The ECU has detected a restriction or leak in the intake ahead of the air mass sensor.
P2280 — also written P228O, P 2280, 2280 — is the OBD-II code for air flow restriction / air leak between air filter and maf. Same code, same fix: this page covers every spelling of it.
P2280 is a fuel & air fault code, typically costing £30–£250 to put right in a UK garage.
What causes P2280?
- Severely blocked air filter
- Split or disconnected intake ducting
- Air box lid not clipped down after a service
- Rodent damage to the intake
How P2280 is fixed
- Replace the air filter
- Inspect and refit the intake ducting
- Check the air box lid and seals
P2280 repair cost in the UK
Most P2280 repairs land between £30–£250 including parts and labour. The spread is wide because the cheap fix (a sensor, a hose, a leak) and the expensive fix (a major component) throw the same code — which is why a proper diagnosis before parts are bought saves the most money.
Can you drive with P2280?
Yes, though power and economy will be down.
Urgency: low.
What P2280 is telling you
Fuel and air faults are usually about a reading the ECU cannot trust. Before anything is replaced, the job is proving whether the reading is wrong or the fuelling genuinely is.
On P2280 specifically — air flow restriction / air leak between air filter and maf — the stored code records the moment that check failed, not the moment the part gave up. That gap is why two cars with the same code can need completely different repairs.
How P2280 is diagnosed properly
Each of the known causes is ruled in or out in cost order, cheapest and most likely first. On P2280 that means working through them like this:
- Severely blocked air filter — measured as a pressure or flow difference across the component, so a partial restriction is not mistaken for a clear one.
- Split or disconnected intake ducting — confirmed with live data before any part is bought.
- Air box lid not clipped down after a service — confirmed with live data before any part is bought.
- Rodent damage to the intake — confirmed with live data before any part is bought.
An hour of diagnostic time on P2280 routinely saves more than it costs, because the alternative is buying the most expensive part on that list and hoping.
The repairs that actually clear P2280
- Replace the air filter
- Inspect and refit the intake ducting
- Check the air box lid and seals
After the repair the code is cleared and the car is driven until the relevant readiness monitor completes, rather than handed back as soon as the light goes out. A code that has only been erased will come straight back on the next drive cycle.
What happens if P2280 is ignored
Low urgency means there is time to book it properly rather than pay emergency rates — not that it can be left indefinitely.
For reference, P2280 typically lands at £30–£250 all-in at an independent garage in the UK — main-dealer quotes for the same job usually sit above that.
Getting P2280 looked at
Bob's Mechanical Repairs is an independent garage in Birnam, Dunkeld, Perthshire, with 32 years of Bob's experience on the tools. If P2280 is showing on your car, bring the scan results with you — we will read the live data ourselves, tell you which of the causes above it actually is, and price the repair before any work starts.