Very low use/low milage 2007 XC70, need upkeep pointers

[Durenol]

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?

[Ihatespeedbumps]

On 1/27/2018 at 7:39 AM, Durenol said:

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? What is your idea of cheap? I have a set of Hankook Optimo's I put on my XC for 400 bucks.

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). The factory interval for brake fluid changes was 37.5k. Transmission fluid should be changed now if has never been serviced. Coolant and P/S fluid, never.

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. 10/120 on the timing belt.

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

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. The bevel gear is the "angle gear" and is attached to the transmission. Should be visually inspected for leaks.

6) What is the PCV? This is something that needs to be cleaned on a regular basis or the engine basically blows up ...? PCV is Positive Crankcase Ventilation. Yes it should probably be cleaned/replaced due to the short trips this car has taken.

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). You would probably be best served to find a good Volvo Indy shop in your area.


Other than that, are there any other things to watch out for? See above statement about good Indy shop.

 

 

[TidesRise]

It's pretty low miles I wouldn't imagine anything going bad yet. 07 is a good year it has the better transmission I think. I would probably just buy tires and give it a tune up now. You can get tires for a good price on tirerack.com and sites alike. You can even get BFG all terrain tires there for good price if you want. If you want your transmission to last a long time take it easy when it shifts from 1st to 2nd. Transmissions are the most common reason people junk these cars. On almost every occasion the motor will outlast the transmission.