My check engine and vsc lights came on today while near a dealership so I swung in to check it out.

They told me the problem was due to having an after market intake and the car is sucking in too much air. Apparently my MAF sensor wasn't tightened completely and air was getting in through there as well. $140 for the labor!? Just to check it out and tighten two screws... I was a little upset. I just don't see how a new tube and filter can do something like that.

They also said the problem could come back even with the sensor tightened. Should I put my stock intake back on or is the issue resolved with the sensor tightened fully?

UPDATE: as of 10min ago, 2/7/10, the light just came back on.. I would have thought now that the MAF sensor was put in "correctly" it would have been fine. I definitely dont want to pay $140 for it to happen again. Ill probably put my stock intake back on, but even if i do that how do i get the warnings to go off??

 

I've heard it happens from having the filter material have too much oil, where the oil got on the sensor. I have the JoeZ intake, never had a VSC/engine light.

Could be from having the sensor loose, but maybe check on it next time to remedy it yourself instead of bringing it to the dealership.

 

Too much air? Not exactly. Un-metered air is the problem. They charged you for diagnosis and repair. They spent a pretty penny for the diagnosis laptop ($7k), so they're going to charge you when they use it. I imagine if you were running a business and you had to spend $7k for a tool to diagnose something you'd probably want a couple of bucks for it too (ever had an MRI? I have. It wasn't cheap at all despite the fact I only spent a half hour there getting it done).

So, you should really be complaining to whomever installed your intake and failed to fully seal the MAF from leaking.

 

I wonder what the dealer would say, if you had the F Sport intake and it was install by the dealer.

 

Probably check it out for free, if within 1 yr warranty.

 

Yeah I understand the machine is pretty expensive. I guess I was just a little shocked because I thought it would be a warranty issue. Oh well. So I guess now that the sensor is put in correctly or tightened it shouldn't happen again. I hope at least.

 

Warranty doesn't cover problems caused by aftermarket parts (or a poor install thereof)

In the future it's really pretty easy to check if an intake is installed correctly or to see if there's any obvious leaks, might want to take a little time to pop your engine covers off and check it out.

Also- autozone will usually read engine codes for you for free so you can at least get an idea what the issue might be

 

VSC could be as easy as gas cap off. Air intake problem or even a O2 sensor. Those are what i would check. Check to make sure your UBD fuse isnt blown. I popped a VSC for that reason. It is under the passenger kick board on the right, follow the diagram.

 

UPDATE: as of 10min ago, 2/7/10, the light just came back on.. I would have thought now that the MAF sensor was put in "correctly" it would have been fine. I definitely dont want to pay $140 for it to happen again. Ill probably put my stock intake back on, but even if i do that how do i get the warnings to go off??

 

If you paid the dealer (or anyone else) for a repair, and the repair didn't eliminate the problem, they need to fix it properly for free, or return your money to you.

They are entirely full of crap about an aftermarket intake, properly fitted, bringing in "too much air"

 

If your aftermarket intake really did cause the problem, returning to oem will fix it. If not then something else is wrong and the dealership just chipped you for $140.

 

did you put the stock intake back on yet???
if you did, did it fix this???
just checking up...

 

This actually happened to me today, so I reset the ECU by pulling the EFI and ETSC fuses and now I don't have any more problems. Hope this helps, not sure what the problem is but this helped reset the lights.

 

I have the same problem, but my car is bone stock! Every time I bring it into the dealer, they just clear the code under warrenty and send me on my way. I've also had it come on for a day or so then go off. I don't notice a difference with the car. I'll just be pissed when the warranty runs out and I have to pay $$ to get it cleared.

 

Autozone in most states (except California) can test and reset your codes usually for nothing. The important thing is it find out what the code is.

If you're getting a code repeatedly, you should find out what the code is. If its from not putting on the gas cap tightly, you should be told about it.