I decided to open it up and take a look before sending it in. I did the best I could with the pix but it's hard to see what I can describe. What is obvious is I see some scratches on the sleeve - about 3/16 apart, symmetrical, going circular from the top of the sleeve toward the bottom. They are not deep enough to catch a fingernail but they are clearly there.

The piston and rod are intact, no slop in the bushing. There are what I could only describe as "speckled" coloring on the top and sides of the piston. I also note that the bottom of the rod seemed to have rubbed against the backing plate a little bit, as you can see in the pix.

So at this point put it back together and run it? Send it in for warranty consideration? Any thoughts? Thanks and here are the pix: