If the new MSCAI is out, why is my dealer so oblivious?!

Parkeway

Parkeway

Member
:
Mazdaspeed3
Called the dealer in Nov re: New CAI w/straightener - they said they'd let me know by December what the plans were.

No dice.

Called in January, they said they haven't heard a thing.

Called yesterday and they stated that the hold had not been removed and that they had no new intakes?!?!?!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

What route did you guys take to get the revised MSCAI from the dealer? (and before we start the SRI/CAI war, I'm still under warranty and these guys seem like the type that would say "NO" for any reason)

TIA -
 
Last edited:
I have seen and installed one recently. You have to get them to call the North Carolina parts depot. They have them!
 
They may not know that there is a new one, but the part number is the same. just be sure to ask if it includes an air straightener and if it does then it is the new one. if not then you could just order one from aem. The only change between the two is that air straightener.
 
The problem started with expecting a dealership to actually be knowledgable of the products it sells.
 
Kain said:
The problem started with expecting a dealership to actually be knowledgable of the products it sells.
Click to expand...

true-this

i had the same problem with the parts ppl not knowing what's going on. i kept pushing them to look into it more and eventually they realized that it was re-released
 
I ordered mine about a month ago and the guy said it was on backorder untill the 31st of march. He said he would call me when it's in. I've been waking up early since Monday to see if he calls. It better not be put off longer. I'm sick of waiting for this s***.
 
Nliiitend1 said:
..or you could just buy one of the cheaper, better-engineered alternatives... (dunno)
Click to expand...

Well, why would one think that the 2nd gen MSCAI/AEM is not as well engineered? What, pray tell, is better engineered?

Yes, there are cheaper products out there. If the purchaser is interested in protecting warranty (not an issue for me), then staying with the MSCAI would make sense. And CAI is preferable for many of us. You can also go SRI with it if you want to switch back and forth.

As to price and availability from independent vendors, they are out there and in stock. Not pimping for any vendor, but I bought mine from SU because they had (still do) it in stock, and it is cheaper than buying it from Mazda.
 
Last edited:
MSMS3 said:
Well, why would one think that the 2nd gen MSCAI/AEM is not as well engineered? What, pray tell, is better engineered?

Yes, there are cheaper products out there. If the purchaser is interested in protecting warranty (not an issue for me), then staying with the MSCAI would make sense. And CAI is preferable for many of us. You can also go SRI with it if you want to switch back and forth.

As to price and availability from independent vendors, they are out there and in stock. Not pimping for any vendor, but I bought mine from SU because they had (still do) it in stock, and it is cheaper than buying it from Mazda.
Click to expand...


anyone who is worried about their warranty shouldnt mind taking the 15-20 minutes to swap it back to stock if a warranty issue arises.
 
numbnuts22715 said:
anyone who is worried about their warranty shouldnt mind taking the 15-20 minutes to swap it back to stock if a warranty issue arises.
Click to expand...

And putting the stock air box back on every time it goes back to the dealer? I did the install on my CAI. The CAI part is a piece of cake. The stock air box is not so easy to remove and install.

For me, I haven't and don't plan to let the stealer dealer mess with my car. Ever. But there are alot of MS3 owners that take their cars to the dealer for every little thing including routine oil changes.
 
I happen to believe that the CP-E intakes and the Cobb intake are definitely all better-engineered than the original AEM/MS unit, and the fact that they had to release a "2nd gen" tells me enough about their dedication to making a quality product to keep me from purchasing/recommending for purchase an intake that is no better than the similarly priced, well-engineered/constructed CP-E CAI...

Also, I don't believe that the MSCAI actually "protects your warranty." It's merely a warrantied item (it carries its own 12mo/12K mile warranty) that you can install/have installed on your car (and if you have it installed by a qualified Mazda dealer then the CAI is warrantied for the duration of the bumper to bumper warranty).

Show me where it explicitly says that if the MSCAI causes engine failure that the engine will be covered under your warranty. I'm just not comfortable with the language of their policy...

Anyway, I'll post here what I replied to the OP when he PMed me about my comment, as others might be able to use it to help them make a decision as well:

Nliiitend1 said:
Parkeway said:
I see you actually track your car - I saw the comment about "better engineered" alternatives but didn't want to start another thread war on which is best but had to know which intake you have installed?

Thanks - enjoy your posts.
Click to expand...

(lol2) @ the "thread war" comment.

I've got the Cobb intake on my car now.

I decided on a short-ram style setup because of the ease of access to the filter and the fact that the gains from using a "cold-air" setup vs. a "short-ram" are pretty much the same on this car, from what I've seen. I just couldn't justify the extra cost and increased difficulty in maintaining a CAI setup.

I originally had a BEGi Airbox. I was attracted to it by it's "under the radar" appearance and the fact that it had a dry-filter (Amsoil) option. While I can't say it ever really caused me any problems, I got freaked out by a few posts related to guys getting whacked-out LTFT readings on their datalogs when running the BEGi intake, so I bought a Cobb intake.

As it turns out, I probably overreacted, as I've now heard from a few Cobb users that say the same thing about their LTFTs...I still haven't datalogged my own car, and I've never had any real drivability issues that I can positively attribute to either intake. I've been very happy with the Cobb intake and I like the idea that it has an "airflow straightener" (something that the BEGi doesn't have) and Cobb has a pretty decent reputation for their product support (whereas BEGi leaves quite a bit to be desired, from my experiences) so I'll be keeping the Cobb on the car, at least for now. I also just ordered an AccessPort, so that's another reason for me to keep the Cobb.

When I removed the BEGi intake (I'd had it on for about 5-6K miles/6 months) I was reminded of the cracker-jack engineering that went into it. There were a lot of fitment issues that I'd kind of forgotten about after I installed it (for instance, the two bottom mounting spacers got cross-threaded when installing it because the holes at the bottom of the box didn't line up quite right with the spacers) and it was generally a pain in the ass to install and remove.

Someday I might throw the BEGi back on and run some datalogs to compare it to the Cobb (I even have an AEM airflow straightener that I picked up just to see if I could make it work with the BEGi intake) since I'm kind of curious, but for now I'm happy with my current setup...I just wish it looked more like the BEGi setup...

Now, if you're set on a CAI, I'd recommend the CPE intake over the MS one. CPE just appears to have put more thought into their setup than was put into the MS piece, and they're roughly the same price.

Hope that helps. :)
Click to expand...

Anyway, I'm not trying to get into a bitchfest about this intake or that intake. I just saw the frustration that the OP was experiencing and thought I'd throw the idea of perhaps choosing an alternative out there.

Sorry if I ruffled your feathers.

Cheers. :)
 
im at work right now.. at a mazda dealer, and on the product availability screen this is what it says

GRMS-8M-L29 QC PDNG APPRVL TBD PNOT

so they are not available to us yet.
 
Please log in or register to reply here.

New Posts and Comments

JP mp5 VA
  • Article Article
For Sale (Unverified) Parts for Mazda Protege, Protege5 engine transmissions
Replies
2
Views
130
JP mp5 VA
JP mp5 VA
R
Cannot use the front day lights
Replies
9
Views
247
N7turbo
N7turbo
A
2008 cx9 cooling system
Replies
0
Views
75
Anthony8478
A
A
    • Wow
  • Question Question
2013~2016 2016.5 Mazda cx-5 grand touring spark plug issue.
Replies
2
Views
109
AVSJay
A
Ecohostile
  • Question Question
What is this plug in the rear hatch called?
Replies
2
Views
477
erhayes
E
W
2017~2025 How does everybody feel about the 2026 eliminating the turbo and physical buttons?
Replies
14
Views
573
GFrosty
G
View more…

New Threads and Articles

Back