Yeah, my understanding is that once they start leaking, sooner or later it’s going to blow. I guess if you’re paying attention, you just make sure to shut it off and coast to the side of the road before you completely lose oil pressure and wreck the engine, but seems like a gamble I’d rather not take.
It also just occurred to me that removing the engine seems a little drastic. Pretty sure most guys just drop the transmission to replace the RMS. Just guessing, but can’t see it being more than $2k at an indie?
I’d just replace it and worry about any other stuff if/when the time comes. Having said that, you can check for chain stretch with VCDS. And did the MKVs have the chain tensioner issue as well? That’s a huge one that should be dealt with if needed, but it’s easy to check whether or not your car is affected.