Today went to check my car toyota vios aircon. Mechanic said my hand brake too high already needs to change gear (auto transmission oil) oil. Said not expensive.

Here is breakdown of bill in photo.

Auto transmission oil rm220
Air con flushing rm180

Oil filter only Rm15 because he absorbed the one I brought which was wrong size. The correct one his original charge is rm25. It is not the charge of atf filter.

So workmanship 80 include those listed plus changing M oil.

Didn't expect the gear oil so expensive. Mechanic claimed aircon compressor pressure very high despite flushing n changed aircon filter rm28. If air con not cold next round highly likely needs to change compressor.

Car is low mileage so when reach 50k km (now just touched 40k) he advised to change belt (rubber material), check brake pad n check tyres (>4 years old). Now no noticeable issues.

Are the charges fair or markup too high? And the advices standard?

This post has been edited by echho: May 8 2025, 11:29 AM

under warranty? i think air cond flushing is optional. atf pricing is around there

Why hand brake too high needs to change gear (auto transmission oil) oil ? Supposed to change rear brake pads, right ?

ATF has nothing to do with hand brake too high, that's rear brake shoe

theres a chance that ur compressor was damaged from that flush, from what I know some types of compressors are NOT SUITABLE to flush

I have the same comments as those pointed out above - handbrake not related to the need to change ATF. Bro, you just got duped....

You got scammed.

Aircond pressure too high = might be compressor having issues

Hand brake height/tightness can be adjusted manually (cable) or on brake shoes

50k km not under warranty?

Saw them fixing the brake shoe though. Now the hand brake like so low.

What's the mileage to change ATF?

No warranty. It's old car but very very low mileage

At what mileage or age of car need to change ATF?

This post has been edited by echho: May 7 2025, 10:54 PM

No more warranty.
Aircond no longer cold. So no choice went to check.

When usually need to change ATF? What to look out before needs to change?

This post has been edited by echho: May 7 2025, 10:55 PM

Mine is vios. Last car also under this shop but different mechanic. This round he let's his partner to work on my car as he is working on another. He gave instructions lah.

I suspect his partner honesty when his bill jumped so far from what he claimed initially. Said not much in few tens. Then become 220. Ouch.

Air cond bring to air cond specialist...
You're located in which state?

Puchong. Last round the owner of this shop changed for my old car very cold till I sold it like never needs servicing. So this second car went back to him.

3 different things

a little off la his price, old vios atf rm120, atf filter ori rm240, cap ayam rm30.
refridgerant vacuum and refill around rm120. for compressor can bring to AC shop to change its ND-8 oil first and remeasure operating pressure and temp

adjusting handbrake is done on the rear brake housing with a screwdriver (rm50 max la), no need to remove the housing to expose the brakeshoes. if they dont install them properly the brakeshoes might be touching the housing while you drive and cause abrasion and power wastage.

This post has been edited by KisseD: May 7 2025, 11:24 PM

Huh. Atf I got overcharged to 220?
ATF has filter too? Not in the bill means use back? Can reuse after change ATF? I saw them macam top up only
I doubt it's full change.

So my AC got markup to 180 lah.

Saw the mechanic assistant removed housing to adjust brakeshoe alamak. If got problems I sure go back complain kaw kaw.

I find it hard to connect the dots.
It's ok this new partner duped me one time. I will go back to his partner in future n let him knows. The old partner has been working on my cars since they were born. Never overcharged me or do unnecessary things. He needs to know about this.

atf sure have filter, its a very important component filtering out metal shavings from the gears grinding while moving. best to change ori one every 20k KM if u drive fast or heavy load, else can drag to 30k km. cap ayam one last 10k km max. u can check your ATF condition after this change, pull the dip stick and smear some ATF onto a clean white tissue, shine a light onto it to see if there are any fine shiny metal speckles.

AC works very easily markup and do cikai job one.

if you brakeshoes are dragging, u wont really feel it driving normally, gotta jack the rear up and try turning the wheels with the hand brake released. there should be no resistance. if the wheels dont rotate freely then the brakeshoes are touching the housing.

This post has been edited by KisseD: May 7 2025, 11:38 PM

apa lanc aircon flushing RM 180. kedai luar buat RM 80 je.
dia tukar minyak compressor ke ?

Aiyo unless your AC system has been opened, no need to flush anything. Just make sure your condenser clean and cabin filter changed regularly. If your AC is no longer cold chances are there is a leak somewhere, cooling coil too dirty or compressor end of life already.

He said full service including add new gas

prices all reasonable provided oils used are premium brands

Alamak. Cabin filter same as AC filter? Never been changed so just changed.

I saw BP castrol...

same thing.

Im wondering how many of you ever replace brake shoe by yourself and actually know how it works.

Anyway, the tightness and the height of parking brake is by adjusting the parking brake wire, not brake shoe. So ts, they probably just removed the drum for cleanup and did manual adjustment on adjuster (for drum contact). It's not necessary to touch the adjuster though but It won't hurt if they not overdoing it.

did he vacuum out the atf?

I wasn't paying attention. Really didn't notice the whole process. Saw his assistant pouring in new atf oil from BP castrol can. Now cursing myself for not watching them work throughout. I took his advice to enjoy aircon in his office cos superhot today. Haishhh

This post has been edited by echho: May 8 2025, 12:04 AM

if castrol dexron easily rm180/4L, u might need 4.5-5L for full change

lol

I am wondering the hand brake really gets higher over time? He showed me level 1 to 5 (something like that) and mine was 5. I was told lower better means grip is strong. Then he said gets higher because atf not enough already. In my head I can't connect hand brake with gear oil that's why felt Kena duped and post here to clarify.

Now handbrake so low like level 1. So what really causes it to go higher over time?

that explains the 180

So seemed like he just top up but charged full change price. Takpe. One time business for him. Will let the old partner knows. This new partner dishonest will cause him old customers that he has built so hard over a decade.

when handbrake cable is stretched over time

i meant he might have done a full change for u while u're not paying attention. go back and ask him again

So real fix is just adjust or tighten the cable and max cost rm50? Any issue if don't adjust even when it slowly rises to level 5? Car will slip when parked on hill slope?

Full change must change ATF filter right. Another forumer said atf filter rm240? Filter so expensive or typo?? In my bill no atf filter.

full services dia tarik cooling coil tu keluar. compressor also keluar.
buang minyak. condenser also cuci.

ur rm15 oil filter is ur atf filter.

tightening handbrake cable & changing ac filter were just small matters. ur rm80 labour mainly for atf oil change & services brakes

Sorry misleading u. Need to fill in info here. Actually that is for M oil filter. I brought a wrong size with my own M oil. He replaced with a correct size and absorbed mine n gave me discount rm10. Means his M oil filter should charge rm25 but he bought mine cos he sure can sell it later n just charge me rm15 for his filter. It's not for atf filter.

How much time needed to do so much work? My car including M oil change, aircon flushing, road test all done in 90min.. Macam tak betul je. Flushing ac means flush out all n top up gas je kan? Tak buka dashboard pun.

Just filter alone cost rm240 or change ATF incl new atf filter total rm240 ya?

so the rm80 labour incl. ur engine oil change too?

yes u're charged for ac flush & new gas only

Yes. That part I didn't mention cos not much can scammed me there.

If I shared one more detail don't scold me. The M oil he showed me in dip stick was in dark brown colour not even black tarry look. It was a 4 yo M oil since Las last change. This car rarely move was parking most of the time. Let engine runs few weeks once. Wet market few km run type of Spare car. I read about M oil in reddit a lot so I figure it's wear n tear even with addictive n should not go bad without running (oxidise) it. Some reddits claimed 5 years no issue. They were right. If not because of ac not cold anymore I probably wait another year to change. Lol.

If u want more information you need to provide your car model

Some engine/ATF oil per liter also RM 45 or higher really depends type of brand fluid you use , some branded fluid really expensive via official genuine fluid

Air-conditioning i believe most condenser have their own dryer aka filter too if clogging also can result high compressor pressure, replace condenser dryer and refill the refrigerant also around that price assuming the dryer filter charge you rm 50 refill estimate RM 120 lum sum everything with workmanship, i mean car refrigerant cannot temporary cycle back to compressor and reuse later like house air-conditioning system if u faham what i mean .

I dunno what your Foreman done and do this is just my guessing base on estimated pricing on your invoice.

This post has been edited by zuozi: May 8 2025, 01:07 AM

u're ought to be shot
Lol

filter+gasket only

So filter gasket full set so costly? Rm240???

Service brake if u have tools you can also do it at home i mean is pretty easy if you know what you doing, old time when service brake assuming your rear brake is drum brake type since you mention is old car then those brake dust can build up overtime can result some noise when braking

My time we usually remove the drum back cover then water+brush off dust then dry with compress air,then check if brake cylinder is leaking if no then 400 grit sandpaper give it a rough wipe on brake shoes back and forward few time, then compress air then slightly adjust and cover back then pull and release handbrake then adjust again that what we call brake service .

Toyota vios. Nah he charged ac filter rm28. So 180 purely flushing maintenance. Oil filter in the bill was for M oil filter. Originally should be 25. Swapped mine (I brought wrong size) n gave me discount Rm10. So bill me rm15.

The thing is nobody would want to bukak dashboard unless you want to replace the cooling coil, not even servicing it.

Even your foreman would be afraid of taking your dashboard apart because in the course of doing that he may break some clips here and there and you may come back complaining to him of rattles and noises. Another headache for him.

Now, imagine your old and frail and wet and soggy cooling coil sitting inside your dashboard for the past 7 years. Do you still want to bother cleaning or flushing it? Even to pull out the cooling coil may also cause damage or accidentally puncture it due to bending and aging fins. What if it leaks after this, another round of taking out the dashboard? That would be another labor charge.

Confirmed no sound as I driven cars with braking sound before so I recognised them. In younger days was doing 3k km a month for work for ~8 years. Used to be regular patrons to workshop like 1.5mths to change M oil cos of the 5k km thingy.

For what u mentioned I saw the opening part but not the sandpaper part lol cause I went enjoy aircon in office to cool down d. Too hot this afternoon.

I duno how they flush but assuming with machine? I mean flushing out all old refrigerant then refill whole system with fresh refrigerant with compressor oil i think the price is about right, most B segment car in market i know when refill whole system manually mostly charge RM 120 if empty top up also cost RM 80 because they cannot estimate how much they refill since mostly they don't have the machine , most shop cant afford the expensive machine those proper machine mostly asking price start from RM 30k they said.

he must have confused it with electronic parking brake where it shares the same hydraulic system as transmission. epb might not work properly when atf is low

Wow. That's very detailed explanation. No wonder my last car the old partner checked then recommend me to change entirely new one. That car have few front collisions. Air con became not cold after a while suspect leaking even car was like 5 yo. So changed entire new set. Lasted till I sold it when it was 9 yo.

yep. or more

If no sounds we usually also do the standard procedure brake service things , if no service like the way i said then probably Labor nowadays is really so expensive compare to my time , i mean my time only RM30 for rear both side brake service.

Yes original very expensive i think i have a friend last time want to replace atf filter and gasket go Perodua ask cost RM 180 , OEM/universal at spare part shop RM 30/60 can get even spare parts shop want to get original part also very expensive assuming the spare parts shop no scam u by using cheap thing then say is original.

This is really new info to me. So top up atf can cost till 220 means half tank d. Either that or the atf oil price has spiked so much lately.

Other than that other charges seemed reasonable so not so badly Kena duped la. Malam ni tidur nyenyak sikit. Lol

Itu pasal orang kata beli kereta senang nak maintain susah. Because old cars maintain so expensive might as well get new car now you know why mostly saying this way, but if you can afford i mean new car is always better than old car, but new car's nowadays reliable like old time or not me tak tahu lah 😂 , i still driving old car because is the only old car i can drive and self repair and maintenance without need visit foreman.

most automatic transmission have torque converter and itu torque converter dalam ada minyak juga when you fluid change you only partial fluid change is not entirely emptied , i mean depending the size most torque converter can hold 2 to 9 liter oil if including the atf oil pan depends the size i think more than 4 liter .

If machine flush can flushing entire system rather than partial oil change so u need to know how the way they change your atf fluid too.

This post has been edited by zuozi: May 8 2025, 02:05 AM

every 20k KM
if it's already there thn it's time anyway unless u just changed it not long ago

compressor needed to have it's oil changed just like a car's engine
but that will depend how old is TS car's 1st

every a/c shop has a minor service and a major service

compressor oil change is another big scam in the local AC servicing. in reality, this has become just another way for some service providers to upsell unnecessary work under the guise of "preventive maintenance."

compressor oil is formulated to last the entire lifespan of the compressor. it is a sealed system, meaning that under normal operating conditions, the oil doesn't degrade or get contaminated easily. So if a technician tells you the compressor oil is dirty or needs to be replaced, that should immediately raise a red flag.

let me ask you, why don't you replace your compressor oil in your refrigerator, AC?

if the oil is dirty, that actually points to a much bigger problem. this is likely internal damage or contamination within the system. In such a case, just replacing the oil won’t fix the issue. The system needs to be properly diagnosed, cleaned, and possibly have components replaced and very likely the compressor is already grinding metal shavings. Replacing just the oil is not going to help until the system gets contaminated again.

lemme ask u 1 thing that u can ask yourself
u wanna refer until refrigerator right?
thn why is your refrigerator can be repaired if it's broken?

another question, why is there recond units of a/c compressor....what did they "reconditioned"?

a good a/c technician will take the compressor out and diagnose and tell you what the problem is, not straight as u to replace
a good a/c technician will tell u everything is repairable until your magnetic clutch eat until your housing already thn it's completely useless and needed replacement
other than that situation, everything is repairable ....there is no such thing as "entire lifespan" of the compressor unless the housing itself is damaged

my saga BLM until today had major service done at around 9-10 years old and that compressor survived until today...17 years old today
the only compressor that i needed to replace is my 2012 myvi which failed recently because the magnetic clutch damaged the housing else my technician said would be repairable if anything else failed
and a major service isn't just replacing the compressor oil only FYI

This post has been edited by MR_alien: May 8 2025, 10:07 AM

lol strawman fallacy. when did i say a fridge cannot be repaired?

my point is why don't you replace your compressor oil inside your fridge every few months?

and when did i say you cannot repair or refurbish a compressor? I have only mentioned if the oil is dirty, something needs replacing or fixing. whether you want to replace the whole compressor or change magnetic clutch or band aid your compressor it is up to you.

This.

What does hand brake too high have anything to do with transmission oil ?

but u did say changing the oil is useless and that the oil is meant to be last for the entire lifespan of the compressor
now u say if the oil is dirty and should be replaced?

so which one is it?

at 1st u say no need change oil, only need to change compressor if it fail
now u say can refurbish compressor, can change oil?

like why would u need to replace the whole compressor when it can be refurbished?...and can be done on the spot?

I wonder also.
Refrigerator - no such thing of preventive change of compressor oil, use until spoil, norm to use 5 to 10 years never change.
Room air cond - never heard of change of compressor oil also, only top up if gas no enough, or wash blower when dirty. Last time I asked maintenance people, they said already got lubricant within.
But for Car - need to periodic change of compressor oil?

I taught all work the same principle
or car use different compressor mechanism?

wow you really cannot understand this huh?

i never said you should be replacing just the oil. if the oil is dirty, means you need to open the hvac system to fix or replace something. Nobody should go in and ask to replace compressor oil every few months because their backside is itchy. Period. Compressor itself is maintenance free. Period. When it goes wrong, sure you can weld it, fix it, replace a gasket or two, or just throw it away. That itself is not maintenance, it is a repair.

Again, back to this question - why don't you change your compressor oil in your fridge?

and i have never ever, ever said you cannot refurbish a compressor

your concept revolves around changing it every few months but compressor oil is counted by years
and u keep going back to your fridge, we use it until it fail and what do u think the technician did to "repair" it every time?
they certainly didn't change the compressor isn't it?
so what did they "do" to repair it?

and your concept revolves around JUST changing the oil in the compressor when a major service changes more than that to prolong the life of the a/c system

hence i said in the beginning it depends on how old TS's car is but then u kept attacking saying changing the oil is nothing because it's supposed to be a lifetime oil but thn say can change when the compressor failed
refer back to scotty kilmer and many mechanic bro...there is no such thing as a lifetime oil

and do u know most of the compressor changed in malaysia isn't brand new although they say it's brand new?(unless it came in a box that is from the original brand manufacturer itself)
and it's all being done locally
https://www.swj.com.my/public/
if you go to your a/c shop and saw these boxes lying around, you're not getting "brand new" compressor but rather "brand new reconditioned"
no shop throw away your compressor unless the housing is damaged, everything can be refurbished on the spot
that's why a lot of scam going around kept telling their customer their compressor is gone when it's not

Every 60km-80km

wei ATF need to change so rapidly one meh? I was told 200,000km need to change about 3 times ATF

yup TS kena up car.

Look at your manual, should have told your ATF need to change at what millage.

BTW it's okay to service your car la, close one eyes lo.

My compressor got issue already, went workshop they quote me Compressor+cooling coil+Condensor need RM3-4k....dam....i was like this is my last service and im going to switch EV this year end.
Damit.

yes rotary compressor. machine flushing and its done. time for a new compressor

depends which one u believe
toyota did say their oil last 80k-100k KM
but if u look at the bottle of oil they poured in or look at their website...it's said the oil is 20-40k KM each service
so this is kinda up to who u truly believe

for me ATF(normal auto) every 20k, manual oil every 30k, CVT every 40k
my bro's mitsubishi, the SC still change it every 40k for it's CVT

for my conventional auto right now, i'm using great oil which is aisin AFW so i can prolong that oil change but still..i'm not pushing it anywhere near 80k KM oil change

I really don't know why do you keep putting words in my mouth. My question is a very simple one - why don't you replace your fridge compressor oil periodically but wait until it fails? You don't seem to have an answer...as expected

You keep bringing up the topic of refurbishing a compressor. Please quote where did I say explicitly that a compressor cannot be refurbished.

You really should reread my post. Three times or more if required. I never mentioned anything wrong with refurbishing a compressor nor does this concern me. My point is very, very simple - the oil does not need to be replaced periodically. Even after years.

And since you mentioned and worshipped scotty kilmer and somewhat interested in refurbishing compressors, even he is telling in your face not to use a refurbished compressor.

"Auto mechanic for the last 49 years, Scotty Kilmer, shows why you should never use a rebuiilt air conditioning compressor on your car. If you want cold AC that lasts many years, ONLY use a brand new compressor. "


I rest my case.

This post has been edited by guest54321: May 8 2025, 11:50 AM

If change all the atf time taken to flush out and top up definitely takes longer than 90 min kan (change M oil, ac flushing, road test)? Then the cost can't be only 220. Will involve replacing the atf filter which forumer says rm240 per filter. If market price 180/4L this 220 is about there la. So wow. Half tank. Where the other half went? Burn or dried up over time? Probably if regularly serviced top up 1-2L is common that is why he initially told me won't cost a bomb, berpuluhan only. I saw 2 open cans of BP castrol (looks like 4L size) on the floor lah.

EV not stable yet if u asked me. Giant battery sitting in the house need to buy very big insurance for car n house.

Lol. I was wondering the same until one forumer mentioned there may be confusion with another system

So that the local ah chong ac guy can make a living.

But my vios is 2014 got so advanced system already?

After reading through, I think is u confused rather than the mechanic.
Most probably he was listing the things need to do, like hand brake is high and change atf oil.
Then u misinterpreted as need to change atf oil due to handbrake high

This post has been edited by LA773: May 8 2025, 11:33 AM

Most car that use a lever with cable to pull brake will engage the rear brake pads (left and right). However, there are cars that will engage all four tires through certain mechanism. So, when the brake pad becomes thinner, the lever will end up higher for good grip.

Changing brake pads are not difficult job. You can opt for all pads change when flushing brake fluid. At initial stage, you can see the brake fluid is at Hi position. When brake pads wear out, the brake fluid level will drop down. When the level hits Lo, then you know it is time to change brake pad. This can be your indicator but don't let workshop top up the fluid in between brake pads change just because they want to charge you

For the air-cond not cold, you should ask if the refrigerant was low when checked initially. Then they can top up. If low again after even a year, if not months, then most likely the cooling coil inside car (called evaporator coil) got leak due to corrosion over time.

If the pressure said to be high on the high side, it can be due to many reasons. This can happen due to too much refrigerant filled in but in your case it should not because it was just filled buy the workshop. It could be blocked condenser or malfunctioned expansion valve. These can be cause by dirt in cooling system. Compressor is like car engine too. Compressor piston wears and metal dust could blocked the expansion valve. It can be cause by bad compressor but I would out it as last possibility because it cost more to change

Actually he asked me to sit next to him to observe how the hand brake level should be. Then he said it's too high so need to change ATF. I did asked what's atf got to do with hand brake he didn't respond. Probably thinking how to explain in layman term then decided to move on to other topic. Lol.

https://www.toyota.com.my/en/servicing-and-...aintenance.html
i suggest print out and show to SA.Nowdays SA simply quote, think got target and commission

I think it's likely near blocked because when mechanic removed the ac filter can see dried leafs big n small. And it's never done anything since birth. Lol. So I figured next time not cold change compressor is highly likely. Just not sure how much will cost. Dulu dulu maybe 15 years ago was like 1.1k by the same shop.

Wtf
Then this guy is really red flag liao

BTW, anything just use back Toyota oil or parts is better
Toyota atf oil only change every 50K km

Just follow their service manual or slightly longer is ok

YouTube, "the car care nuts" is the best Toyota advise u can get

This post has been edited by LA773: May 8 2025, 12:20 PM

Are you sure ? Normally due to worn out rear brake shoe, becomes thinner and therefore need pull handbrake higher. Solution is to adjust brake cable or change new brake shoe.

Changing ATF fluid got two way via machine or manually, manually mean go under gearbox loosen the bolt let it drains

Machine can flush whole system including torque converter/hose/tiny hole etc in the system

Most ATF fluid change is partial change at outside then the pricing is depends the workshop what type ransmission packaging use, some come with 4 liter variant some 1 liter variant if workshop give you 4 liter variant then is charge you for 4 liter variant, i mean most owner will ask workshop is there any leftovers oil/ATF fluid most will collect back then if u no collect consider your rugi, but the botol is opened some will tell you overtime oxidation this and that which is true collect liao also pointless some say is not, so u either keep properly the leftovers oil or back to service center only them using per barrel type can pump out the amount needed to refill.

I know for m oil but I don't have anything that can make use of it so I let them kumpul la. It's like 2-300ml left. For atf lagi I don't know how to use it. No bike or bicycle at home. So let them profit a bit as long as don't charge me if their work give me problem when I return to get refix. Lol

This post has been edited by echho: May 8 2025, 08:33 PM

of course no la
Lol