I recently discovered the mass airflow meter is going bad. As I researched the price of a new MAF I discovered a huge price disparity, ranging from ~$200 (internet) to ~$400 (repair shop part price). My question is: is there a difference in the MAFs from these places - are there different brands out there that are cheaper (in price and quality) or is this just different mark-ups for the same brand? The internet sites I visited cited the brand as VDO/Siemans or just Siemans. The repair shop part price is based upon a BMW dealer part.
Go to realoem.com and type in the last seven digits of your vin and get the BMW part number for the MAF that you need for your vehicle. Then go to the internet and get the best price for that part number. You will find the markup to be quite different from one supplier to another. Before buying a new MAF however you might try cleaning it with a shot of CRC aerosol MAF cleaner. It is very inexpensive and available everywhere. You may realize the problem was simply caused by dirt.
