A CLEVER homeowner found a way to issue petty revenge on strangers who take his parking space.
Most think it's hilarious - but some think the prank is childish and unwise. car wheel balancing weights
Bill Patterson, a Facebook user from Lynn, Massachusetts posted a photo of stick-on wheel weights to his page with a message about people who take the parking space in front of his house.
In the comments, he revealed a posted sign approximately five feet from the space to warn people not to park.
"These are stick-on tire weights for balancing the wheels on your car," his post began.
"People continue to park in my parking spot at my house. So, I now stick these to the tire of their car that makes their steering wheel go bump, bump, bump!"
He wrote that it was a cheap and clever way to mess with strangers.
"Evil revenge right there."
Wheel weights are used by mechanics when rotating or installing new tires to ensure that the ride is consistent and smooth.
Wheels that are out of balance from other wheels will cause the steering wheel to wobble while driving at higher speeds, making for a bothersome drive.
The severity of the shaking depends on how badly the balance is shifted after extra wheel weights are applied.
If the balance is dramatically off, a driver's wheel would begin to shake immediately, prompting a trip to the repair shop, where they would discover the excess weight and remove it.
For a fee, of course - as a mechanic would likely rotate and balance the tires to find the problem.
According to Kelley Blue Book, a typical tire rotation is $60 to $72 for just the rotation - but the addition of a balancing bumps the average price range up to $112 to $132.
Of course, the cost can be more or less depending on the make, model, and tire size of the vehicle, too.
Most of Patterson's commenters were in full support of his 'harmless' prank.
"Evil, but great," one person wrote.
He responded by saying they had ample warning.
"People absolutely know they are not to park there," read his response.
"It's posted five feet in front of them."
Another wrote that the application of the weights should be done carefully.
Parking on a public street is generally legal, even in front of someone's house, experts say.
Unless the home is in an HOA subdivision, an apartment complex with assigned spaces, or there are posted laws against parking during certain days or hours, it is not illegal to park a vehicle in front of someone's home on a public street.
"Generally speaking, an individual citizen does not 'own' or have any ongoing exclusive right to use a parking space on a public street," wrote Nolo Legal.
"These spaces are open to the public on a first-come, first-serve basis."
Most states do have rules against vehicles being parked in the same spot for 72 hours, or blocking fire hydrants, driveways, and sidewalks, as a parked vehicle in those spaces presents a safety hazard.
"Thump, thump, thump, down the road they go! Start with one tire and then go all four. Put them on the inside!" they wrote.
However, a prankster with a similar idea posted their evil plan to Reddit in the subreddit r/Autos, where they were not met with the same enthusiasm.
"Give those bad parking people a gift they can really feel," the post read.
"Or, hear me out, don't touch people's vehicles regardless of what you think of their parking?"
Another user pointed out that the prank wouldn't teach people not to park in his spot.
"It will scare the heck out of them, but they won't realize it has anything to do with their parking abilities, and you won't get to see their scared faces while they drive, so… it will serve no purpose," read their comment.
"Just go the old-fashioned way and leave a nice little note on their windshield with a drawing of you flipping a birdie."
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