Just bend it "backwards" and it will tighten the cv boot even more!
Look at pic 2 in your 1st post,thats how it should always be done.

backwards is down in this case i guess? don't believe after all the stress of getting the cv joint out and apart that i failed in a way on this final hurdle:rolleyes:

Just flattened it,by tapping gradually with a small hammer..Easy!
You wouldnt need to if you had some clearance there ,like on the pic below!This is what mine looks like and as you can see ,the clip is flat and I have a clearance of about 10 mm ,between it and the first ring of the rubber boot!
Are you sure that your cv boot isnt longer than the OE one???Seems to be from your pic or just check that teh cv boot is actually in place,be it on the wheel side or on the side that you are worried about.

happy new year, thanks for the reply, ok so i tap the top of the protruding clip and this wont loosen it? powers1 i checked the box the boot came in and the part number mentioned tallies with the bmw oem one.....on the side i am worried about i cant pull the boot any further(towards the engine) as the ridge on the shaft stops it and so i guess this is correctly fitted, on the wheel side the boot is pushed as far as it will go and to the same amount as the other outer boot. What I might do is do monthly inspection for any wear at all (i will mark the area i think makes contact with some white paint that way i will be able to see if the paints gone there is a problem), and as per a new post i added, i got heatshrink and covered the protruding clip in the hope that a rubber on rubber contact as opposed to metal clip on rubber will be less damaging....we shall see

1) It does not look right. However, it may be of no consequence.

2) Try pulling the first course of your boot, over the CV inside the boot, towards the hub. It may be in the wrong position, and pulling it over the CV might move the other bellows outward, and the CV under the boot might hold it there. Your first bellows looks stretched. Perhaps even the second course can be repositioned. Other photos show the bellows relatively flat and less expanded. I bet there is a good chance the entire bellows shifts outward and into the correct orientation.

stevekat, thanks for the input, ok here is a better sideway pic of my boot,good point i never tried to manually move the bellows over the CV joint, I am sure though the whole boot will not shift any further towards the hub, and from the pic you can see how far it has gone towards the hub....maybe i will just keep an eye on it...although wife is going ape***t wiith all the time i am spending on the x5...

In looking at your latest photo, you might also try popping the smallest bellows course toward the hub, rather than pulling from the largest, if that doesn't work. To me, it looks like the whole thing might just pop into place. The smallest course looks reversed over itself, if you could 'un-invert' it, towards the hub, it may be fine. The main thing I question is, if this were going to work, might it have occurred by itself while driving. But in any case, I bet $1 it pops into the proper orientation when you manually adjust it. Start by pulling on the smallest inverted bellows so it is not pushed backwards. You probably shall hear a 'thwopp' and all shall be good.

Stevekat thanks, pretty precise instructions and description from your goodself, will give it a go...also am pretty sure it was that shape when mechanic put on new boot and last course didn't change orientation whilst driving.....looks like another evening of fiddling around under the X5

Was curious if you ever got resolution of this...wondering if it shifted into the right shape and position, or if you found some other solution, or just left it.

stevekat rude of me not to reply, but i recently ran into problem where car wouldn't even start, so was distracted, but I tried to pop 'cv' boot into place no joy, and it was correctly fitted for sure, so have been keeping an eye on it , in case the protruding clip gouges out the rubber on the cvboot IF it does indeed touch the boot during driving or parking and so far so good! starting issue for sure weather related, problem gone as the temps here again have hit 17c from the 8c and 9c where i experienced the starting issue, and it starts fine and i don't get the funny radio interference type noise that I used to get on first start-up which i traced to the drivers side speaker under the windscreen! have yet to check my battery output but will do so as soon as i can