I need some advice quickly. I just took my max in to the stealership this morning cuz 2 days ago, while sitting at a red light, the engine just shut down. I turned the ignition off, then back on and the car started up again. So I took it in to find out what happened and they said the air flow sensor is busted and I would need a new stock intake box. I have a frankencar cold air intake and he said that it would need to come out in order to fix the problem. Then he quoted me $750 for a new intake box, which includes the box and all the tubing and whatever is in there. Am I getting ripped off or does this really need to be done to fix this problem?

P.S. I don't know if this helps, but while driving the car today, I noticed that when I'm not moving, the engine is idling below 1k rpm's. I've never really took note of what the car idles at, but is that normal?

 

I'd say your getting ripped off. You dont need the whole airbox if you want the frankencar. Go to the classifieds and find a maf sensor or maybe rockauto or junkyard. No way you should pay that much. The dealer just doesnt sell seperate parts (at least in my experiences) so they want to sell you the box, maf, tubes, everything. You dont need it. The idle might be due to the maf. Check it after you change it.

 

The only component in your intake box is the MAF sensor, and if you can find it in a junkyard, that is a better guess. Ask the dealer how much he wants for the MAF alone...

A warm car will idle around 500-700 in Drive with your brakes engaged, and around 1000 with movement.

 

You can get a MAF from the junkyard for <$100 with a short warantee...

If your MAF is busted, it won't rev past 2500 rpm, iirc.

 

Thanks for your input fellas. I forgot to mention that I also had the starter checked out cuz the car has been struggling to start for a couple months. They said they heard noises from the starter and that it was going to die soon. They quoted me around $435 for a new starter. Is it worth it to buy a new one, or is it ok to find a used one?

 

Used one or remanufactured. You can also rebuild yourself. Check motorvate.ca website.

 

www.car-part.com

 

If your starter is dying, replace it yourself. with an aftermarket intake, it will be easy to get to, and only requires 2 bolts and a bit of leverage/muscle. I got mine from autozone or something for $125 i think. I dont know if thats necessarily a good deal or not, but I was shocked at how easy it was to replace the starter. Also, with your Intake setup, changing out the MAF should be hella easy too. Save your money, get a MAF from rockauto or a junkyard and change it yourself; those are two really easy things to do.

 

Doesn't a bad MAF throw a CEL?

 

Dead MAF yes. Mine was in its last stages of life, and it did not throw a code for ~ 2weeks. Frustrating like he//.

 

how reliable is rockauto? have you guys actually purchased stuff from there that's been remanufactured and have it work fine, or were there problems? I only ask cuz I don't wanna shell out the money for something that's only remanufactured and have it do more harm than good. Also, I'm looking at the rockauto website right now and there's 3 maf sensors listed, all remanufactured, but different prices. Here's the link. http://www.rockauto.com/catalog/x,ca...r,partGroup,22
Which one of these would be for me?

 

I have a spare MAF I could sell you, pm me if interested.

 

DO NOT BUY A USED STARTER!!!!! my starter died yesterday AT the autoparts store (advanced auto)!! lucky me!! $138 and 15 min. out and back in (with lifetime warranty.) And the replacement still used the nissan housing (nissan emblems all over it) OEM match.