Neighbor’s Car Wakes Me Up: What Should I Do?

It’s safe to say when my neighbor’s car wakes me up in the morning, I’m not a happy camper. Loud car engines can quickly become a problem when they disturb the peace and wake up the neighborhood. What can you do about your neighbors loud car though?

If your neighbors car is waking you up every morning, try politely talking to them about it first. If that doesn’t work, you can report them to local authorities for disturbing the peace. This is a civil infraction and they may face a hefty fine because of it.

Before you file a complaint and stress over a strained relationship with your neighbor, you have to realize there are several options to deal with the problem. This article will provide you with some concrete tips and suggestions on what you can do about your neighbor’s roaring engines. 

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Are Loud Cars Illegal?

There might be doubts in your mind whether or not loud car noises are considered illegal. If you’ve wanted to report your neighbor for a long time, you should know that while owning loud cars are not illegal, disturbing the neighborhood with it is.

Depending on where you live, there are certain laws that put a limit as to how much noise one can legally make with a car. For instance, in Seattle, the law considers it an unlawful vehicle noise when the sound is heard 75 feet from the source.

For someone who lives next door, you can only imagine how much of an annoyance that is. Surely, anyone who lives near a person who owns a car with a loud exhaust and is disturbing the peace can report that noisy neighbor. And FYI, this is considered a civil infraction and offenders may face a fine of up to $500.

Most cities do impose a rule against people who drive cars with loud exhaust systems. To remedy this, most cars sold legally are equipped with exhaust systems that produce sounds within an acceptable limit. Still, there are people who want to modify their cars and end up with loud sounds.

If you’re concerned about a neighbor’s noisy car problem, you can research laws on exhaust systems. If Seattle sets it at 75 feet, other states and cities may have it differently.

Can You Report Someone for Having a Loud Car?

Filing a loud car exhaust complaint is easily the first step most people do if they have neighbors who constantly disturb the peace. After all, it’s not easy having someone wake you up in the wee hours of the morning just because they love revving their car. Perhaps, it’s a neighbor working on the car at night that woke up the baby you’ve worked so hard to get to sleep.

You should also realize that a neighbor who keeps revving their car may not be the only problem you could be dealing with. There’s also the neighbor who sits in the car blasting music late at night because they think it’s cool, especially when friends are around.

Whatever the case, it’s considered rude to be going around making noises with cars in the neighborhood. And for that, you can or should report it – but where to?

Can I Call the Cops on My Neighbor for Having a Loud Car?

The short answer is yes, you can call the cops on your neighbor, especially when they’re using their loud car in the neighborhood, causing unnecessary disturbances. In fact, it’s what most people do when they are dealing with noisy neighbors.

It greatly helps as the presence of an officer should be enough to get their attention.  There are instances, however, that despite receiving a visit from an officer, the neighbor might still continue to use their loud cars. This happens if you live in an area with no strict laws on noise pollution.

If you do decide to call the cops on your neighbor, be aware that one of the consequences is your neighbor knowing you called it in. As a result, you and your neighbor could have a strained relationship. Remember, that neighbor could be the person you’re living close to for years and the resentment could go that long.

Having said that, calling the cops may be a good idea if you’re left with no choice. This means if you’ve exhausted other options or if your neighbor comes off as rude and threatening. Otherwise, the first step to dealing with neighbor’s with loud cars is to go to your neighbor to confront them about the noise. There might be a chance that your neighbor doesn’t realize how much of a disturbance he’s causing. 

On the other hand, the scenario can also play out differently and your neighbor won’t take it well if you call their attention regarding the noise disturbance. In this case, be on the lookout for any signs of property damage that may occur soon after you’ve confronted them.

What To Do If You Don’t Want To Report

Meanwhile, some people just can’t be bothered to meddle in anyone’s business – unless it’s life-threatening, of course. If you don’t like to talk to your neighbor about the noise or don’t want to report them, there’s another option: taking matters into your own hands. 

We understand if you don’t want to get the cops involved in loud car noise disturbances. We also get it if you don’t want to make things awkward with your neighbor by confronting them. In this case, the problem will be solved by buying items you can use or install at home to help tone down the noise. 

Keep in mind that using noise-canceling gadgets or installing noise-canceling systems won’t be cheap. But if you don’t mind spending for them, this might just be the solution you need to deal with that noise. 

In this section, we will discuss the following options:

• Noise-canceling headphones
• Ear-plugs
• Soundproofing your home
• Using a white-noise machine

Noise-canceling headphones

If your neighbor is revving up the engine on schedule – such as at a certain time when you’re working and need silence, getting noise-canceling headphones will be a great ideal. There are many brands out there but I personally recommended the Sony WH-1000XM4 Noise Canceling Headphones. These headphones have excellent noise-canceling capabilities, are very comfortable to wear, and you won’t ever have to worry if your neighbor’s truck is too loud. 

Earplugs

If your neighbor’s loud car has turned into a personal alarm you’ve never asked for, maybe it’s better for you to invest in earplugs. Sleeping with earplugs can help in improving the quality of your sleep. And if you’re a light sleeper, it becomes an invaluable tool.

The downside to using earplugs is that it can push your earwax deeper, causing buildup, which then could result in ear infections. For this reason, you have to be very selective with your earplugs. They come in various materials so choose one that’s excellent for sleeping.

In this case, use a wax earplug, which easily molds to fit into your ear. If you’re a side-sleeper, you should choose one that can still feel comfortable when you sleep in your chosen position. Wax earplugs like PQ Wax Ear Plugs for Sleep do the job. It has a sound blocking level of 32 decibels.

Soundproofing Your Home

This option might just be an expensive and time-consuming way to make sure you don’t get bothered by your neighbor’s noisy car. This involves sealing gaps in your windows and doors to make sure the sound doesn’t penetrate your home. 

Installing soundproofing systems is a big project to undertake so if you’re not much of a DIY expert but you have the money for it, you can just hire a professional to do the job.

White Noise Machine

Another way to block out the noise caused by your neighbor’s loud car is to have a white noise machine. This will be helpful if you find that the noise keeps waking you up. A white noise machine is a great alternative if you don’t want to stick earplugs into your ear.

Having a white noise machine by your bedside also helps promote good quality sleep. They produce white noise that masks loud sounds that occur in your area. These machines are also recommended for parents to help their babies sleep soundly.

If you want to invest in this gadget, we recommend using SNOOZ White Noise Sound Machine, an app-controlled machine that also works as a night light.

Conclusion: What To Do When Neighbors Car Wakes Me Up?

If you feel hopeless about your neighbor’s loud car, know that you have several options to deal with the problem. The first one is to talk to your neighbor about it. You might even come up with a compromise regarding the noise.

If talking to your neighbor doesn’t help at all, it would be a good idea to bring up the police. However, do keep in mind that this can affect your relationship with your neighbor and so this should be reserved as the last resort. If you’d rather avoid any of that, an alternative would be to invest in noise-canceling gadgets.