I'm afraid this isn't true. They didn't have a strengthened key or any different to the 77mm too short key that had gone before. They only had a change from chain to gear drive, which has no effect on the potential for this part for catastrophic failure, and engine end of. My car (BRE 2006) was at 354,000km before I had mine changed for a KMB modified hex key (100mm) and pump, which is the only sure-fire solution. You can see from the picture that is was quite on the edge of wear - it may have lasted longer, maybe not and a lot more KM than yours - but it's a ticking timebomb, whatever. They have been known to fail, quite often, from around 90K miles to over 400K, so mileage is not necessarily an indicator either. Only the other day I stopped to help a guy in a 2.0TDi 2007 A6, with relatively low mileage with a totally kaput engine down to this, very defect. Sort this now and the engines are almost bullet proof, for sure.
