79corvette

The administrative assistant principle of my high school claims that my car is to loud. According to her I have 4 days to decide if I will get a new muffler, talk with deputies, or get my parking permit taken away. I paid $5 for my parking permit and have not violated any of the rules for ownership of that spot. Now, I feel that she has no right to tell me that my car is to loud and then threaten me with different situations. I think it is hard to believe that she is picking on a student with a 4.5 GPA, in Laureate program, taking AP/honors classes and ranked 52 out of 425 students. What do you all think I should do? I think I should not have to get new mufflers for it, unless the school wants to pay for them :yesnod: , they are the ones complaining. I am just really pissed off with this, so I had to share it with everyone. :rant: :cuss :cuss

Sigforty

I really do not see how a school could make you change anything about your car. Most cops probably do not car about the exhaust on your car unless it is illegal (no cat). I see you do not live in Cali, which probably would have the biggest issue with a car being modified. Are there any other V8 cars in the school lot? What type of muffler do you currently have? I honestly would not expect a prinicple to know anything about cars.

Tom73

What does your GPA have to do with them thinking that your car is too loud? The car is just as loud if the driver has an A average or a D average.

But...I don't know your school rules but generaly they have the authority to determin what cars are allowed on school property and the conditions of use. They basicly have you over a barrel. If you want to drive on school property you will, more then likely, have to get new mufflers. Or you can keep the mufflers and not drive the Vette to school. :(

tom...

69Rat

I'd first
-check out the school regulation on the parking permits. See if it says anything in reguards to vehicle condition.
- then double check and make sure that your mufflers are D.O.T. aproved including local noise ordenances.
-if all is ok, I'd call her bluff, and tell her if she tries to remove your parking permit for "personal taste" reasons, that you'll sue her butt!! :boxing

If she gives you trouble, gather your buddies together and see if anyone else has loud exhaust, and see why their not being hassled... then get the media involved.

You sound like a good guy... good grades... no trouble (right?? :skep: ) , then she shouldn't be on your tail!! :nono:

Most of the time, people like that are trying to intimidate guys with cars.. they have some preconceived notion that car guys are troublemakers...

Prove her wrong! :flag

Riceater

front em. If its legal on the streets, its legal in teh parking lot. Can you park anywhere else that is close. If so, thats what i would do. Of course, i would also rev my engine alot around the school/principal's house.

LAvetteman

:iagree: Or she probably wishes that vette belonged to her or her husband rather than a high school student, but that her dang problem. ;)

Boofers

That sucks man! Sounds like she is using you to set a precedent about loud cars on school property. How about a compromise? Perhaps you could ask the school for a warning instead. Show them your essay writing ability - write a very nice letter and talk to them rationally about it. Let them know that you respect school property and the other students, etc. Agree not to rev the engine loud around school property. Agree that if you break the rule and rev it loud you will lose your privilege of parking on school property.

I have had neighbors complain to me about my car. They cannot dispute however, that big diesel delivery trucks are MUCH louder than my car. These trucks go up and down my street a lot more than I do.

Here is your chance to set an example in your school of being a responsible driver, show how you have the discipline to control your power. Good luck, let us know how it turns out!

79corvette

Sigforty

Here in Florida they do not require emisions equipment to be on cars. There are other V8 cars on the lot, and one of them is an old Firebird who is almost as loud as I am. I have driven by over 8 cops that were on duty, just going by at 1mph, and they didn't say a word to me. I also have cops who live in my neighborhood and never talked to me before about it. I have even been driving next to my friend who has an exhaust on his import, and he got pulled over, but not me, and I think mine is louder, and his is not very loud.

Tom73

I was emplying with my grades that I am not a trouble maker and that I don't slack off there. And that I'm not trying to cause trouble, there are other kids at school who are not there for learning.

69Rat

These are infractions from the student handbook regarding loss of parking privilages:
- parking without a valid permit and/or an unregistered car
-operating a vehicles in a manner that is detrimental to the safety of others
-parking in the teachers' parking lot
-parking in an unassigned parking space
-parking in the grass
-loitering in the parked car before school or after school
exceeding the posted speed limit
-going to car without a pass from the attendance/discipline office
-excessive tardiness to school
-zero tolerance suspensions (especially as realated to drugs)
-excessive truancy and/or unexcesed absences

I don't think that I have broken any of those rules. Maybe the one about safety to others, becuase I am going to ruin peoples hearing, even though people with systems in there cars are louder than mine. :)

Riceater
There is no other place to park near by.

LAvetteman

:lol:

79corvette

Boofers

That's not a bad idea, it's rational. I just feel that for the 5minutes that the car is running while leaving school it should be alright. I haven't had one student complain to me about the exhaust, everyone says they like the car. And that's coming from kids there who drive Audi's and such( a lot of well to do kids go there, they dont' know the vette only cost $3500 :lol: ).

Tom73

Check out your local/state noise ordnances. This would include the motor vehicle ordnance and the city county noise ordnances. They can and usually are different. Then get a dbmeter and check you car by these standards. If you are okay there then the school does not have a leg to stand on. But if you are louder than any part of any of the ordnances then you could have a problem.

tom…

427V8

Here's what I would do...

1. Defuse the situation;
Tell her you've been thinking about quieting the car down....You've been thinking of getting new mufflers.

2. Show concern;
Ask her how loud would be acceptable. Insist on a decible rating at specified distance and speed. Suggest the city ordiance ( happen to have a copy). Make her explain any variance from said ordiance. She would need a damn good reason to be better than the city. Make her suggest a decibel rating before showing her the ordiance!!! She won't have a clue most likely

3. Get documentation;
Get a signed document from her stating what is acceptable. If she won't sign, tell her you can't be convinced of her sincerity.

4. Insist on 100% inspection. If she is fair she will pay for inspecting all cars that come through the gates. She must pick a date and do inspection on all cars, teachers included.

5. bring along a reporter from the local paper, with a cameraman :smash:


[Modified by 427V8, 10:01 PM 9/10/2003]

rollavette71

I agree with Boofers. And ask yourself this question: will/does your car really disrupt school activities and learning? If so, then the Assistant Principal has a point, despite the legalities involved. If your car is a disruption, then act like an adult and quiet it down.

On the other hand, if she just has too much time on her hands and is looking for someone to pick on, then let her have it, but do it appropriately. Don't get mad and act emotionally... be clever and figure out a way to outsmart her.

Good luck! :cheers:

bob

I've been reading this thread and first let me say I am an old retired guy. Sounds like you are a good kid. Sounds like your car is louder than most even though you might not rev it or go out of your way to make trouble. Sounds like missie principal might have a bee in her bonnet and wants to run all aspects of the school. Try and work it out with her and failing that do the mufflers and keep up the good marks. With that education you can probably rise far above her ( she probably talks on the cell phone as she rips with her suv, as I said I am retired and don't have to worry what others think) and those people will be your subordinates and all this won't matter.
bob

Steve81

Glad to see high school Asst. Principles haven't changed. I was told the same thing about my motorcycle with straight pipes, i tried to fight it but had to park off school grounds. In my 6 years butting heads in high school I learned, as a student, you have to abide by their rules - and yes they can make them up as they go. Boy, I sure hope nobody checks my spelling. :jester

Chuck Harmon

As said earlier, defusing this situation would be the smarter route. Someone working for me might be wearing clothing that is judged NOT indecent by legal authorities; but, that doesn't mean that I won't find such clothing unacceptable to remain in my employment. The same goes for speech. She clearly appears to feel that you car has crossed the line regarding noise standards. Even if you are within the letter of the law are you sure you want to bring in police to arbitrate this? If not the mufflers, I’m sure they can find something else. At a minimum, it will draw their attention to you in the future.

An apology for perhaps revving the engine and making more noise than necessary, attempting to see her side of this may pay much greater dividends. Maybe she is absolutely unreasonable, I had some of them too, but I would really be surprised if a merely loud mufflered small block idling in and out of the parking lot would make even as much noise as one of their busses. A loud gunned engine very likely represents as much an attitude problem to her as the noise itself. Confronting her with a pissed off attitude will only reinforce her point.

I had my '69 in high school too. 2" dual pipes through absolutely empty glass packs. Everyone was waiting for me to screw up. I didn't! Later I learned that this earned me a lot of respect from a bunch of the teachers (not all) that proved to pay me much larger dividends later when they came to me professionally. You’ve got a great car, let her know that it means a lot to you, that bucks are tight, and that you really want make a clean start with her. Many folk think that just because you’ve got a Vette you want to lord it over them with some ego trip. It doesn’t even occur to most people that you may just simply appreciate the car. Knowing the type of Vette owner you are can make a huge difference.

Chuck

Crash Dummy

I'm amazed that anyone agrees with you based on the above arguement. I'd kick your car off the premises too if you presented that to me. That is arrogant. Did you really read what you wrote?

pillowmeto

Id put on some 4 inch side pipes with out baffels in them. Hey they are new so you followed thier rules right. But i hated when my high school tried to mess with me on stuff like that. I just started college and i got the vette in march. I was banned from driving it near the end of the year because while pulling out of a stop sign and making a right my tires squeaked, well how can they not they are 12 inches wide on a posi dumbasses. But i was banned while the ricers and beamers are doing full length burnouts every day coming out of there, and mine squeked. HEll a 76 180 hp L48, w/ bad secondaries, a T350 and 3.08 rear hooked to 11.5 inch tires cant even burn out. well thats my rant. The school admistration can be a real bitch sometimes.

MAtt

Enkil

Courts typically declare schools, even though they're public schools run by the government, to be private property. It's how they work around the first amendment and limit freedom of speech and so on and so forth. On the same idea, what's legal on the street doesn't mean it will be allowed on the school's parking lot.

Still, I'd fight it every way I could. 4 days is a very short time for something like a pair of mufflers. 'course, you could always opt for the loudest muffler possible. Maybe put one of those ricer fartcan exhaust things on your car. I don't know how, but they make tiny 4-bangers sound really loud. (It's just unfortunate they sound like a loud lawnmower, instead of a loud sports car.)

In any event, be glad you only paid 5 for your permit. Mine was 50.

Corz

ahhh memories.

When I was in high school, damn it seems like a long time ago.. my vette consisted of the following.. headers, 2.5" chambered exhaust. when I rumbled into the lot, all the teachers would give me dirty looks except for my shop teacher :thumbs:

One day the assistant principle told me my car was too loud. I told her that the only reason my car was too loud, was because everytime I pull in the parking lot, the 'speed' bumps that were installed hit my exhaust and tore it right off the header. I gave her a decision.. either YOU fix the speed bumps, or get off my back about it.

if your school lot has speed bumps.. thats the way to go :thumbs:


[Modified by Corz, 2:44 AM 9/11/2003]

1Asterisk

I would do as recommended and get her to give you an acceptable decible level (while being aware and having proof of what your city laws are).

I would be as nice as possible, try to show that you WANT to comply and want them happy. They would probably be a little less restrictive if they believe that you respect their rules. If you are standoffish to them, then they will probably dig in and make your life troublesome....

I had a camaro in highschool and I didnt want to have their stupid looking parking sticker stuck to my windshield. So I put it in a baseball card sleeve and used scotch tape to hold it in place. They hated that, but I was able to talk my way out of it every time by being extra nice.....