Badge installation - pre-clean surface?

[Adam_E]

Hi forum,

Just a quick question for those that have installed self-adhesive badges on your Liberties. What did you use to clean down the surface before sticking the badge on?

I have a 'spec. B' to put on the boot of my 4gen, but the lower portion of the bootlid seems to be a plastic material. I was a bit wary about using anything too harsh (like thinners or prep-sol), but I want to be sure there isn't any wax residue, etc on the paint first.

Thanks for reading

[garbo41610]

I'd suggest cleaning the area as normal, then use a wax remover, then an alcohol wipe to remove any residue. That should get it sufficiently clean. Then carefully heat the area and adhesive side of the badge with a hairdryer to make sure it adheres properly.

In saying that, on my old mazda I put a badge on just by heating the back side of the badge carefully with a lighter and it stayed put for three years till I sold the car and it never moved.

[Adam_E]

Well, the badges have been stuck on long enough to report back.

After a normal wash, I just used methylated spirits to make sure there was no wax or residue. No issues with adhesion.

My big tip though is to align the badge to the existing badge. I used the template that the new badge came on to align it to the bootlid, and it turns out that the original "Liberty" badge is slightly crooked. If they were both equally crooked it wouldn't be noticeable.

(Actually, it's not really noticeable - I had to measure the gap to check if it wasn't just an illusion.)