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I recently had my thermostat replaced on my 2013 Dodge Grand Caravan. I noted some 'spotting' on the drive way a few days after, but with all the snow still lying around, it was hard to tell what could be causing it.

Fast forward a few weeks, and the snow is gone, but the 'spots' are there every day after parking the car.

Grabbed a few photos of the underside and the 'drip' is slightly visible (circled in the pic), but coating a good portion of the 'pan' area (not sure of the correct term).

highlighted drip

Checked above and two hoses coming out of the radiator are also covered in something - nothing else in the main engine bay is anywhere near as dirty.

dirty radiator hoses

Am I correct in assuming that this appears to be a coolant leak? Any suggestions on what my next steps should be? Obviously, I won't work on this myself (I know enough about cars to be dangerous), so it'll be going back to the shop that did the thermostat replacement.

Thanks in advance!

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    – Pᴀᴜʟsᴛᴇʀ2 ♦
    Mar 23, 2021 at 21:04

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It's hard to tell what is dripping from the oil pan, but the photo of the hoses coming from the radiator are transmission oil cooler lines. I would definitely check the transmission fluid level.

If it were my car, I would first check the transmission fluid level and top off if needed. Then I would clean the areas shown in the pictures and drive it for a day or so depending on how far you usually drive, and then check for leaks again. Once the oil gets all over the place, it's sometimes difficult to find the source.

It's entirely possible that you have a leak in one of the cooler lines, and also an oil leak.

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  • Thank you, I'll clean it up this weekend and check the transmission fluid. I had the oil + transmission fluid changed last month (90k miles), so I am wondering if they managed to mess something up then.
    – ConBran
    Mar 26, 2021 at 16:33
  • Getting back to this now - transmission fluid was low when I checked, added more, cleaned the oil pan and lines as best I could. Continued spotting on the drive way, took it to a mechanic that I get most of my servicing done with (not the person who did the oil + transmission fluid change) and they replaced the hoses, and we've no more leaking. Thanks again for your advice!
    – ConBran
    Apr 16, 2021 at 16:44

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