. Molotov can solve both our problems.
 
I guess I need to lump this kid's type with those f^&%*$*@-jackass Harley owners who run straight pipes.
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Both Gabby and my son run straight pipes on their bikes. I still have my baffles installed and am considered the "wussy man" for riding a much quieter bike.
 
I fire up my side exit, 8" glass pack, 3"x18" tipped 302 with a lumpy cam and get nothing but thumbs up from those in the RV park. I will say, not many early mornings and not an every day event for now. Also, maybe the old retirees around here have lost their hearing due to the F-15's and 22's taking off over head......
 
"daveSanborn" said:
Both Gabby and my son run straight pipes on their bikes. I still have my baffles installed and am considered the "wussy man" for riding a much quieter bike.
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I was waiting for that one.

Talk to the kid and see what's up. If they're loud and he's not purposefully waking everybody up, I say "tough". If they're that loud on idle and he's going to work, good for him. With that being said, I don't have neighbors........YEEHAA. When I did live in a neighborhood I lived at the end of a street and if anybody made me mad with loud noise I would always "one up it". Open the cutouts on the car, set off the cannon at 2:00 am (pre-kids), etc. If he gets an anonymous complaint it's just gonna pi$$ him off. Just talk to him.
 
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