Interesting, but sad, story
Today, I had my oil changed at the local dealership. I provide the oil and they provide the filter & labor for about $35.
In the next stall is an obviously well maintained '05 roadster. It had 26,000 miles. The technician tells me the following story:
The owner noticed a bad knock in the last cylinder on the right side of the engine. Both plugs were pulled and found to be covered in oil. The technician called STAR and they stated that a new engine is in the $20,000 range, so they elected to send a short block.
The piston and the cylinder wall were both scored and STAR indicated that this is not an isolated problem; they've seen it on multiple occasions.
Kinda scarry, huh?
Don