Mazda installed CAI

[MazdaConvert118]

I went to he dealership the other day, and discovered they have a CAI that they could install on my 3. It costs $335 plus labor, so the price isn't bad. And it comes with a 1 year warranty from the dealership. Has anybody had this installed on their car? any feedback?

 

[xJAZx]

the most a cai should cost you is around $250 and can be easily installed by yourself

 

[MazdaConvert118]

really? I have an 09 3 and the dealer told me an aftermarket CAI will void my warranty as well as destroying some sort of air filtration sensor(they called it a MAF sensor) on the car. is this true or they just endorsing their product?

 

[xJAZx]

most likely endorsing the product but it may void the warranty if they found out about it but everyone on here runs them on there cars without problems

 

[MazdaConvert118]

cool, I'll keep that in mind. How is the dealer's CAI though in terms of performance? if they suck, which CAI's are recommended? (BTW, sorry for being such a noob )

 

[xJAZx]

im not sure so much about the dealer one hopefully someone that actually owns a 3 could chime in on it but most people im pretty sure use a injen or aem

 

[MazdaConvert118]

OK thanks for the advice. My car being not even a year old though, I kinda dont wanna do anything to screw up the warranty. But if the dealer CAI really sucks, I could always wait a couple years before this mod.(pissed)

 

[coyfish]

If your willing to pay the extra $$ for the mazda CAI then go for it. Its the same as the AEM but rebagged mazda. What they told you about the MAF sensor is bs. You can install another brand for cheaper. Just keep in mind you will have to swap it in and out for dealership work if need be. They charge, as i recall, something crazy like 100+ bucks to do a simple install. Granted I have a speed 6 but it took me about 40 min to install my CAI. That was the FIRST time I had ever even popped the hood of a car.

 

[MazdaConvert118]

Thanks a lot guys for all the help. Looks like im gonna have to rethink this. didn't know installing a CAI was THAT simple a process. (its my 1st car ever(lol2))

 

[coyfish]

Its pretty simple and it comes with instructions. What takes time is undoing hard to reach bolts / clamps.

 

[tschatzinger]

Its not that hard of a job really. After I did mine, I said to myself, "wow, was that it?" You'd be surprised how much better your car sounds and performs after you put in a CAI

 

[MazdaConvert118]

Thats another thing..lately during my searches I ran into some reviews about the general effects of CAIs, both on and outside this forum, and the answers were quite mixed. I remember the dealer telling me there will be a 15% increase in hp (probably bs, i dunno), some other websites say +10-20 hp, and others say even only +6-8 hp. Also that CAI's would increase mpg, while some others say it'll decrease, regardless of how you drive it. I know most of ya have CAIs so could anybody give me an estimate how much of a gain CAIs give? thanks

BTW I have a 2.0L engine, and I dunno if i could cough up $250-300 for only a 6-8 hp gain...

 

[coyfish]

In the mazdaspeeds you get about 15 whp. Its all very relative and depends on the dyno of course. One dyno can read 5 whp and the other 20. I would expect 10 whp. The MPG increase is clear though so eventually it will pay for itself. Not to mention you won't pay for replacement filters when you get your oil changed. You simply clean the provided one.

 

[MazdaConvert118]

well i can live with +10 hp the 09 itouring to me definitely needs a performance boost. thanks to all of ya for the info.

 

[L3vzoomzooom]

I had AEM/MazdaSpeed CAI, then I switched to Injen's CAI. I prefer Injen to AEM/MazdaSpeed. The only P.I.T.A I had was removing the stock airbox, without removing the front bumper. Now that I know how to take the bumper off, it makes cleaning the filter a breeze, I can have the bumper off in less then 10mins.

 

[MazdaConvert118]

I'm planning to call up the mechanic at the dealer to see if their CAI is really worth it (really dont wanna screw up the warranty this early, or screw up the car removing/reinstalling the intake everytime i go to the dealer. plus i don't have an extra car if that does happen. call me a wuss if you want but i cant afford that) If i dont like it, I'll wait a little longer and get an Injen.

 

[Kyrosfactor]

I jus bought the AEM CAI and i can't wait to put it on. hit me up if you want to know where

 

[coyfish]

I'm planning to call up the mechanic at the dealer to see if their CAI is really worth it (really dont wanna screw up the warranty this early, or screw up the car removing/reinstalling the intake everytime i go to the dealer. plus i don't have an extra car if that does happen. call me a wuss if you want but i cant afford that) If i dont like it, I'll wait a little longer and get an Injen.

Don't be a wuss. Its very easy and comes with instructions . . .

 

[Brad]

I wonder if Mazda would accept "Hey man, I wanted to get it done at the dealership, but then Coyfish on Mazdas247 told me not to be a wuss. I wasn't going to go down like a punk so I had to do what he said" if you ever went to them for a warranty claim.

 

[coyfish]

Well you would deserve it if you were too lazy to take off your CAI before you went to the dealer. Takes 20 minutes.