5 ms·

Similar deal here. Some asshole at my apartment got an expensive new car that literally the entire building (with god knows how many units, it's big) hears ever

Similar deal here. Some asshole at my apartment got an expensive new car that literally the entire building (with god knows how many units, it's big) hears every single time he enters or leaves. He revs his engine twice on every single floor of the parking garage and all along the street I'm situated on. He'll even do it for hours on end (he did on Monday!). I honestly think he's trying to harass someone in particular because it's obscene at this point. Literally one person. Always the same car. I am so sick of this shit. Management is sick of it but "can't do anything." I have yet to meet a neighbor who is not aware of this problem and sick of it. I'm honestly amazed at the audacity of these people.

ryandrake 5y ago
It's not that amazing: They do it because they can, and they know that everyone around them has learned to be helpless to stop it. Consequence-free belligerence is endemic here (I'm assuming USA), because it's usually not against the law and when it is, nobody is willing to stop it. And if you take action against it, you're the one in trouble. So the bullies get free rein.
- t8e56vd4ih 5y ago
  yes, this. what do you think would be hypothetically an apt repercussion? maybe a few drops of butyric acid down a window pane?
  - germinalphrase 5y ago
    I’ve heard that anti-SUV activists somewhere in the Nordics would place a small stone under the air valve cap and the screw it back on causing the tire to slowly go empty over the course of a day. Inconvenient, nondestructive - but also not very kind.
    - t8e56vd4ih 5y ago
      good idea. that's precisely the stuff I'm coming to hacker news for.
_jal 5y ago
If he does that enough, I wouldn't be surprised by someone taking some self-help measures. Gas tank donations are one common approach, as is helping aesthetics by removing those unsightly air valves on tires.
- JKCalhoun 5y ago
  When I was growing up I had heard that a good use for old potatoes was to weather-seal the open end of exhaust pipes.
- throwaway0a5e 5y ago
  Nobody will do anything because the kind of people who are annoyed by this kind of behavior are generally well off and religiously law abiding. The kind of people who would do something a) aren't that bothered by it and b) generally have bigger thorns in their sides than someone else's loud car This is fundamentally a conflict of class based social norms. The kind of people who have obnoxiously loud cars don't have a lot of the kind of people who complain about obnoxiously loud cars in their social circles.
- SauciestGNU 5y ago
  Oil pan drain plug removal can help them change the oil on their car, but remember to remind them to refill the oil or else their engine might seize!
  - MerelyMortal 5y ago
    They might notice the low oil light warning. If they immediately shut off their engine, the engine will probably be just fine. Modern oil "sticks" to the moving parts much better, so it takes a day or two for it to all drip down into the sump.
MerelyMortal 5y ago
I've always fantasized about getting a coffee can of thermite… Engine can't make noise if there's a 6" hole going through it.
kelnos 5y ago
> Management is sick of it but "can't do anything." Doesn't your building have rules about noise, and (hopefully) fines for non-compliance? That seems pretty standard.

ryandrake 5y ago

It's not that amazing: They do it because they can, and they know that everyone around them has learned to be helpless to stop it. Consequence-free belligerence is endemic here (I'm assuming USA), because it's usually not against the law and when it is, nobody is willing to stop it. And if you take action against it, you're the one in trouble. So the bullies get free rein.

t8e56vd4ih 5y ago
yes, this. what do you think would be hypothetically an apt repercussion? maybe a few drops of butyric acid down a window pane?
- germinalphrase 5y ago
  I’ve heard that anti-SUV activists somewhere in the Nordics would place a small stone under the air valve cap and the screw it back on causing the tire to slowly go empty over the course of a day. Inconvenient, nondestructive - but also not very kind.
  - t8e56vd4ih 5y ago
    good idea. that's precisely the stuff I'm coming to hacker news for.

_jal 5y ago

If he does that enough, I wouldn't be surprised by someone taking some self-help measures. Gas tank donations are one common approach, as is helping aesthetics by removing those unsightly air valves on tires.

JKCalhoun 5y ago
When I was growing up I had heard that a good use for old potatoes was to weather-seal the open end of exhaust pipes.
throwaway0a5e 5y ago
Nobody will do anything because the kind of people who are annoyed by this kind of behavior are generally well off and religiously law abiding. The kind of people who would do something a) aren't that bothered by it and b) generally have bigger thorns in their sides than someone else's loud car This is fundamentally a conflict of class based social norms. The kind of people who have obnoxiously loud cars don't have a lot of the kind of people who complain about obnoxiously loud cars in their social circles.
SauciestGNU 5y ago
Oil pan drain plug removal can help them change the oil on their car, but remember to remind them to refill the oil or else their engine might seize!
- MerelyMortal 5y ago
  They might notice the low oil light warning. If they immediately shut off their engine, the engine will probably be just fine. Modern oil "sticks" to the moving parts much better, so it takes a day or two for it to all drip down into the sump.

MerelyMortal 5y ago

I've always fantasized about getting a coffee can of thermite… Engine can't make noise if there's a 6" hole going through it.

kelnos 5y ago

> Management is sick of it but "can't do anything." Doesn't your building have rules about noise, and (hopefully) fines for non-compliance? That seems pretty standard.