100 Nm (74ft-lb ) for control arm bolt
80Nm ( 59 ft-lb ) for ball joint
tension strut ball joint same
tension strut bolt 165 Nm (122 ft -lb) only tighten this one when suspension loaded .

Tighten the bolts through the bushing end of the control arm while suspension loaded (car on wheels) as well.

I agree with weasel although the bentley manual says fully tighten on installation .
only says tighten TS mount with car on wheels , strange .

Correct on the torque settings, the reason you can tighten the track control arm bolt with the suspension hanging is because it is a metal bearing rose joint and so is free to rotate, the thrust arm bush works on the "twisting rubber" principle and so needs to sit neutrally prior to being tightened, unless it's a Powerflex bush and in this case, no pre-load is necessary.

X5Girl, xxx

Thanks for the info on the torque settings - much appreciated, as I definitely didn't want to just tighten these by feel. But to clarify, as these components are called many things by different people, I'm interested in the torque for the bolt that runs through the middle of the bushing of the lower control arm, aka front control arm, aka thrust arm. I'm afraid I don't have access to the diagram of the front suspension as this moment. Is this the control arm bolt in amacman's post (torque = 74 lb-ft) or the tension strut bolt (yet another new term for this part...), torque = 122 lb-ft? I think it's the latter...
Also, the mechanic I took the car to for its pre-purchase inspection told me the ball joints are in perfect condition, so he didn't recommend replacing them. So, I plan to simply unbolt the two bold that attach the ball joint of the thrust arm to the frame. Any idea what the torque for these bolts is?

One (hopefullY final) question - If all I'm going to do is remove the thrust arm and replace its bushing (probably at a machine shop), do I really need an alignment? I'll do it if there's the slightest doubt, but it doesn't seem that simply R & R'ing this arm alters any of the alignment settings.

Thanks; you have all been extremely helpful - this is a great forum.

The track control arm IS NOT the thrust arm. The track control arm points outwards from the chassis to the wheel, the thrust arm point forwards around 45 Deg and is also incorrectly called the brake reaction arm or tension strut.
TCA inner bolt should be 87Nm
Thrust arm bolt should be 143Nm.
An alignment will not be required unless previously, an alignment has been done to compensate for the worn bushings.

X5Girl, xxx

Thanks, that clarifies everything. The torque on the thrust arm bolts (the two that attach the ball joint to the frame) are surprisingly hefty at 143 nm. These could be fun to remove... I definitely plan to spray some penetrating oil and let it soak overnight.

very handy detailed thread, good work!

I did my X5 subframe bushing today. Took me 3 hours.Started with torch on one bushing but forgot to get new canisters.So I finished the three others with a Reciprocating Saws.I Installed the powerflex subframe bushing.All good.
And yes I forgot to take pictures.

this is the thread i've been searching for.
thanks alot for taking the time to take us through it step by step,and with pics!
do the rear sub frame bushes have to be put in to face a certain way towards the front, etc?
i'm sure i read something along those lines.
thanks again