My father was in the fastener design industry for 30 years (Cleveland Cap Screw, RB&W, Lake Erie Screw etc.) and he always told me to trust the torque specs, whether I think it is too loose or not. They are usually well thought out. many auto fasteners are designed to stretch and lock at specific torques, although I doubt it for this application.

As far as your comments on fender bolts and the like, I couldn't agree more.