zhenka

Couple of days ago while I was driving on the highway, my engine light turned on. I brought the car to Lexus dealership and the verdict is... K&N Filter by blowing too much air burned the Air Flow Meter. Prepare to spend $320. I am shocked.

I called K&N and customer service told me to talk to warranty guy, and mentioned that by the way it is illigal for Lexus dealership to make a statement "K&N Filter by blowing too much air burned the Air Flow Meter" unless the can prove it.

I am upset

zhenka

Just spoke with the manager at Lexus and he gave me more details. The K&N filter is so saturated with oil that is splattered all over the air flow sensor. Computer desplayed a code P0171. Mechanic cleaned the sensor and supposedly reset the light. However, engine light is still on. This is exectly the issue that Lexmexico had and was able to fix it (described in this thread https://www.clublexus.com/forums/sho...ighlight=p0171).

Anyways, I need an advice. Should i pay Lexus to fix this whole thing or try to reset the light myself. Lexus Manager gave me a better price $250.

Da Hapa

Why wouldn't K&N be paying to fix this?

zhenka

Well, that is a good question. I was able to talk to a regular warranty rep at K&N, but the king of warranty Martin Jackson has not returned my call. He is the ultimate decision maker. I will try to get them to pay of course.
Thanks.

Fern

If K&N won't provide assistance and MAF sensor is not under warranty, I would attempt to clean it myself and have the code reset.

Do a search for MAF cleaning for more info...
I cleaned mine myself with throttlebody cleaner years ago on a Pathfinder. I have heard that brake cleaner works well also. BTW I have yet to find a dealer who will tell you that the MAF sensor can be cleaned ;-)

If it works it could save you lots..

Good luck and keep us posted,

//Fern

parula

I do not have K&N but am considering it. Wouldn't this be an issue of potential installation error as well, as I seem to recall someone posting on another thread that one adds oil to the filter, which can be difficult to control from a manufacturers standpoint imo.

How can K&N be responsible for an installation requiring a liquid addition? Kind of like assigning responsibility to Castrol if I add 7 qts of synth. to my Lexus engine and wreck it , or am I missing something?

zhenka

To Parula: I did not add anything to the filter. Followed exact instractions.

This is getting interesting. I talked to Marting Jackson from the K&N and the guy says that what Lexus doing is illigal. Refering to :

"K&N’s Legal Department has researched this issue in the past and is of the opinion that such a claim is unlawful. Our Legal Department has complained to various motor vehicle manufacturers that such a practice violates the federal consumer warranty law known as the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act, specifically Title 15, United States Code, Section 2302, subdivision (c), which states.... "


He said that K&N has scientific tests that prove %100 that their filter cannot cause AFM failure and it is Lexus's duty to scientifically prove otherwise. Until then air flow filter is covered by warranty, so they should replace it. Well, I will related this message to Lexus.

BlackRX300

You would only add oil to the filter after cleaning it. The filter is good - out of the box - for 50,000 miles.

Lexmexico

I always enjoy these postings, though I truly wish they did not exist, i.e., no problems.

My experience has been to clean the MAF and then reset the fuse.

I have experimented with wiping the oil off the side of the filter facing the MAF. This has shown good success. Other Toyota/Lexus friends have also had success with the TRD Air Filter. I also know Toyota/Lexus friends here who wipe off all the oil in the K&N, this is more due to the low oxygen level here.

The air flow cannot burn the MAF. However, if enough particles get through they can cover or damage the MAF. I recently replaced my MAF, though I probably did not need to. I did buy a new one to experiment here to see what other things set it off. Given the high level of contamination in Mexico City, I am sure I will find out soon enough.

The regular Toyota filter just chokes too much air out of the engine.

zhenka

Today, Lexus fixed the MAF and installed new Lexus filter. They gave me my K&N back and said not to use it. Thank God they did not want to deal with me and K&N, so they did everything free. However, I am thinking about what to do with the K&N filter. Should i stick it back in? I am sure if i have this problem again, i will not get away with a freebie.

JRB

Reminds me of a time that I installed a high performance air filter - not a K&N but very similar - on a previous car. This was sold in conjunction with a performance (ECU) chip that I had added. On the next routine oil change the dealer uninstalled the air filter and left a note to not use it because it would cause problems. They never questioned the chip, which by the way worked wonders on the twin-turbo V6.

I also remember reading an article in Car & Driver that tested the K&N on a couple of different cars to see if it added any HP. As I recall they were not able to measure any appreciable difference in their tests, but didn't rule out the possibility of a slight performance boost in other vehicle applications. After reading this article plus my own experience I concluded that these special filters are not worth the risk of engine damage. I now stick with OEM products for air and oil filters.

Just my opinion and I realize that others feel differently.

Lexmexico

JRB,

Your points are well taken. At sea level, I swtich to the Lexus/Toyota air filter. I found no noticeable difference either, and would just as assume protect my engine at that point.

However, when you get up to 7,700 feet, this is a far different story. I went back to using my K&N filter, because the Toyota filter was simply choking the car. I got no acceleration whatsover.

I mentioned on some of my other postings that Toyota in Mexico City offers the TRD air fitlers as standard due to the altitude. I know the people who test new vehicles for Toyota here, and the regular air filter was tossed every time.

SC400-V8

iTrader: (1)

Yes, keep in mind the TRD air filters are just K&N performance filters made for Toyota by K&N. there is no difference. I suspected that when I saw one and noticed it looked exactly the same, had TRD in the usual spot of "K&N" and on top of that required cleaning and oiling at the same intervals. There is really no point in performance air filters... I recall a dyno of an australian soarer GT showed more hp with a paper filter, and subsequently, more hp with a paper filter than no filter at all!

Respect your japanese overlords (guys who made the car)

Fern

They fixed or cleaned the MAF sensor.

To my knowledge it can not be fixed, Once broken it's history!

Now cleaning it is a different story....

I told you so......

If they cleaned it, you can clean it too..

Just out of curiosity how long was the filter installed before you got this problem?

//Fern

zhenka

Fern: They replaced the MAF. I asked for the old one, but they would not give it to me. I installed K&N on May 16, 2003. Drove about 7k miles with it.