It's not just the foam seal, though, is it? It doesn't feel very sticky, and is apparently an issue, but the wings were also detached at the top and the spring had come off one of them. The left wing fell down into the filter can when I lifted the unit for that one picture, but it had been hanging loose similar to the other one before that. [EDIT: It looks like the foam coming free would allow for the pins to fall downward into the gap the foam was in and allow the wings to fall away at the top, but I still wonder about the below clearance question.]

I'm not certain, as it is a bit difficult to see exactly how things line up back there, but it felt like the center brace of the baffle was pressed up against that other thing (not sure what it is at the moment) that's right behind the big hole. It looks really tight in that top-down view through the cowling I posted, and it does appear to be inconveniently centered in just the right (or wrong) position. Also, it's hard to see with the glare in the image I posted last time, but here you can see a black mark that's formed on the center brace. Don't know if that's normal with the spring being right there, or if it's related to the issue. It's a much larger mark on the side that would be more of a concern with that possibly encroaching hardware, and if it were just due to the spring, I'd think it would be more uniform on each side of the brace.

Also, I understand that no company wants dirty laundry aired in public, and you'd really rather I communicated product issues with you privately. I admit my post was a bit terse, as I had just discovered the issue and had been fighting with my intake manifold moments before that, so my patience was a bit short. But I want to make it clear (to you and anyone else reading this thread) that I am in no way trying to smear your name or product by talking about this issue in a public forum. If anything, your helpful responses to this issue and that other matter of the press-fit bolt breaking off (which was not even related to your product), speaks volumes as to the kind of company you run and the dedication you have to your customers. But at the same time, this is an enthusiast forum where users depend on others sharing their experiences, and I believe that there is value in sharing this one as well.

Despite this minor annoyance today, I've been quite happy with the intake and would recommend it to anyone in the market for a new CAI. I've even started to become accustomed to the noise it makes (though, sadly, my mileage figures appear to be dropping to where they once were because of this). So, despite your offer, I may not take you up on a replacement baffle (though I can certainly still ship it back to you if it will help in any way to nail down the root cause of the issue — assuming it's not just the foam — and make for a better product).

 

The foam seal holds the pins in place and seals the butterfly valve edges. The small rub mark on the brace is from normal CAI movement and is not an issue.

fishbert, though you may not have meant it as such. Both of your posts really make it look like we did a crap job on parts that are well designed, track tested, & thrashed around the streets of San Francisco.

We're suffering due to a manufacturer that pulled a fast one on DoS with that foam. (The metals are great, but they missed the boat on our foam seal spec.) We now need to fix those parts in-house and take care of loyal customers to maintain the high standards of our parts & service. Every company has growing pains and unfortunately, this attempt at using an outside manufacturer has failed on an easily remedied level. We're taking care of it.

My best advice to anyone on NAM that wants to help any of the vendors here to grow is talk to them privately first. When it comes to products, people always remember bad news more than good news. It's better to just nip issues in the bud and offer solutions on the forums instead of freaking customers out on the forums.

Though the NAM community deserves to know about problems with products, you should help vendors that you like by allowing them to offer solutions for products that need improvement. Good vendors admit fault, make good on things that need fixing, and constantly improve. That's what good product development is all about.

Despite this inadvertent muckraking, the offer to fix your baffle free of charge still stands. Sorry this happened to you. We appreciate your apology. DoS still values you as a customer, but we would have appreciated a heads-up on this issue.

-Clint

 

i have to agree with what Clint said... he has put a lot of time and effort into his products, and though me may not be as big as Alta, NM or RMW in terms of product numbers and reviews, his work has always been top notch, and when anyone partners with someone out of house, it's not fair to assume the fault is theirs if something goes amiss. even though i don't have my DoS intake anymore, i still highly recommend his work for all the though and engineering that went into his design. and i maintain that his intake is still one of the most thought out and best designed intakes i have ever come across, especially since he added the baffle option. NO other intake lets you have the best of both worlds like Clints' intake, and it seems rather unfair if he's willing to take care of customers so willingly to rag on such a small imperfection that is more like a small dent on the back fender than a head on car crash in terms of problems.

 

I understand completely where you both are coming from.

I've added a disclaimer of sorts to my initial post on this matter, which I hope more accurately conveys my impressions of DoS and their products. The tone of the original post was extremely unfair and, being clouded by various frustrations of the day, was not even an honest reflection of my thoughts on the matter. I would hope that the addition helps to remedy this in some small way.

I might add that even the technicians at the MINI dealership I was at for service this past weekend specifically mentioned the excellent design of the DoS intake they found under my hood; not just for build quality, but for the unique and clever design idea behind it. I don't recall their exact words, but it was along the lines of it being among the best aftermarket intakes they've seen come through the service bay.

 

Hi fishbert,

It's totally OK. I hate when customers are frustrated.

If you send us the baffle, we'll get you hooked-up with a CAI inlet port cover in the new year.

Happy Holidays from DoS.

-Clint

 

I didn't plan for it this way… but my new catch can complements the DoS intake quite nicely.

http://fishbert.imgur.com/catch_can_installed

 

Nice OCC. I haven't seen that particular 42 Draft can installed before. It looks pretty slick!

 

Thanks!

I went with that can because it gave me more flexibility with where the hose attachments pointed. Though I probably didn't need it in the end, given the elbow piece.

And I'm not sure if I'd recommend this can over their 'stealth' can or the BSH can (I suspect this one is a little taller than either of those, which presented some placement issues -- hard to tell in the photos, but it's not mounted precisely vertical, and it did force a noisemaker delete mod), but it does certainly fit with the style of the intake.

 

Ok, finally got the baffle packed up for shipping (sorry it took so long).
Is there an RMA number or other such thing I should slap on the package?

 

Ship it!

 

Dropped the package in the mail a few days ago... but addressed it to the wrong company. So, at the moment it's sitting on the desk of some guy named John at 42 Draft Designs out in Maryland.

Got a voicemail from him earlier today (Monday) asking me to call him back, and I immediately realized the error.
I'm such an idiot.

 

No prob. Let me know when it's on its way.

-Clint

 

I'm asking them to ship it direct to you guys. So, I'd expect it to go out in the next day or two (depending on phone tag delays for shipping payment info).