Alright then, so as you know i've been experiencing some power losses, rough idling and engine stalling for the last few weeks. After some troubleshooting it turned out that it was all due to the MAF seals which weren't any longer as flexible so they let through a lot of un-metered air.
The method i used to draw the final conclusion was to detach the MAF form the airbox and fit it into the inlet pipe, that's when it became obvious that they had a lot of play within the inlet pipes. Checking the play while attached to the airbox can be very deceiving and inconclusive.
The difference between the Apikol seals and the OEM ones is not significant in my opinion, the OEM ones are also very good and of a very high quality and well engineered, the problem is that taking off the airbox many times is what kills them in the end, the rubber was still in a very good condition and showed no signs of getting cracked or ripped. They don't shrink as i originally thought, the rubber seal simply gets stuck on the position with the MAF in due tot he heat and it doesn't push against anymore so air escapes in, and in time the gap only gets larger with having them in and out for various reasons.
While the OEM ones have a metal ring on the outside the Apikol ones are entirely made of rubber.
Get those inlet pipe stuffed with some cloth to avoid dropping something in there, for the sake of the pictures i had the cloth removed, but when working on it i had it on, don't want to drop a nut or a screw in there.
So if you buy the OEM ones you won't be wrong and they will last. As seen here on the forum, i have also detached the MAF from the airbox so the next time when i'll remove it i won't damage the MAF seals nor the electrical connectors. Have also replaced the seals between MAF and airbox so everything is really tight, you don't really need the 2 screws on each MAF to keep them tight to the airbox.
Installing the Apikol seals was easier than expected, i was afraid that the seals would be too bulky and fitting back the MAF would be too difficult, but they're so well made that the clearance is just enough to wiggle them back in using some force and ensure a very tight fit, i have also used a bit of WD40 to lubricate the MAF body so it would slide down easier.
Before installing the new seals make sure the area on the inlet pipe is cleaned and that the seals are mounted in the right position, they have one edge which is specially designed so it allows the MAF to slide down easier, it's hard to miss it if you look at it carefully. Once the Lock tight applied and seal in place i don't think these can be removed any longer without damaging it, so make sure you get them right from the first time.
It was actually a bit harder to remove the old ones, as they were also glued or stuck so you need to pry them off, i had no such tool so i used a long nose pliers to grab the seal and then pull upwards, as you can see i pinched the old seal, on the second one i managed to remove it by pushing upwards with my fingers.
So far i am very happy with this little upgrade that makes such a huge difference, my car pulls so much better now and both MAFs read the same values on vcds, no more error codes and idling is smooth and stable.
Can't believe how sensitive the car is when it comes to drawing too much air which is not metered.
If you have never had these seals replaced, i suggest you do it and you will feel the difference. Even though Audi recommends to have these seals replaced every time the airbox is out, being so unreasonably priced i am sure many of us avoid doing it, so getting the Apikol ones is a better deal and unhooking the MAF from the airbox for future removals will prolong their life by a lot.
I am now a happy bunny again.
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