Are The Ebay Intakes Any Good? What’s The Difference Between The $300 Ones?
I have a black 1999 Honda Civic DX coupe with 21,000 (twenty thousand) miles on it. It is pretty new since the previous owner did not drive it much. I recently bought a cold air intake on ebay and I’m wondering if the whole “gas mileage improvement”, “increased horsepower”, and a “deep throaty sound” was really true (for the ebay intake). I have been doing some research but I’m getting mixed reviews and it’s very hard for me to consider installing the cold air intake. I’m not considering buying an expensive one because that is just insane. I also know that the stock intakes are good, because I am sure huge car companies such as Honda, Toyota, and Ford spend a lot of time and money in engineering these components to make them perform at its best. Is the stock intake or ebay intake better? Aside from the intake and what not, if I drive into (say a puddle that is about 2inches) with the cold air intake installed, what are the chances of the water getting into the filter and into the engine, causing hydro lock? Any suggestions on how I can prevent this? And should I install the intake, or just leave the original intake on to begin with? Are there any risks of damaging the engine if I reach speeds of 80mph with the cold air intake installed? Will the intake cause the engine light to turn on because of some malfunction? Professional and honest suggestions and tips and will be very appreciated. Thanks!
I am a safe driver, I do not race, although I do drive up to 80mph once in a while on the freeway. My car does not look like a street racer’s car, it is all stock with fog lights. I know that the ebay intakes are illegal in California, so what are the chances of getting pulled over by an officer and getting a fix-it ticket?
Here’s what I bought:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/BOMZ-1999-2000-Honda-Civic-DX-LX-Cold-Air-Intake_W0QQitemZ360233509767QQcmdZViewItemQQptZMotors_Car_Truck_Parts_Accessories?hash=item53df972387
I am very sorry that this question is so loaded. I really appreciate your time!
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If you don’t plan on completely ricing out your car, leave the intake off. First of all, the cone filters these kits come with let more air into your engine by not filtering as well as a standard filter – letting more junk get in. There is a chance it will throw a check engine light since the car’s computer thinks something is wrong because more air than normal is coming in. If this is an actual cold air intake, you do have to worry about water coming in through the intake depending on how well it’s protected from the road. The cold air will have more oxygen in it, so you will get slightly better mpg if you don’t drive more aggressively because you like the cool sound. If the intake is just in your engine bay, the filter sucks in hot air from under the hood and actually lowers your performance and gas mileage. The chance of getting a ticket is pretty much zero because the police don’t have x-ray vision and can only tell you have an intake by seeing it. All in all, they are more trouble than they are worth. If aftermarket air intakes actually worked better than the standard air box, car makers would be using them!
buying parts doesnt matter from where its if the parts fits right or not that matter
can order or buy a part pretty much any where
their called aftermarket parts and 90% of time made by same companies cant say its made by ford or honda since they do not make many of there part but smaller companies do no differents in that
but with ebay you never know not like a parts store where you can just take it back if its not right
and you never know about who is selling what or if they have it