How long did it take you to change the sensor? What would you have had to pay had you gone to an autoshop/dealer?

 

very easy to do with basic auto knowledge.....wouldnt take more than 10 minutes tops.

 

It was really simple. All you need is a screwdriver. Flat or Phillips. Unscrew the hose clamp, pop off 2 clips holding the MAF sensor to the filter housing, pull MAF out. Make sure the o-ring is still in the filter housing, and properly installed. There's also a gasket ring inside the crinkle tube leading to the y-pipe, so make sure it's still there. Unplug the sensor, plug new one in, pop it in the filter housing, fasten it down with the 2 clips, put the hose on, and tighten the clamp. Done. Like he said 10 minutes tops.

BTW, they're about $70 from audicarparts.com, once you return the core.

If you suspect yours is messed up, try running the car with it unplugged and see if the condition clears up like mine did. I have no idea why you can unplug it and the car runs perfectly fine, but it works. I'd say 100% safe to drive it like that, just make sure you get one before too long.

And it was going to cost me $217 for parts from the dealer, no idea how much labor would have been, but $70 beats paying the dealer price any day.

 

AGreen is right, if the MAF is the problem, unplug it and see if it runs better.....I dont know if i agree that it will run prefect but it will run better if it is to blame, sometimes the throttle response is bad and gas mileage is very poor when it is unplugged or malfunctioning but you should be able to figure out what is giving you trouble.

 

I assume if unplugging the MAF sensor makes the problem worse, then the MAF is not to blame?