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I put stock rod bearings, though WPC treated, and stock rod bolts in my car. They were the later non lead bearings, while I had the lead bearings. I do not believe it is necessary to disassemble the engine, remove the rods, hone the big ends, and reassemble the engine to do a rod bearing change. Virtually no one is doing that. Not EAS, not MRF, not any of the other shops. Probably not even the BMW dealers doing rod bearing changes. It is way too much work and not necessary, but certainly the ideal way if money is no object.
Aftermarket rod bearing bolt makers recommend honing the rod since clamping forces may vary from stock. But a few shops have done testing on cranks and bearings and rods and bolts out of the car to determine torque settings that work. And none of the shops doing preventative maintenance rod bearing changes with aftermarket bolts are disassembling the engine to change the bearings.
I think there is a range in terms of what works for bearings. BMW used the small end of that range. I would try the big end of the range without worry.
To me the biggest worry is that my engine might blow up because of the rod bearings. Killerfish writing that no one should worry about rod bearings because his car is fine at 130k just shows how small and limited his world is -- it all revolves around his limited experience and limited knowledge. I'll listen to a lot of others before him.
As for the argument that if your bearings are no longer low mileage, you have nothing to worry about, I see very limited logic in that. Bearings have been pulled with 50k, 60k, 70k, 80k, 90k, 100k and shown accelerated wear. It would be great if there was some mileage or age or other test that was definitive, but there is not. Many have looked, but no one has found anything anywhere close to definitive.
We all have risks that we take action to insure against, and we do so in different ways. I agree that rod bearing failure risk is a small one, but so is a heart attack at age 45 and you probably have health insurance and life insurance. People have to make their own decisions about whether they want to do anything. Again, I agree the odds are with you that you can do nothing and be fine.
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