Fix for split air intake hose

About a year ago the 90 degree rubber intake hose split on my 2010 Aveo. It was a $100 diagnosis and a $1000 estimate. I was hoping it would be covered under warranty but they said it was wear and tear. The part itself was over $100, and the rest was for Engine flush and cleaning. Seemed a bit high, so the dealer’s temporary fix was to wrap it in tape. It held for awhile, then the engine light would come on again and I’d have very rough idle. I have been rewrapping it since, and it’s usually been holding for 2-3 months. Since just before Christmas though the rewrap didn’t seem to be working, so on the weekend I cut all the old tape off (there was quite a build up) and completely started over new. The old hose and a bunch of splits, near the bottom under the bend, so it wasn’t easy to see when I first had the problem. It made a bit of a difference, but the light is still on and it’s still a bit rough on idle. I was looking up alternatives and read up on various cold air intake options. The kits are way cheaper, but the shipping costs to Canada are more than the parts! From one seller it was around $50 with $115 for shipping!

Anyway, for another short term solution, is it possible to just use a generic flex hose? Or even a regular piece of pipe? I’m okay at DIY and my Father in law is a pretty decent mechanic, so I’m sure we could get something to work. I’m just wondering if there is a reason to use a specific part for that? I know the fit is one thing, but any reason for those materials? When it gets warm again (hovering around -10 to -20 C up here) I would look into doing a full upgrade, for the time being I need something better than just tape. Thanks!

IMO, there's a good chance your performance problem and code are not being cause by this split hose. The hose on my '05 split over 4 years ago, but never caused any other problems, even though I probably didn't notice the split on the underside of the hose for some time. I wrapped it with duct tape, which has lasted from then until now.

Have you change the plugs recently? (the most common cause of misfire). Also, the valve cover gaskets on our Aveos leak like clockwork. Those leaks typically fill the plug wells with oil, and rot the plug wires. So you should check that as well. If it's not either of those two, there are many other possible causes of misfire.

I will be changing the plugs soon too. I got a set a few weeks ago, haven’t had time to attempt it yet. I took the cover off and saw the Torx screws, and I have a set for that. But everything I’ve read says you need a pair of special tools to remove the whole assembly. Some replies say you should be able to remove it without them, but every post I see that asks that has no confirmation reply. It looks pretty straightforward but I don’t want to break something. There could be some oil build up like you said too. I just did an oil change a few weeks ago and I was down about a liter. On a side note I’ve had some type of leak for almost two years. I know it’s getting up there in mileage, but it’s very intermittent. It comes down from the back of the transaxle and drips off the bottom. I haven’t been able to narrow down exactly where it’s coming from. I told my wife’s cousin in law about it (he’s a heavy duty mechanic) and the conditions had him stumped. It only leaks when it’s warm out, and it leaks more when the car is angled forward. I had to replace rear wheel studs two summers ago and the back end was jacked up for a few days, I had about a 1 foot diameter spot on the road. And when I parked on the driveway with the nose pointed down, there was a small leak, but if I parked in the level garage there would usually be no leak. If I ran the car for a few minutes and then parked it, no leak, but if I drove for 30 minutes or so it would leak. And in the winter it wouldn’t leak regardless of how long I had driven or the angle of the car. Two winters ago I was worried that maybe I would run the car out of manual trans fluid (which is where I thought the leak was from) because it stopped leaking, but when the spring came it started leaking again. Once the cold came the leak was gone again. My wife’s cousin in law is going to look at it this weekend on a lift, but since it’s cold out I’m really doubting we’ll find anything.

Back to the split, it does definitely affect the performance and sets off an engine code. The last four or five times that happened I patched up the split and the engine light went off and the rough idle was gone. When I took all the tape off I could see how big the hole was, I could probably fit my hand in it. But this last time when I started fresh and re taped it the engine light is still on. The idle isn’t as bad (I would have to keep my foot on the gas at stoplights) but it’s still a bit shaky. I checked the air filter not too long ago and it looked fine, but if I end up going with a cold intake I don’t want to spend the money on a new air filter right now. I’ll start with replacing the rubber hose and try a piece of pipe, and we should be able to change the plugs this weekend too. I’ll see what that does. Thanks for your input!

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New air hose is much more expensive than putting on a short ram intake imo

I know this is old post, but you may reply to me, so ill ask. Are you talking about the rubber 'air intake hose', that is coming from the air filter, to the throttle body, i think that is what it is called. And attached with 2 metal screw clamps? The rubber part, that costs all of $9.85 on Ebay? I JUST replaced mine on my 2006 Aveo, thats what it cost me. It ran from that price with a lifetime guarantee, to $90 . I took the $9.85 one.
it was ripped when the timing belt was replaced. But its such a cheap part, I taped it up and lived with it, till I found out that the part is so cheap. WHY is your's so expensive? Is it this part? Why is your SO much?

Thanks for your suggestion. Unfortunately when they changed the engine (09?) that air intake hose apparently has the sensor built in, that's why it's so expensive. And it's only sold as one piece. Since I taped it up much better I haven't had a problem with it! I've since changed the plugs and that made a big difference, obviously. And I replaced the coil pack with one from the junkyard. With the proper Torx bit it was changed out in minutes. One of mine was burnt up pretty good, oil or fuel leak into the chamber? I've been checking it fairly often, and everything looks okay, but I still occasionally get a misfire code. I got a bluetooth OBD and it works awesome. When it warms up I'll go through everything again. It's been a steady cold up here all winter.