Static cling decal question?

[Randy Rosenberg]

I've applied and removed my static cling-on's many, many times over the past 8+ years, and never lost one, even after hitting 140 on the front straight at T-Hill many times. Here's the process that I follow:

1. Clean the area on the Cobra with some detail spray. No need to remove wax.
2. Mix water and about 1/2 teaspoon of car wash soap in a squirt bottle. Do not use household soap - this is really important. Use only car wash soap.
3. Gently peel the cling-on off of the paper (or where it is).
4. Saturation the area on the Cobra and the back of the cling-on with the soapy-water. You cannot use too much soapy-water solution. The excess will just run off.
5. Apply the cling-on - slide it into place. If you use plenty of soapy-water solution, then the cling-on can be easily adjusted (slid) into it's final position.
6. Use a roller squeegy to remove the excess water and air bubbles - start in the very center and roll out the edge (like cutting a pizza from the middle) in either a clock-wise or counter clock-wise direction. It's ok if the soapy-water solution gets on the outside of the cling-on. The key is to get all of the bubbles out - it's ok to go around the cling-on a few times with the roller squeegy.
7. Use a soft dry towel to wipe off the cling-on and the surrounding area.
8. Repeat for each cling-on.
9. Let the Cobra sit for 24 hours before driving.

The soapy-water solution does two things:

1. It provides slippery lubrication, so that you can position your cling-on after you've applied it.
2. After it dries, it provides a "paint-safe" glue-like adhesive (read: post-it note stickinees, not super glue) which adds to the static to help keep the cling-on in place. This is why it's important to use a "car wash" soap and not some household soap which might hurt the paint.

To remove, just pick a corner or any edge with your fingernail and gently pull the entire cling-off. The key is to have a clean place to store it BEFORE you peel it off. I use my garage refrigerator sides/door for my cling-on storage. Just like when applying cling-on's to your Cobra, clean and saturate the storage spot before applying the cling-on (IOW, you are just re-applying the cling-on onto another surface - follow the same steps above, including the squeegy). This will preserve your cling-on.

This easy process has worked for me for many years.

Have fun,
Randy...