Here is the 08 and 08a main parts side by side; you tell me why the 08a is any better than the 08; the 08a piece is on the left and all other parts are the same. Looks to me like a change that was made for ease of manufacture rather than solve the issue.
I understand there were more that a few issues with the fiber washer slipping out of place during the assembly process, as the washer only rides on a very small lip in the 08 on the right. However the washer rides on a full long shouldered diameter in the 08a version on the left. I'm not seeing a functional improvement - only a manufacturing and assembly improvement.
From what I can gather on other forums, failure doesn't take more than 20K-25K miles to occur. The 08a version has been around long enough for plenty to have rolled up enough miles to see the units fail; lack of lubrication remains the issue. I know nothing about the 2014 version with the glue on parts; it might be the bomb for all I know.
No dog in the fight either; both my bikes are early models with the "good" compensator. More than 50K miles between the two with no compensator issues.