There is more then 3 mm. IIRC its either 1 or 2 cm of adjustment.
I have no clue where you get the 5 year thing from. My buddy is still rocking a 1999 Trek 5000 Series with 50,000+ miles on it and its still holding strong. One car crash and besides a new shifter and bar, its fine. Carbon frames are not glass. They are pretty durable. Everyone on my team races on CF frames. There has been plenty of crashes and I can't think of a single one that has cracked a frame.