As an update to this thread, I had the gasket tear on the stock airbox tube where it connects to the motor. This started causing a worse version of the problems stated above, mostly because the tear was post the MAF sensor (it couldn't compensate for the extra air being sucked in). I had to put the AFE CAI back in which made things better but the original idling problem was back.
My car did throw a code post related to the tear in the gasket; MAF and O2 Sensor. I did some homework and decided to try 'cleaning' the MAF sensor. I took the MAF sensor out of the AFE CAI and worked it over with CRC MAF cleaner and put everything back in.
What wound up happening after I cleaned the sensor was that the idle issues and surging went away completely. Needless to say, I'm pretty happy with the results. It's been 2 months and the problem is still resolved so I'm leaving the AFE CAI in place for now while I find a way to replace/fix the gasket for the stock unit.
My advice, especially since it's only $9 for the MAF cleaner - is try it, especially if you have an 'oiled' filter.
You can find some threads around here about the cleaning procedure (it's simple) and there are youtube videos as well. Also, Turner Motorsport suggests you do it annually as part of your regular maintenance (
https://www.turnermotorsport.com/p-3...ckage/?pdk=AQE), so it's not that far fetched of an idea...