Xplor, do NOT use brake cleaner to clean the MAF. Use only O2-SAFE throttle body and intake cleaner. It must say "O2-safe" and/or "safe for catalytic converters and oxygen sensors" on it. I used STP Throttle Body and Intake Cleaner on mine and it worked fine.
Also, it is interesting that the tech told you not to clean your MAF. Perhaps since you are still under warranty he didn't want his garage (I assume a dealership) taking the risk of letting you clean it. The dealerships always want to do the work themselves, ostensibly because of warranty concerns, but imo more likely because they want to charge you for it. I'd wager that this same tech that told you not to clean it would clean it himself in much the same way you would do it. I don't see anything wrong with cleaning it so long as you use the proper cleaner. As I have a 94 and you have a 00, perhaps they have done something to the MAF filament that makes it bad to attempt cleaning it, but as far as I know, it is still the same procedure.
However, it would surprise me if the MAF filament was dirty on a newer vehicle such as yours. It should take at least a couple of years to get dirty to the point where it starts sending misleading readings to the PCM. Mine went from 1994 to 1999 before I had to clean it.