D4 Balance shaft
 

Currently have a 17plate XC60 D4 on lease. Since May 2017 to date I've only put 8000 miles on so far. Approx 1 week ago I noticed a high pitched hissing/buzzing sound both when on the move and also revving when stationary. Took car to dealership yesterday and left vehicle for the day so it could be checked, before leaving the technician revved vehicle and confirmed noise and said he would let car cool and do checks later in day.
Received call mid afternoon to say the technicians think noise is coming from balance shaft. Solution is to order new balance shaft but to complicate matters there is a new modified part due for release which they think might be available for December. I've been told the car will need to be booked in for 3 days for fitting of part.
Was told I could pick the car up and it should be ok to drive until December, something I am far from comfortable with. I am also concerned that if this is a major job to fit then other problems could be brought on in future if the job is not done to a high standard. To further complicate matters upon collecting vehicle dealership said they are unsure as to when they can order the modified part as it hasn't yet been assigned a part number on the ordering system. Can anybody advise on this 'Balance shaft' part and more importantly is the advice that I should be ok to drive around until December or beyond acceptable? I am far from happy with situation and will of course be raising my concerns with leasing company, I am just looking for some more information regarding this balance shaft component and potential problems that could arise in my current situation (i.e. engine damage if it fails) as I need to raise my concerns with lease company in more detail next week.Many thanks in advance.

There are just a very few cars which develop this whine , The cure is to fit a new unit , it is in the sump so not a time consuming job , not sure why they need it 3 days ! It is a gear mesh problem so not going to cause damage , it is critical it is aligned properly when a new one is fitted .
Who knows what the modified one is like when it comes out , but the cure NOW today is to fit a new unit .
No reason to delay it. Then if it goes noisy again you still have warranty left , but that won't happen as the new unit is the cure ,
I guess the modified one is designed to not generate the whine in the future and reduce the warranty cost.

Thanks for the info, my main concern is the delay in fitting this part, I'm also concerned about the standard of work in fitting any replacement, particularly if this is a major job to do. If the balance shaft was to fail am I correct in thinking it could take out the timing belt and cause total engine failure? Either way I don't think the car is of an acceptable standard, it's got just 8000miles on the clock as of today and as you say there are very few cars that suffer this problem. As it stands I've formally rejected car and raised an official complaint.

No , it's not going to fail it is just a gear whine, it is a separate unit in the sump it is gear driven from the crankshaft , not driven from the belt and not a big job . Your cure right now is a new unit … whether you want to wait for the modified one is up to you .

Hi Riggsy,

Any news on the replacement of the balance shafts and the availability of a revised model? My '15 V60 D4 has the same issue and your post pointed me into the right direction, thanks for that :-)

Hi all,
Does anyone already has more news on the new/revised part? Is it still expected this month? Any idea what the real issue is?
My T4 is having the same issue, is already confirmed by the dealer. And they told also me 'december'ithout more details.
Thanks!

by the end of 2018 is latest news , you are better waiting to 2019 and see what the situation is .

Hi Clan,
Do you know what the real issue is? The dealer told me something about a valve inside this module. I am technical but I don't see what a valve is doing inside the balance shaft module.

It is a gear meshing issue by the sound it makes .. you have a whine I guess..

Yes indeed. If you want you can hear the sound in these 2 videos:
https://drive.google.com/open?id=1Cv...kEuX1HDPYh9Z-E
https://drive.google.com/open?id=1zn...PD2OE6DFShWYRB