VW MAF sensor Concerns

MAF= Mass Air Flow

With some vehicles, you can expect you’re going to encounter certain concerns. It may not be a problem right away, but you know it’s coming down the pipe eventually. With Volkswagen gas engines, one such concern is the Mass Air Flow sensor, or MAF sensor.

Here’s what happens:

You’re driving along and need to scoot over a lane. You press the gas pedal to pass the guy beside you and your car burps and chugs, hesitating to speed up with any amount of vigor. Behind you, your attempt to speed up has just smoked out the traffic with rich, fuel-laden exhaust. You probably should’ve had that Check Engine light diagnosed sooner, because it’s trying to tell you the MAF sensor has a problem.

With a MAF sensor issue, you may experience this type of situation, or a variety of others. It might be just that the Check Engine light is on and your car drives fine – for now. You might not be able to accelerate at all. Your car might not even want to idle properly. And then, as quickly as the symptoms appear, they can disappear for a time, only to re-appear at the worst possible moment.

Such is the life with VW MAF sensors. It’s a common occurrence to experience a MAF sensor failure on your beloved Vee Dub simply because of the design.

What A MAF sensor does

The MAF sensor itself is located in the air intake duct. Its role is to measure the amount of air that is being drawn into the engine. The engine control module uses its readings to immediately adjust the fuel mixture to run efficiently in all conditions and at all throttle positions.

Symptoms that MAF sensor on your Volkswagen is malfunctioning

Because the MAF sensor is exposed to “raw” air, it can get corroded, contaminated by debris, or even get a bug stuck on it. Such a small and inconsequential item can dramatically affect your vehicle’s operation.

If the MAF sensor isn’t reading correctly, the engine control module doesn’t know how best to meter the air/fuel mixture. While it struggles to do the best it can with inaccurate information, you’re going to experience drivability problems.

As if driving your VW while it’s running unpredictably isn’t bad enough, the problem doesn’t stop there. When you’re experiencing MAF sensor issues, you can be guaranteed your vehicle won’t pass a smog check. Your engine light will be on, your engine won’t be running efficiently, and you won’t be breaking any land speed records with your stunted performance.

The reality is you need a MAF sensor for your car to operate. Without it, you have a massive German paperweight that can’t be trusted.