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Man Retaliates As GF Regularly Takes Calls During 3-Hour Car Ride And Mutes His Car Stereo
Young woman smiling while talking on phone, inside car, illustrating partner faceplate annoyed with mute music gesture.

Man Retaliates As GF Regularly Takes Calls During 3-Hour Car Ride And Mutes His Car Stereo

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Long drives can be fun with the right kind of music and people, or else they might feel tiresome. That’s why folks who have to travel long distances regularly try to keep themselves occupied and don’t like it when their passengers interfere with the choice of entertainment.

This is what happened when a man’s girlfriend kept muting his car stereo to take phone calls while he was covering a 3-hour journey. Eventually, he got annoyed by her obliviousness and decided to teach her a lesson by cleverly restricting the music controls.

More info: Reddit

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    When people are indifferent to their partner’s feelings of discomfort, it can end up causing conflicts in the relationship

    Couple in a car with partner showing an annoyed faceplate while girlfriend mutes the music and smiles.

    Image credits: The Yuri Arcurs Collection / Freepik (not the actual photo)

    The poster explained that he had to drive 3 hours to a hospital every few months due to his health condition, and that he listened to music or podcasts on the long journey

    Text post about a partner annoyed by faceplate removal and muting music during phone calls in a car.

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    Annoyed girlfriend covering ears while partner mutes music using car stereo faceplate controls.

    Partner looking annoyed as girlfriend mutes music during a shared moment in a casual indoor setting.

    Partner showing annoyed faceplate while girlfriend mutes music during a shared moment at home.

    Text about partner faceplate annoyed girlfriend muting music while on phone, showing frustration with volume control.

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    Partner faceplate showing annoyed girlfriend muting music during a drive, expressing frustration over volume control.

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    Text showing a frustrated partner with faceplate annoyed while girlfriend mutes music and talks on the phone during a long drive.

    Young woman smiling and talking on phone in car while partner looks annoyed, trying to mute music nearby

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    Image credits: Freepik / Freepik (not the actual photo)

    Over time, the man’s girlfriend started joining him on his drives to the hospital, but she kept muting his car stereo to take calls or complete errands

    Text expressing frustration about sitting in traffic and overhearing unrelated conversations for hours.

    Text describing a partner using the faceplate to mute music, causing an annoyed girlfriend to react.

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    Partner with an annoyed faceplate expression as girlfriend mutes music to avoid interruptions during a podcast.

    Couple in living room with partner's annoyed faceplate expression as girlfriend mutes music on headphones.

    Annoyed girlfriend covering ears while partner faces music playing, showing frustration over loud sound.

    Text on a white background expressing a desire to listen to music while talking to a partner, related to partner faceplate annoyed GF mute music.

    Text showing partner faceplate annoyed girlfriend asking to mute music or pause instead of turning off completely.

    Car dashboard with partner faceplate showing navigation screen and audio controls, mute music feature visible.

    Image credits: standret / Freepik (not the actual photo)

    Despite the man telling his girlfriend that it annoyed him when she muted the stereo, she didn’t listen, so he took out its faceplate, which meant only he could control the system

    Partner with an annoyed faceplate mutes music while explaining why headphones can't be used during driving.

    Text excerpt showing a partner faceplate discussion with an annoyed girlfriend about muting music during calls.

    Text on a white background expressing frustration about a partner becoming defensive when asked to check timecodes or call counts.

    Text on a white background reading I never asked her to come on these routine trips so I try to just let it go and enjoy her being there with me, partner faceplate annoyed girlfriend mute music.

    Partner annoyed while faceplate mutes music during a quiet moment at home, showing frustration with sound control.

    Text expressing frustration about a partner’s muted music and annoyed girlfriend reaction to faceplate use.

    Text image showing a statement about talking to a partner after cooling off, related to partner faceplate annoyed gf mute music.

    Image credits:  Restaurantsarehell

    The woman felt annoyed because she thought the poster was punishing her and treating her like a teenager, but they both still couldn’t find a solution to the issue

    As the poster had shared, he really couldn’t stand driving, but he had to do it because of his health issues, which meant that he would often drive 3+ hours to get to the hospital. Due to that, his mechanic friend had upgraded his car stereo, in which the faceplate could be changed, and added a Bluetooth feature to it.

    As most car enthusiasts would state, the faceplate of the music system is essential for drivers to have a pleasant and easy experience. This handy system makes it easier to access the controls and switch to whichever station the driver wants to listen to, which is probably why the OP hadn’t changed it up in his car.

    He also enjoyed hearing interesting podcasts and music while on his long drive to the hospital, but this soon started to change once his girlfriend began joining him. Instead of respecting whatever he was playing on the stereo, she kept muting it so that she could take calls with her friends or family.

    According to most car experts, it is usually up to the driver to control the car radio, and they should get the final say on what to play. Although sometimes they might let passengers take control of the sound system, in a disagreement, it’s up to the driver whether they want to keep the same tracks going or not.

    Man sitting in a car looking annoyed while partner faceplate mutes music with a frustrated expression.

    Image credits: DC Studio / Freepik (not the actual photo)

    The OP had told his girlfriend multiple times that her calls lasted too long and that he had to sit through a big chunk of the journey just listening to her one-sided conversation, instead of the music or podcasts he had picked. Despite confronting her, the woman still didn’t seem to realize how much her actions were affecting her boyfriend. 

    She kept brushing off his criticism and acting like her lengthy conversations were just a couple of minutes long. Apart from that, she was also not comfortable using headphones while on call, and he couldn’t use them while driving, as it was illegal to do so, which meant they were at an impasse.

    In relationship conflicts like this, professionals state that it’s important to avoid blaming your partner and instead explain your point of view calmly. Although there might not be a resolution to the issue right away, it will help both people slowly get on the same page and be able to solve the problem like a team.

    Unfortunately, the OP didn’t do that, and instead of discussing the issue with his girlfriend a few more times, he simply decided to remove the stereo faceplate so that he could control the music from his phone. After that, she ended up feeling frustrated and like he was punishing her for her actions.

    What do you think about the man’s idea, and do you think he should have handled the situation differently? We’d love to hear your thoughts on this matter.

    Folks were divided on the issue, with some feeling the girlfriend was being rude, and others thinking that the man had been too petty

    Text comment on Reddit discussing an annoyed girlfriend and partner faceplate about muting music and rude behavior.

    Comment discussing partner annoyance over music and muted calls, highlighting rude behavior during chit chat interruptions.

    Text post discussing partner faceplate tactic with annoyed girlfriend and muting music as a temporary relationship solution.

    Commenter AegonIConqueror shares a pet peeve about phone use in cars, suggesting a compromise to mute music.

    Text comment showing advice to tell partner to use earbuds with mic, referencing annoyed girlfriend and music mute issues.

    Commenter expressing that a car ride is a shared experience, calling it rude to mute music without agreement.

    Text message conversation screenshot showing a partner faceplate annoyed as girlfriend mutes music during argument.

    Text comment reading partner faceplate annoyed girlfriend mutes music during argument about consideration.

    Text conversation on partner faceplate showing annoyed girlfriend muting music during argument.

    Comment on Reddit showing user advising to stop taking girlfriend on trips, expressing annoyed partner and mute music frustration.

    Poll Question

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    Beverly Noronha

    Beverly Noronha

    Writer, BoredPanda staff

    Read more »

    You can call me Bev! I'm a world-class reader, a quirky writer, and a gardener who paints. If you’re looking for information about tattoos, Bulbasaur, and books, then I'm the NPC you must approach.

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    Beverly Noronha

    Beverly Noronha

    Writer, BoredPanda staff

    You can call me Bev! I'm a world-class reader, a quirky writer, and a gardener who paints. If you’re looking for information about tattoos, Bulbasaur, and books, then I'm the NPC you must approach.

    What do you think ?
    sweet emotion
    Community Member
    1 day ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Why would anyone want a girl- (or boy-) friend who is so disrespectful? I don't care what kind of social butterfly your believe yourself to be, you DO NOT keep taking calls from other friends while you are spending time with me. Period.

    Calane E. Vanya
    Community Member
    1 day ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    I consider answering the phone in such circumstances normal – but only to check if it's urgent and arrange to call back later. I'm very bothered by loud people in public (e.g., on public transportation), and I often carry noise-canceling headphones – but that's neither sufficient nor always safe.

    Load More Replies...
    Kate Johnson
    Community Member
    Premium
    1 day ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    It's incredibly rude to talk on the phone in the car with someone else. Unless it's brief and to the point.

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    Janelle Collard
    Community Member
    Premium
    1 day ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    "The driver picks the music." It's the *law* you guys!!! 🤣 Hope OP dumped the entitled princess. She doesn't drive so she needs to keep her paws off the equipment.

    Load More Comments
    sweet emotion
    Community Member
    1 day ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Why would anyone want a girl- (or boy-) friend who is so disrespectful? I don't care what kind of social butterfly your believe yourself to be, you DO NOT keep taking calls from other friends while you are spending time with me. Period.

    Calane E. Vanya
    Community Member
    1 day ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    I consider answering the phone in such circumstances normal – but only to check if it's urgent and arrange to call back later. I'm very bothered by loud people in public (e.g., on public transportation), and I often carry noise-canceling headphones – but that's neither sufficient nor always safe.

    Load More Replies...
    Kate Johnson
    Community Member
    Premium
    1 day ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    It's incredibly rude to talk on the phone in the car with someone else. Unless it's brief and to the point.

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    Janelle Collard
    Community Member
    Premium
    1 day ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    "The driver picks the music." It's the *law* you guys!!! 🤣 Hope OP dumped the entitled princess. She doesn't drive so she needs to keep her paws off the equipment.

    Load More Comments
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