
I didn't want it to seem that I was disagreeing with you personally, I just don't subscribe to the "Manufacturer is always right" ethos. Granted, BMW do tend to be more diligent than many other manufacturers and their workshop manuals are a wonder of Bavarian matter-of-factness rather than the usual "no serviceable parts inside", but if they did everything right there wouldn't be so many failed pivot bearings or worn-out gearbox shaft splines.
It seems curious to me that they might specify using just an Allen key for the pivot bolt instead of specifying a torque. The shallow taper of the bearings will tend to make them exceedingly sensitive to over-tightening and I wonder if this is the reason some people have them last such a long time yet others have to change them within a few thousand miles?