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Automobile noise ordinance?

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Started 1 year ago by Mister Shifter
Latest reply from Lakee911

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noise

Mister Shifter
Lewis Center
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I recently had a neighbor move in next to me in our apartment complex. He drives a wannabe Fast & The Furious old clunker of a Toyota with modified exhaust, etc. The thing is LOUD and rumbles like a monster truck. Oh yeah, and it's painted bright purple... sweet.

My nightmare began when I realized he gets up every night at 2am. He warms up his car for about 15 minutes and in the process the loud noise wakes me and my wife EVERY night, and since his parking space is underneath the window of my 1 year old sons window, my son wakes up crying because the noise scares him. It's causing a giant mess in my household.

Do I have any rights to complain to the apartment office? I'm not an old, get-off-my-lawn type fart and think I'm a reasonable person.

Thanks in advance for anyone with knowledge on the subject.

Posted 1 year ago #
Anne
King Lincoln
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oh wow, that sucks. No advice, but I feel you. At my old old apartment, I enjoyed it for about three months then a guy with a diesel dumptruck moved in that he kept parked on the street right out front. And he got up every morning at like 5:30am to turn it on for probably 30 mintues and it rumbled super loud too. it was awful. I loved that apartment but once that guy moved in I couldn't wait to move! (He still lives there! as does the truck, so he wasn't going anywhere)

Could you kindly ask the guy to park elsewhere? He probably won't because if he needs to warm up his car, then he probably wouldn't walk farther to get into his car, but maybe he doesn't realize how it's affecting others.

Not to keep being grumbly (it is kind of late!), but there was somebody in a little red car taking an early morning class at CSCC last quarter and he drove by my house every day at the same time. Super loud muffler. I thought about writing a huge sign and standing at the turn one day that said, "Fix your F'in muffler little red car! Damn!" He hasn't been by lately, so hopefully he graduated or moved on!

Posted 1 year ago #
Mister Shifter
Lewis Center
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Unfortunately his address' assigned parking spot is directly in front of my place, and under my child's window. I'm looking to move later this year into my first home, but I can't just get up and leave with my lease, etc.

Posted 1 year ago #
Don Ruben
Grandview Heights
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See: Columbus City Codes online, there are more motor vehicle equipment regulations in the ORC.

2137.20 - Mufflers; excessive smoke or gas.

(a) Every vehicle and motorcycle with an internal combustion engine shall at all times be equipped with a muffler which is in good working order and in constant operation to prevent excessive or unusual noise, and no person shall use a muffler cutout, by-pass, or similar device upon a motor vehicle on a highway. Every motorcycle muffler shall be equipped with baffle plates.
No person shall own, operate, or have in the person's possession any vehicle or motorcycle equipped with a device for producing excessive smoke or gas, or so equipped as to permit oil or any other chemical to flow into or upon the exhaust pipe or muffler of such vehicle or motorcycle, or equipped in any other way to produce or emit smoke or dangerous or annoying gases from any portion of such vehicle, other than the ordinary gases emitted by the exhaust of an internal combustion engine under normal operation.

(b) Whoever violates this section is guilty of a minor misdemeanor. If, within one (1) year, the offender previously has been convicted of a violation of this section, Section 4513.22 of the Ohio Revised Code, or a substantially similar municipal ordinance, whoever violates this section is guilty of a misdemeanor of the fourth degree. If, within one (1) year, the offender previously has been convicted of two (2) or more violations of this section, Section 4513.22 of the Ohio Revised Code, or a substantially similar municipal ordinance, whoever violates this section is guilty of a misdemeanor of the third degree.
(ORC 4513.22) (Ord. 2120-03 Ã‚Â§ 1 (part).)

Posted 1 year ago #
groundrules

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I'd probably recommend a face to face talk, but an aftermarket exhaust can and the belief that a car needs to be warmed up for 15 minutes leads me to believe the dude is a moron.

If he gets up at 2AM, that probably means he's nice and sleepy about 7 PM. I'd see what a nightly ringing of the doorbell at that hour does to change his behavior.

Posted 1 year ago #
Snarf
Dystopia
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Personally I'd pee on his door handle.

Posted 1 year ago #
johnwirtz
Evanston, IL
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This kind of BS is why people move to suburbs.

Posted 1 year ago #
Rockmastermike
CORNspiracy HQ
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groundrules wrote >> an aftermarket exhaust can and the belief that a car needs to be warmed up for 15 minutes leads me to believe the dude is a moron.

Seriously.

Reminds me of a neighbor I had for a while about 10 years ago...

He had a "crotch rocket" (C.R.) style motorcycle.

He loved his C.R. and rode it around and around the parking lot when he wasn't doing anything else. That's fine, I can dig a little low speed rider training. I'm cool with that.

What I didn't appreciate was that when he woke up to go to work at 7am he would start the bike and REV the dang thing into the redline to 'warm it up'... for 5-10 minutes... almost every morning...

I thought about saying something to him... but then I realized it would be far far more lulzy (a term that had yet to be invented but it applies in hindsight) to just let him destroy his engine by doing something that I hope the reader realizes is a REALLY bad idea.

Sure enough... after a few weeks I noticed that thing was running a little ROUGH...

After 2 months it was REALLY rough.

3 months... that thing could barely start.

4 months (getting into fall)... The C.R. disappeared and was replaced briefly by what turned out to be a loaner C.R. while his was in the shop. He didn't rev the engine on this one to 'warm it up'. Soon winter arrived and even the loaner bike disappeared quickly.

The following spring he had his C.R. back. He never 'warmed it up' again. Just quickly put it into gear and rode slowly out of the parking lot.

I think he knew by that point that we all thought he was a flaming idiot.

Posted 1 year ago #
Rockmastermike
CORNspiracy HQ
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johnwirtz wrote >>
This kind of BS is why people move to suburbs.

One cannot escape stupidity by moving to the burbs. It is everywhere. See my previous post... from a 'burb.

Posted 1 year ago #
johnwirtz
Evanston, IL
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Rockmastermike wrote >>

johnwirtz wrote >>
This kind of BS is why people move to suburbs.

One cannot escape stupidity by moving to the burbs. It is everywhere. See my previous post... from a 'burb.

I suppose. But I feel like you're more likely to get a city department or official to do something about it in a smaller city that has with fewer "big problems" to deal with.

This is an extreme example, but the writer of this article couldn't get Detroit police to deal with a drug house because they had too many other problems to deal with. It's also an interesting read.
http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/11002/1114667-109.stm

Posted 1 year ago #
Lakee911
Clintonville (South)
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Illegal to leave car running unattended. See post in ICE thread.

Call the po-po 614-645-4545 and alert them to the fact that this is happening. Generally they can respond with 5-10minutes. Might help if you call a bit ahead of time so they can catch them.

Also, check your Lease and see if there is anything about the entitlement of others to quiet and peace without noise. Sometimes this can be implied without being stated--may want to talk to your lawyer about it.

At any rate, if this dude is in your complex or (leasing in general, maybe) you may be able to do something. Generally you'll need to talk to him first and tell him you'd like him to quiet down. Words are good, followed by a certified letter, and get po-po involved if needed. Generally Landlord isn't going to just take your word and give him the boot.

Good luck. People like that suck.

Posted 1 year ago #
melikecheese
Merion Village
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Sucks, been there done that. I would just talk to the guy if your kid is waking up crying, tell the dude that.

Or else yell out the window every morning at him, you'll wake up enough other people that you wont be the only one.

Had a women who owned a huge pickup truck with those big dual exhausts that were noisy on purpose. She felt the need to back into her spot all the time and it was always pointing at our place, with the sound being put right into a section that was set back, every morning she woke me up 30 mins before I had to get up.

Posted 1 year ago #
melikecheese
Merion Village
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Lakee911 wrote >>
Illegal to leave car running unattended. See post in ICE thread.
Call the po-po 614-645-4545 and alert them to the fact that this is happening. Generally they can respond with 5-10minutes. Might help if you call a bit ahead of time so they can catch them.
Also, check your Lease and see if there is anything about the entitlement of others to quiet and peace without noise. Sometimes this can be implied without being stated--may want to talk to your lawyer about it.
At any rate, if this dude is in your complex or (leasing in general, maybe) you may be able to do something. Generally you'll need to talk to him first and tell him you'd like him to quiet down. Words are good, followed by a certified letter, and get po-po involved if needed. Generally Landlord isn't going to just take your word and give him the boot.
Good luck. People like that suck.

So are automatic car starters providing an illegal service in a way?

Posted 1 year ago #
catnfiddle
Giant Corncob District
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Not if you're idling in your own driveway. It's on the street or alley that's a problem. However, you don't NEED to warm up your car unless you're doing so just to let the heater run, I suppose.

Posted 1 year ago #
Lakee911
Clintonville (South)
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Ok ... let's back up.

Leaving your car running (idling, stopped, moving, whatever) is illegal no matter where it is. There is no exception for public or private property.

Remote starters are not illegal, but their use if the car is left unattended (i.e., person not in the car) is illegal. Perfectly okay to hop in your car, remote start it from inside (lol) and wait for it to warm up.

As for not needing to warm it up (unless doing it for the heat). That is correct. Always a good idea to drive slow and allow it to warm up on its own. It's a bad idea to start it in 10dF weather and floor it and cruise away at 80MPH.

Posted 1 year ago #