Ive personally never seen one with timing issues but work with a few guys at work who are ex VAG and theyve had a handful.
Have done a fair few water pumps, such a poor design but atleast theyre relatively easy to change lol
Chains are still a relatively common issue with the EA888.
Seen no end of them with carbon buildup inc on engines that have both DI and port injection.
Its almost as if we've not had much work for a while haha
Tbf tho thats at the top of the workshop where stuff normally just gets parked up waiting for parts