We have a 2007 XC70 (AWD 5cyl turbo) that pretty much lives in a garage and is only driven a few short trips on weekends. It has 45k miles on it and the majority of that was early in it's life. I know lot of stuff on this car is going to start failing due to pure calendar age rather than wear, so I'd like to keep on top of this and create a list of things to watch for.

I have a few specific questions:

1) The tires on this car are showing signs of age related deterioration (despite having less than 12k on them). Last time we had trouble finding cheap replacements for the standard 215/65r16 size. Are there other compatible "sister sizes" that might be a better option?

2) How often do we need to flush and replace things like break fluid, power steering fluid, transmission fluid, and engine coolant? I've heard all sorts of differing opinions but it's unclear how many of them apply to a car with this driving pattern. (The transmission fluid in particular seems to have a lot of horror stories behind it).

3) When does the timing belt need to be replaced? The manual says 120k, some people say 10 years, others say you need to check the engine code and it's upwards of 15 years.

4) The manual says to replace the spark plugs at 60k, do I need to replace them sooner due to calendar age?

5) The service manual talks about visual inspection of "the bevel gear". I have no idea what this is or where it's located, and searching on the web gives conflicting answers.

6) What is the PCV? This is something that needs to be cleaned on a regular basis or the engine basically blows up ...?

7) Which of these sorts of services can safely be performed by a random shop and which need a dealer? (Again, I've heard varying horror stories about bevel gears, belts, and transmission fluid).


Other than that, are there any other things to watch out for?