Originally Posted by spooled_u

I didn't happen to read all 30 pages of this thread, but I did see his letter to the OP. It seems like he is genuinely trying to reach a common ground and trying not to be a dick.

Originally Posted by MR Dan

I got my letter returned from that douche today. HE didnt even open it but instead he wrote this message for me and wrote my return name and address





Alex,

I'm responding in kind to your recent letter to me addressing your complaints regarding the noise emitted by my vehicle. While I would love to speak with you directly, I prefer to conduct correspondence on this matter in writing as you have threatened me with legal action.

In all fairness, I will address each point that you’ve written to me:

Please understand that I am not dismissive of your complaints. I fully recognize that we live in the same community and should be respectful of one another. I have already shown to you that my car is not producing an illegal noise level. Let me further explain the significance of the 91dB noise level. This is NOT the noise level my car is emitting at idle. As per the state's testing methodology, this is a reasonable measurement of the peak noise level that my car will emit while driving. At idle, the noise level is SIGNIFICANTLY less. For the purposes of your complaint, the 91dB reading is wholly irrelevant since it is only produced at wide open throttle, not while idling.

Furthermore, 91dB is comfortably within the state's limits. As the decibel scale is logarithmic, a difference of 3dB indicates a doubling or halving of sound power. Consult any high school physics book if you need to verify this fact. Since I am 4dB below the state's limit, my car at it's peak noise level is producing less than 1/2 the sound output permitted by the state.

With regards to approaching me on that Saturday afternoon, I’d like to point out here that while it was well within your right to approach me to talk about your concerns, it was not okay to encroach into my garage as I was working under my hood of the vehicle to initiate conversation. The event itself was startling, and I ask that you do not do that again. You are perfectly fine to call out to me or even knock on the garage door to get my attention next time.

To answer your statement as to why I let the car idle, this is a high performance turbo charged vehicle that needs to cool down before shutoff. Please take a look at the attached brochure from Mitsubishi.

With regards to me keeping irregular hours, I feel that that statement is somewhat misleading. By irregular hours, you may be referencing that I start my car and work on my car at all hours of the night. The vehicle in question is my second vehicle, which I do use on particular occasions. This should hopefully explain why you may go days or even weeks at a time without hearing it.

I appreciate your feedback regarding my friend who left his car running near my Unit about a year ago. While it hasn’t repeated itself for the past several months, I can commit to you that it shouldn’t happen again during those late hours.

With regards to the white Prelude parked in the visitor’s section, I am somewhat offended at what you are alluding to. I will state here that I do pay for a parking permit which is adhered to the front windshield with the permission from the HOA. If you so desire, I can present it to you if you like.

Lastly, with regards to the earplugs, I had them in my garage and thought I’d give them to you so you may use them for any type of occasion. I will plainly state here that it was not given to you as an admission of guilt nor a sarcastic reply. It was given to you without much thought and out of convenience of them being available to me.

I recognize that you pay a lot of your hard earned money for your Unit. However, I pay a lot of money for my unit as well. You probably assume that I am a typical teenager living under my parent’s roof. Apparently, I am the one that purchased this unit and my mother is the one that lives under my roof. It makes me wonder what kind of dialogue we would be having if my choice of transportation were a Harley Davidson, or some other type of naturally loud factory produced vehicle.

What concerns me most is that you seem to have no regard for my right to operate my vehicle in a legal manner. You have stated that "the reason why [I idle my car before driving] does not matter." This alerts me to your inherent bias towards non-cooperation. Your correspondence with me thus far has been a very thinly veiled threat of legal action. By stating "if the HOA does not get involved, then the only thing I have left is to file a complaint with the court," you have indicated to me that you will not accept any sort of compromise and will continue to pursue this until you are appeased. My hopes of avoiding an escalation of this matter have dropped to zero after reading your last letter since you have stated bluntly that should the HOA judge in my favor you will not let this matter go.

As a result of your dogged pursuit of this matter, I am requesting that you take a sound level measurement using a calibrated dB meter inside your residence. The measurement of the ambient noise inside your home, the noise due to appliances turning on and off (refrigerator, a/c, fans, etc), the noise your vacuum cleaner that you use in your garage, and lastly the noise produced by my car that penetrates the walls of your home. I feel that this information is absolutely necessary for anyone to evaluate and arrive at some sort of judgment regarding the quandary we are in, whether it be the HOA or the courts. It is most unfortunate that this situation could not be worked out amicably. While you adamantly believe that my car is a nuisance, I believe that my vehicle and the manner in which I operate it are in accordance with federal, state, city, local, and community standards. Typically when noise ordinances are being violated, the police can be called in to document the crime. The next time I start my car in the morning, I invite you to call the police so that they may document any noise crimes that I am committing.
Please go ahead and take a dB measurement within your home.

Dan

Originally Posted by spooled_u

I'm pretty surprised by all of the childish remarks by some posters here suggesting you egg his Lexus and do launches infront of his house at 5 AM. Some people have no consideration for other human beings.

I didn't happen to read all 30 pages of this thread, but I did see his letter to the OP. It seems like he is genuinely trying to reach a common ground and trying not to be a dick. Some people don't give other people the benefit of the doubt. This guy sounds like he is trying to see both points of view, but he is voicing his complaint. I can't say that I blame him. My roommate has IX w/ a catless exhaust that is pretty deep and loud and its right outside my window. I tell him all the time the it's loud, and thankfully none of our neighbors have filed any formal complaints. I can see where this guy is coming from. I don't think he is asking too much, but perhaps the OP feels it is his right to let his car idle as long as he wants, and thats cool. I would suggest you speak with him man to man. Like I said, I haven't read all 30 pages and perhaps you have already.

I think that is what is wrong with America today where two people can't solve simple differences without having to go to home owners associations and the courts. Have some common courtesy for your fellow man, try to see things from a different perspective. Are you legally protected by the law and HOA's to continue your current activities? Yes, you probably are... but sometimes its better to take the higher ground and make friends with your neighbors.

Originally Posted by Box Rocket

Because you can show a little respect by not being an a$$hat. The neighbor isn't asking for much, just quit idling the car. This is the same kind of crap that happens when someone has a screamin' baby in a movie theater. It's freakin distracting and others can't enjoy the movie. But the parents sitting there with the screamin kid think they are the only ones there to see the movie and don't think for a second that they are ruining the experience for someone else.

You people need to start thinking about someone other than yourself for a change. If you're lucky someone will do the same for you.