got car back from dealer, making weird sound...(?)

[dead ringer]

ok, let me start off by saying I am not that handy when working on cars...

2 weeks ago I discovered a leak & took to dealership. They found it was a bad seal in the transmission & I got the car back a week later on Friday. He mentioned they had to drop the transmission....
That same night I discovered another leak, took it back into the dealer the next morning ( ** at that time I didn't notice anything different, BUT I did swap in an AA filter from the stock before taking it back in the next morning** )... He called on monday and said they found another leak, not related to the first but who knows what could have happened during the first fix.... If anyone needs to know I am sure I can find the parts they replaced if it makes a difference

Got the car back yesterday so it was at the dealer 5 days, and last night/today it just sounds different, kinda like there is a leak, you can hear the engine a lot more (kinda raspy but not in a good way), its just louder where as before it was smoother. My question is would/could they have disconnected the exhaust and not replaced it back correctly (I have ACM test pipes), or anything else to make it sound differently? I highly doubt it, but could they have run any ECU changes?

thanks for any input

[VCMpower]

2 coolant lines and 2 oil lines come off if the trans was out. Sounds like exhaust is not aligned, it is tight in there.

[joe@trinityautosport]

^ +1 I would check the exhaust (section 1) where it meets the header or where the x pipe meets the mufflers.

[CanAutM3]

You mention that you changed the OEM air filter for an AA unit. This will definitely change the sound of the intake. It will be louder and raspier, especially at full throttle.

You might want to double check if you installed your filter right and that the airbox is well sealed.

[surlynkid]

put the original air filter back on and see if your problem goes away. always try to compare apples to apples.

[m33]

Is it a sound when car is under load around 2,500 rpm ?

[dead ringer]

Originally Posted by m33

Is it a sound when car is under load around 2,500 rpm ?

its all across the board, but only under hard throttle. Normal driving it doesn't sound different. I will drop by the shop that installed test pipes on Monday & have them check. @ idle in the garage I can't locate any strange sounds.

[dead ringer]

found the issue, there is an exhaust leak from where the test pipes meet up with the stock pipes. You can see exhaust "residue" around the collar that holds the 2 pieces together. I am going back to have it fixed on Thursday @ the shop that installed them. Not sure if its a design issue or if the dealer somehow messed it up, but the pipes look a little misaligned. I hope its an easy fix!

[kitw]

Originally Posted by dead ringer

its all across the board, but only under hard throttle. Normal driving it doesn't sound different. I will drop by the shop that installed test pipes on Monday & have them check. @ idle in the garage I can't locate any strange sounds.

That is normal behavior when you go for a higher flowing air filter. My AA filter made some additional induction noise.

It's much more pronounced on the charcoal filter 08/09 cars too.

The exhaust leak is still a possibility making the noise, but it's a quick fix to swap in the air filter, so I would try that too.