Im bout to put my 2.2L Cavy in the shop. It needs a new hose that connects the throttle body to the air box and a new mass air flow sensor. I talked to a guy at another shop and asked about maybe putting a rk sport intake on it rather than a stock one. He told me that it was a waste of time because nothing was going to be better than a stock one. A new hose is $100 new and a the intake I want is $169. Is it a worthy investment or should I take heed to the old mans advice?
That guy is ripping you off. Go to any junkyard and grab the "hose" (S-Tube) for $10, and take the 10 minutes and put it on yourself.
Also, intakes do help, and are better than stock. I don't know where you found one for $170, but thats way too much too. You can get decent intakes on ebay for $50 or less.
And about your MAF, you don't have one, you have a MAP, or manifold air pressure. The sensor can also be found from junkyards for cheap, and is extremely easy to replace.
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