Having had an advisory for a perished CV boot on my MGf I decided to tackle the job over the weekend.  I had a spare universal boot and new metal straps left over from when I did my R25 a few years ago.   But I simply cannot get the boot to stay on once I have crimped up the strap, it keeps slipping off.   The boot was a little too large a diameter for the hub and the instructions said to cut it back one ring, which I did leaving a slight rib thinking this would sit on the outer edge of the rubber boot and keep it in place.  But with the rib there is not enough space to get the strap to fit in the  hub groove between the abs ring and the end of the hub.   My other problem is trying to keep a clean inner boot surface free from grease at the point it fits over the hub.. No matter how much I clean the rubber boot and hub surface it still seems to get some grease on it that just helps the boot slide off again.   I’ve now cut the boot rib off to try to get more purchase under the strap, but it still slips off.   I have tried and wasted three straps so far.   I even purchased the correct tool with a central anvil to crimp the strap.    So, after that long explanation, my question is can I use a zip tie instead of a metal strap?   And is there a better fitting Cv boot than a universal boot from an auction site? 
thanks,
Nigel

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