# DIY CAI 2 cents worth



## jcruze (Jul 10, 2011)

I am going to catch a lot of flack about this but I need to get this out of my system.

Got my INJEN CAI today , knew that there would be some challenges to installing this and the fear of voiding my warranty. ( new owner of an ECO model all of 16 days)

I figured I had installed one of these before on an '03 avalanche, piece of cake , easy as pie. I did read the instructions before purchasing this one for the Cruze and did know that pulling the bumper was part of the deal. Checked another thread out on this site and seen great pics of installing fog lights and the bumper was removed. I thought well with the help of the fog light pictures and INJEN's instructions (also known in my world as destruction's) I could do this, I can handle a wrench , screw driver. I think logically, I have done things like this before.

First attempt ... R U F****** NUTS !!!!! ok I had no food when I attempted this and the blood sugar got the best of me. So I gave it some thought and got a cheeseburger and fries, washed it all down with a coke. More thinking about the matter and realized that what they do not say in instructions or forum, you will need to jack the car off the ground or put it on a lift to get under the car to remove the bumper. Ever try to look under the front end of the cruze without it being lifted up? yeah not an easy task. Okay so I am a thinking Harbor Freight here I come for a floor jack, I am going to get this done. 

Ok so 300 bucks of CAI and I really do not want to drop more cash on a floor jack (I would prefer to spend more money on fog lights, ground kit , better speakers , my kid's upcoming tuition) however, a floor jack could be handy and I should already have one but I do not. So I decide reread the INJEN destruction's, check out the CRUZETALK , let's get this done. Also in the back of my mind is the factory warranty, will it be voided. How do you ask the dealer , mmm I m wanting to trick out my brand new car and will you guys support me in the matter? Highly unlikely. 

I get to the end of the INJEN instructions (understand I am not being critical of the instructions, as most things go , they do not tell you all that you need to know, like you need to lift the car to pull the bumper and for those that will say oh no you don't , BS !) and low and behold after going through the whole thing there is a picture of the short ram. I scratch my noggin and wonder , WTF (what's this for) ... how do I do that , that looks much easier and what is the difference. To the internet I go to find more information about this short ram versus CAI. It's a no brainer , SR (short ram) is much easier and no one can really determine what is the difference if any. Let's see more torque , more rpms ????? After thinking about this and finishing that coke from earlier in the day , I thought what a pain this CAI is , if you have to pull the bumper to install , will you have to pull the bumper to maintain the filter ??? Why yes I say , that is not worth the trouble (is it?). So I do the short ram and decide a short ride to the quickie mart for a slushy will give me a good idea if I just screwed up by doing the SR and sucking in some foreign matter into the engine. Well I got there and back, the noise this SR makes is strange , sounds like a souped up diesel. Not sure if I can tolerate that. (my family said it sounds like the car is farting, maybe this is not a good idea)

Ok so back to the forum to give my two cents worth , then I found where someone did the CAI via the fender well... ahhh I say so it can be done without dismantling the bumper... 

Ok you still need to lift the car , the best thing for the fender option is to pull the wheel and this would require jacking the car up. Better to do the fender option than pulling the bumper off I think but is still a challenge to get all the clips off and bending back the fender liner to get a hole big enough to get the filer in place, also the warranty is still an issue.

So for all of you that make this CAI install so easy , please list the part about lifting the car off the ground so you can either take the wheel off or get under the front end to pull the bumper.

Have not heard back about the warranty either. INJEN says its all good but they would say that because if it voided the warranty we would not buy their product. 

Happy Cruzin


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## HSR (Jul 5, 2011)

I made the CAIB mod and took the bumper cover off ( biggest pain in the ass was getting it off the clips holding it on ) and in doing so I chipped the paint off near the headlight...pissed me right the **** off ^^. Although I didn't have to jack it up to take the bumper cover off, you do to take the tire off tho..duh. Its a tight sqeeze between the bottom of the car and the ground but it is possible. Theirs 5 or 6 clips holding the bumper cover on on each side, I suggest putting some electrical tape between the quarter panels and the bumper cover to avoid chipping the paint like I did..****!!! Also the only way it will void the warranty is if your car breaks down and they can PROVE the aftermarket part caused the car to break down. Hope it helps.


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## Hatje (Jun 23, 2011)

just wait untill GM sells one then they cant void your warrenty, thats what im doing


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## Sparkles (Jul 3, 2011)

I may sound a little mean, but for hecks sake, why are you trying to modify your car if you don't own or know how to even jack one up?


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## Aeroscout977 (Nov 25, 2010)

EDIT: You take the risks of warranty issues and should understand that a general knowledge of basic mechanics is required for modifications for your car.


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## ZincGT (Dec 1, 2010)

If you need help installing the CAI come up to my house ( I live in CO). I have a jack and have pulled the bumper before.


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## cruzeman (Mar 13, 2011)

i installed cai in my garage without jackstands or taking tires off. If I did it anybody can do it. You need to just take your time and have all the time you need, dont start at 10 if you need to be somewhere at 2. It is not hard removing the bumper, just remove the 3 screws in each wheel well (turn the wheel to the right to remove left screws and vice versa for other side. now undo all the plastic tabs on the top and on bottom along with unscrewing along the bottom rim of bumper. once all screws and plastic tabs removed grab the corner of bumper inside wheel well and start pulling (it will sound ugly but its fine) bumper should start popping out along headlight. have someone hold the loose side as you undo opposite side and then the bumper should fall off. If you have an eco you will have to disconnect wire for louvers and fog light connections if you have. My car is only 3 months old and has been basically taken apart with all the crap i have added. Try not to be scared and have fun!!


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## bighamms (Jun 26, 2011)

@jcruze... spend the last 20 mins typing up step by step instructions and then we had a power outage. W.T.F. 

If you need help, I would be more than happy to assist. From start to finish, it took me about 40 mins. I went through the wheel well.


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## jcruze (Jul 10, 2011)

Thanks for replies and offer of assistance. I will be able to get the CAI done and I am thinking the wheel well is the route I will take. I do have an ECO and I am not thrilled with the bumper route. I know I can do it but I would prefer that path of least resistance. 

currently the short ram is giving me lots of thrills , the response is nice and whistling noise is causing people to turn their heads and wonder what was that??? of course I zoom by them at 90 hahahahaha.

Time to start thinking about the next modification, I am thinking exhaust , I like the dual axle back I found at this site:

Viniati 2011-UP Chevrolet Cruze Dual Cat Back Exhaust for Charger|tC|Camaro|Mustang|Cruze


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## gman19 (Apr 5, 2011)

I plan to try the wheel well approach as well....

@bighamms...any wheel well advice will be more than welcomed!


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## boats4life (May 28, 2011)

I did mine in the drive way with the bumper method, and it wasn't a problem with only me. I did have to go slower, but didn't have a single issue.


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## bighamms (Jun 26, 2011)

@gman19... I am happy to assist. Quick note, i will edit this post in the future (probably next weekend) and include a few pics. I will be adding some daytime running lights and the process for accessing the wiring I need is much the same as accessing the airbox and snorkle. I am creating this post from memory, but an confident it is pretty accurate. The ENTIRE PROCESS took me 40 minutes. It's super simple. Ok, here we go...

*for those of you that don't have a jack...buy one. Wally world sells them for $15 bucks and that includes stands and chokes. Well worth the money. Plus you'll be able to change your own oil...my stealership charges $95 for this services...OUCH!

1. choke the wheels, set the ebrake, pop the hood
2. disconnect negative battery ground (not necessary, but advisable)
3. disconnect MAF sensor lead (attached to stock airbox intake tube)
4. disconnect airbox waste hose (this is a little black rubber hose attached to the front of the airbox. its purpose is to evacuate any water that may have gotten into the airbox)
5. loosen pinch ring at intake (this is the part of the airbox tube that is currently attached to your motor. Just loosen up the pinch ring enough so that you can easily wiggle the airbox tube around. I don't like to have these too loose as I always worry about stuff falling into the engine compartment)
6. Pull out the stock airbox (ok, this will seem weird but it's easy enough. there is no need to take the airbox apart (ie. remove the filter). The airbox is held in place with a series of rubber bumpers))
7. Once stock airbox has been removed you can pull airbox tube off of intake and remove the entire stock intake as one piece (this may also help you avoid losing parts)
*What you are left with at this point is an open hole in your engine (intake) and an open hole leading to your front right fender.
**Now it's time to lift your ride. 
8. Jack her up just enough to remove the right front wheel
9. Remove right front wheel
*Now we are going to remove HALF of the inner fender
10. Remove 3 screws and a hand full of plastic pressure nuts from inner fender (when looking into your wheel well, start at the bottom right and work your way to the top center. You'll remove 3 screws and a few plastic pressure nuts. STOP when you get to the top of the wheel well).
11. Now remove 2 screws and a few plastic pressure nuts from underneath the car (they are located under the car directly behind the right front fog light. *Once removed, a plastic fairing will actually detach from the vehicle. Don't worry, you didn't break anything)
12. At the wheel well, carefully bend the inner fender out of the way (again, you only unsecured HALF of the inner fender so you can manipulate it in a way that allows you access to the stock airbox and snorkle)
13. Remove resonator (it's a black box that looks much like a smaller airbox and is located within the wheel well. Gentle pull on it, it's held in place by a rubber gasket).
*Now that you've removed the airbox, intake pipe, resonator and inner fender you are ready to install the CAI. My advice here is to follow the manufactures instructions. They are pretty simple. Before installing my CAI i read a few install posts and several guys were having issues aligning part of the intake pipe mount with the pre-existing hole in the engine compartment. The CAI actually includes a rubber bumper that needs to be installed between the pipe mount and the body of the car. This may be a recent addition to the parts Injen is now sending.
14. Once CAI is installed, button the car up in reverse order (ie. remount wheel, lower jack, plug in MAF, reconnect negative cable to battery).

ENJOY!


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## gman19 (Apr 5, 2011)

bighamms said:


> @gman19... I am happy to assist. Quick note, i will edit this post in the future (probably next weekend) and include a few pics. I will be adding some daytime running lights and the process for accessing the wiring I need is much the same as accessing the airbox and snorkle. I am creating this post from memory, but an confident it is pretty accurate. The ENTIRE PROCESS took me 40 minutes. It's super simple. Ok, here we go...


Thanks Bighamms,
I'll watch for your updated postings. Hopefully I will have my Cruze in a couple weeks....right now my injen intake is a garage ornament without a home!


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## Jeff Kehoe (Jul 20, 2011)

The reason they WILL get away with voiding your warranty is because you will be moving the sensor located in the intake to a different location than stock. If you were just changing the 'pipe/filter' then you would not be 'modifying' you car.

Make sense?
Jeff


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## jcruze (Jul 10, 2011)

I still think that jacking the car off the ground is best and seems to be the easiest. I did remove my CAI or in my case (lazy person) the short ram without pulling the factory intake guts out.

I removed it because I got a response from the onstar diagnostics that there was a recall for my car. The steering issue. So I thought it would be best to play stupid and take the car into the dealer as I got it from them, of course minus the badge removal and the chevy bow tie black out.

So I asked the service guy about CAI and the warranty. The response was that with this dealership if they determine the MAF sensor was reconnected incorrectly they would not honor the warranty. Of course this guy also told me, after asking questions about CAI, that the fog lights for the cruze is not a plug and play offering and it would have to be an aftermarket deal. I did let him know that I had already asked the part guy for a price quote, the service guy did express a very confused out of the loop type of look. (I also checked my dealers website and found that the parts guy quote and the website listing is a 100 dollar difference. I also asked the dealer about the chrome housing that you see on the RS models , and they are available but they do not think they will fit the fog light kit)

Now as for the CAI, I will be putting it back on once I get some cash to get me that floor jack, (10 bucks at PEP boys after rebate, but I will be getting one at harbor freight , 69.99 with 20% discount coupon) I have elected to go through the wheel well being that I have an ECO model and the louvers in the grill are something I do not want to mess with. I did ask my service guy about installing the CAI and he said they would not , but the parts guy does sell the CAI for the camero's from Hennesy, K&N CAI , with installation offered. I was told they can do that because Hennesy will cover any problems. 

I am after the prospect of getting 50mpg out of my ECO Cruze, and I have read that with the CAI and a tune it may be possible. I have no issues with 42 MPG highway but I seem to be obsessed with getting the most out of the Cruze. 

happy cruzin


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## Quazar (Apr 28, 2011)

jcruze said:


> I am after the prospect of getting 50mpg out of my ECO Cruze, and I have read that with the CAI and a tune it may be possible. I have no issues with 42 MPG highway but I seem to be obsessed with getting the most out of the Cruze.
> 
> happy cruzin


If you want 50+ mpg highway, the easiest way is driving habits. 50+ MPG highway is easy and you don't need a CAI or Tune. I want these for performance, but I think most of the claims to MPG is exaggerated so I wouldn't bank on it. 

Every 3.3 PSI in your tires is ~ 1mpg. Inflating to 40 - 44 instead of 32psi will yield 2 - 4 mpg increase. Its within the tire spec, as each tire is rated @ ~1500lbs and 51psi. Just remember breaking distance will increase, and tire wear will be more in the center.

The slower on the freeway you drive the better and over 40 mph (if your crusing along for 1/4 mile or greater) try and stay in 6th (provided your not going up and down hills)

Drafting trucks as far back as 100 feet improves MPG by 20%. Staying in a lanes with cars in front of you also inproves MPG by up to 5%.

Watching traffic and coasting or downshifting instead of braking also improves MPG.

Last trip I had 4 people in the car and got 48.3 MPG. Average speed for the trip was 54.4 (I believe) it was freeway and scenic routes with speed limits from 35 - 70mph. With 2 people I would have gotten 50 probably, with 1 person 52. In fact driving between 60 - 65 on the freeway with 2 people will easily get you 50+.

I have yet to see anyone here even attempt to methodically show if any MPG gain has been achived from a change in air filter or a tune. I see a lot of claim from people trying to sell stuff, or but dynos and feelings, but no data charts or logs or attempts (such as driving the same 100 miles the same direction the same day with/without tune and with/without CAI or SRI)

I have not seen a claim to MPG on this forum that made me go "wow how did they do that?" and definately nothing that showed a 5 - 15% increase. Data is all that matters. If you want performance and keep close to your mpg (like me) go with mods. If you want better MPG, read up on ecomodding and ecodriving. You will achive far greater gains for the same or less money.


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## jcruze (Jul 10, 2011)

Well it is done, the CAI is installed. 

The installation was a pain and I want to be positive about this but... it was a pain to get this **** CAI in place. 

I started with jacking the car up and removed the wheel from passenger front. Next the wheel well cover (fun fun). When I just did the easy way with the SRI , there seemed to be something just too easy about the take out the factory box and put the SRI in. I did not trust that it could be that simple. I am glad I elected to remove the SRI and go with the CAI. Feel more accomplished. Ok back to the install process...

I did remove the bumper and guys I am going to say this , it is not as easy as some of you yahoo's say it is. There are several moments where I was talking , answer and swearing at myself. The final removal is the hardest and I did break some clips (the bumper did not go back in like it was from the factory) oh well , too late to cry about it. One thing that I am pissed about with INJEN, the snorkel is the reason why I removed the bumper, the fender option you cannot remove the snorkel. My snorkel seemed to just be dangling , for me that was not acceptable. I read the instructions (destructions) and it mentioned removing the snorkel and putting it back on. Now here is what pisses me off about INJEN they supply you with two plastic zip ties to secure the snorkel. WHERE DO YOU SECURE IT TO???? the ties are not long enough to tie into any part of the car. I ended up with some bailing wire and found a nice method of securing the snorkel. Now putting everything back together , not a problem but (and we have all done this some time in our lives) there is an extra screw left. I did everything I could to determine where this screw came from. I guess it is going to be my trophy for accomplishing this so called no problem install CAI and as I am driving down the road and the parts start to fall off I will know my trophy was more than a trophy.

Now the driving part... I am not going to get better MPG, it is just too much fun with the nice acceleration and the noise. I know I will calm down in the next few weeks but I do know that this is one mod that will pay off in the long run.

A great big thanks to SILVERCRUZE for the pics that were posted about the fog light install... I do wish I had the fog light kit when I did this , could have easily knocked out two birds with one bumper removal.


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## gman19 (Apr 5, 2011)

Quazar said:


> If you want 50+ mpg highway, the easiest way is driving habits. 50+ MPG highway is easy and you don't need a CAI or Tune. I want these for performance, but I think most of the claims to MPG is exaggerated so I wouldn't bank on it.
> 
> Every 3.3 PSI in your tires is ~ 1mpg. Inflating to 40 - 44 instead of 32psi will yield 2 - 4 mpg increase. Its within the tire spec, as each tire is rated @ ~1500lbs and 51psi. Just remember breaking distance will increase, and tire wear will be more in the center.
> 
> ...


Very well said...:sigh:


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## getblended (Jun 15, 2011)

please stop whining. geez, when you mod a car you have to do certain things. you don't need to pull the bumper. as you said, just go through the wheel well. If this option is too much for you then the short ram is the way to go and if that still is too much for you, then you probably shouldn't be modding anything. Let alone a Cruze ECO. I'm still dumbfounded as to why everyone is trying to get every fraction of HP out of a car that is designed to offer fuel economy. Save your money people.


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## plowman33 (Jul 20, 2011)

getblended said:


> I'm still dumbfounded as to why everyone is trying to get every fraction of HP out of a car that is designed to offer fuel economy. Save your money people.


My Eco comes with weight reduction, reduced drag with more efficient aerodynamics and lowered body position, lowered weight via the manual transmission, lightweight wheels, and the same engine and turbo as its "non-mpg concerned" counterpart trim levels. Did it ever occur to you that everything I just listed is also a modification that you can do to make your car faster? If speed is something you want out of a Cruze, then the 6MT Eco is your best bet. 

I do understand the limitations of a 1.4 engine, and I don't expect this to be a racecar. But there's nothing wrong with having a little pep when I slam the accelerator down, while also getting 43 mpg on the highway when I'm cruising. Don't hate on the Eco's just because we can have the best of both worlds. 



P.S. nanny nanny boo boo


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## Sparkles (Jul 3, 2011)

Let's get realistic here. The only reason most of us are going to put an aftermarket intake on our Cruze is to hear the turbo.


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## Crewz (Jul 12, 2011)

I want to hear mine, but I like my warranty.


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## gman19 (Apr 5, 2011)

Sparkles said:


> Let's get realistic here. The only reason most of us are going to put an aftermarket intake on our Cruze is to hear the turbo.


There is a certain degree of truth in this statement...for me anyway!


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## jcruze (Jul 10, 2011)

It is not whining but whooshing as the the turbo gets its blast of cold air and the engines CRUZES down the road.

WHATEVA !!!


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## BucaMan (Mar 22, 2011)

jcruze - I'm glad it turned out OK. I love your writing style; it conveyed your frustration and included unintentional lines of humor. "....finishing that coke from earlier in the day..." and "....decide a short ride to the quickie mart for a slushy will give me a good idea...."

Refreshments do help. Now that you are done, have a beer!:th_alc:


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## jcruze (Jul 10, 2011)

MPG testimony 

2011 Cruze ECO. Stock Air Intake. 6 speed manual. Full tank of gas and one passenger. Gas is 91 octane. One carry on piece of luggage. 

Destination : Denver International Airport 
Point of Origin: Wheat Ridge , CO (suburb of West Denver) 

30 miles one way 

Best MPG achieved 41.7 as per DIC 

Same trip, this time with the INJEN Cold Air Intake installed and with an added person. 

Best MPG achieved 50.0 as per DIC. 

Driving habits , stayed on the speed limit per the cruise control, 65mph.

IMO (in my opinion) I do think CAI help with HP and MPG.

Another test, before the CAI , I could make it to the quickie mart in 8.29 minutes.
After the CAI install, I could make the quickie mart in 5.29 minutes.
(of course this is last test has no factual information but the trip to the quickie mart was a lot more fun than it was before the CAI, and I did not spill the slushy)


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## iKermit (Dec 13, 2010)

I didn't remove the whole bumper, i pulled off one side of it, and had my friend hold it, then i went ahead and did the installation while he held it.

If you have a jack, the wheel well option will work very swell. Here is a tip to make it even easier, just take off some of the bottom taps on the chin spoiler so you can pull the wheel well more towards you.


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## FieroItaliano85 (Aug 5, 2011)

HSR said:


> I made the CAIB mod and took the bumper cover off ( biggest pain in the ass was getting it off the clips holding it on ) and in doing so I chipped the paint off near the headlight...pissed me right the **** off ^^. Although I didn't have to jack it up to take the bumper cover off, you do to take the tire off tho..duh. Its a tight sqeeze between the bottom of the car and the ground but it is possible. Theirs 5 or 6 clips holding the bumper cover on on each side, I suggest putting some electrical tape between the quarter panels and the bumper cover to avoid chipping the paint like I did..****!!! *Also the only way it will void the warranty is if your car breaks down and they can PROVE the aftermarket part caused the car to break down.* Hope it helps.


^this


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## FieroItaliano85 (Aug 5, 2011)

Sparkles said:


> Let's get realistic here. The only reason most of us are going to put an aftermarket intake on our Cruze is to hear the turbo.


and this!!!!!!


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## ice123106 (Feb 22, 2011)

I too have installed the injen intake. Best investment i have made thus far! Im not by any means a gear head or even any good at taking things apart. I used the directions for installing fog lights to take the bumper off. It took me all of 2.5 hrs to complete. I did not use jack stands just parked in the driveway. The only problem i ran into was rushing to get it done. If i had of taken my time and been a little more calm through the process i beleive that i could have completed the whole process in 2 hrs. As far as the warrant, from what i understand and the parts and service manager where i bought the car says that gm has to prove that the mod that you made directly cause the failure. the example that was given to me was if my breaks fail while driving, they cant blame it on the intake. But if i have o2 sensor problems then the intake could be the cause. if that makes any since.


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## tehcor (Mar 30, 2011)

HSR said:


> I made the CAIB mod and took the bumper cover off ( biggest pain in the ass was getting it off the clips holding it on ) *and in doing so I chipped the paint off near the headlight...pissed me right the **** off* ^^. Although I didn't have to jack it up to take the bumper cover off, you do to take the tire off tho..duh. Its a tight sqeeze between the bottom of the car and the ground but it is possible. Theirs 5 or 6 clips holding the bumper cover on on each side, I suggest putting some electrical tape between the quarter panels and the bumper cover to avoid chipping the paint like I did..****!!! Also the only way it will void the warranty is if your car breaks down and they can PROVE the aftermarket part caused the car to break down. Hope it helps.


rofl you did that too? I thought I was the only dumb ass to do it. A little silver pinstriping tape from checkers covered it up my little oopsie.


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## R CRUZE (Aug 21, 2011)

Wow, about a year ago I put a CAI on my 2011 Camaro 2SS and it only took me 25 minutes. I have now had a 2011 Cruze LTZ for a month and was thinking of putting a CAI on. But not if it is going to be that much work. I talked to my dealer before I put the CAI on my Camaro and he told me that it would not void my warranty. Gosh I even put headers on the Camaro and got a tune and my dealer told me he would do whatever he can to cover anything under warranty even with the headers.


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## tehcor (Mar 30, 2011)

R CRUZE said:


> Wow, about a year ago I put a CAI on my 2011 Camaro 2SS and it only took me 25 minutes. I have now had a 2011 Cruze LTZ for a month and was thinking of putting a CAI on. But not if it is going to be that much work. I talked to my dealer before I put the CAI on my Camaro and he told me that it would not void my warranty. Gosh I even put headers on the Camaro and got a tune and my dealer told me he would do whatever he can to cover anything under warranty even with the headers.


its honestly really not that hard of a job. i did the whole thing in a hour including taking the front bumper off by myself and stopping for a smoke break and food. if you went the route of just removing the passenger tire and removing fender well you could have it done sooner. I didnt feel like taking the tire off plus i wanted to see what was behind the bumper lol. its approx a 30 min job


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## metblack6spd (Dec 14, 2011)

read up on this ... might curb some of your anxiety about the CAI install affecting your warranty 
Magnuson


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