Q: Garage gave me a huge list of things to be able to fix my car, but I want to know if it's all necessary to get it running.

asked by on October 06, 2016

Thermostat broken on van and constantly refilling coolant. On really humid days we would see a white kind of mist come through the a/c. Then the other night out of nowhere, the car had white smoke coming from under the hood at stop signs but would disappear when driving resumed. Then pulled in the driveway and while the car was idling dark smoke began. I turned the car off and looked under the hood and saw condensation on all the parts and a large liquid spot on the hood. The garage says the fan doesn't work either but they are saying we need spark plugs and belts and all kinds of stuff replaced totalling $3200 because coolant "could have" gotten on those things when the radiator hose came off is what they told me. What do I actually NEED to get the car back on the road?

My car has 107000 miles.
My car has an automatic transmission.

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