California drivers: HOV sticker tips?

[vapor trail]

Just received my HOV clean air vehicle stickers. Sheesh, they're big and ugly.

Anyone have recommendations on placement? I've seen stickers on the rear quarter panels on the paint and placed lower down on the black plastic trim. Trying to decide which is best. Anyone had success removing from painted surface or from the plastic?

Thanks!

 

[180r]

CALIFORNIA Carpool Lane Sticker | Tesla Motors

Look for Brian's pictures a few posts down. By far the best placement imo.

 

[David99]

I've seen a Tesla loosing his sticker that was on the black plastic part. I've put mine on the lower bumper. I have not put the ones on the sides on though.

 

[brucet999]

I had a clear bra put on my front bumper, hood, etc. At the same time, the installer applied my HOV stickers to oval cuts of clear film and then applied those to both quarter panels and the back bumper.

Stickers are protected from weather and if there is ever body damage, they can be removed and reapplied after repairs are made.

 

[Dr. Smoke]

You Californians and your damned HOV stickers. These are a bitch to get off but I figured it out: hair dryer, 99% alcohol, and artificial fingernail. The adhesive is rubber-cement based (as with most stickers), with titanium dioxide pigment.

Heat and lots of rubbing with alcohol gets you:

These are protected with a plastic barrier which you must breach with your artificial fingernail:

Then more heat, rubbing, and alcohol gets you:

Ignore my rags. They're not getting retired until I finish the car.

 

[commasign]

See this thread:

The Great HOV Sticker Hack (making your HOV stickers removable)

 

[FlatSix911]

CALIFORNIA Carpool Lane Sticker | Tesla Motors

Look for Brian's pictures a few posts down. By far the best placement imo.

 

[No2DinosaurFuel]

Get a clear bra for your bumber and put it on top of your bra. Remove the bra when you are done with the sticker in 2019.

Tesla rear bumber kit from xpel is around 300 or so if I remember correctly.

You get to protect your bumper and can remove the sticker easily when they expire in Jan 2019.

 

[SDRick]

I used the removable sticker hack for the small one and placed it on the lower black facia on the rear bumper. I placed the two larger stickers in my glove box where they are easily removable.

 

[ShotgunF15E]

Just received my HOV clean air vehicle stickers. Sheesh, they're big and ugly.

Anyone have recommendations on placement? I've seen stickers on the rear quarter panels on the paint and placed lower down on the black plastic trim. Trying to decide which is best. Anyone had success removing from painted surface or from the plastic?

Thanks!

Place them in the glovebox. Put them on your car and I will personally slap you silly the next time I see you....

 

[Buster1]

I just don't get it. These stickers make no sense to me and ruin the look of any car.

Putting a sticker on a car to tell a LEO that it's clean air is like putting a sticker on an airplane to tell the FAA it can fly.

 

[vapor trail]

Thanks for the tips everyone (Dr. Smoke -- that process looks painful).

I already have car covered in xpel. Have to decide which is the lesser of two evils, plastic trim or on the xpel....and if I'll just live dangerously and only go with the rear sticker.

 

[JPP]

I just don't get it. These stickers make no sense to me and ruin the look of any car.

Putting a sticker on a car to tell a LEO that it's clean air is like putting a sticker on an airplane to tell the FAA it can fly.

I have commented on this before...the stickers are not for CHP/law enforcement benefit, but for the benefit of the poor driver dead stopped in the #2 lane as you zip by all alone. The pissed off stationary driver calls 911, dispatch wastes time on a non urgent call, radios a CHP unit to pull you over. Traffic stop made by less that happy CHP officer. He/she does not want to hear any excuses about why you don't have the stickers attached, or why you only have 1 attached, or why they are in the glovebox. You get a big $$ ticket.

Maybe someday I will live in an enlightened state which will issue HOV plates. For now, stickers (all 3) are applied as in post #7 above. YMMV.

 

[mechapreneur]

...the stickers are not for CHP/law enforcement benefit, but for the benefit of the poor driver dead stopped in the #2 lane as you zip by all alone. The pissed off stationary driver calls 911, dispatch wastes time on a non urgent call, radios a CHP unit to pull you over.

We can't get CHP out to stop a drunk/distracted driver. No way are they going to intercept a sticker-less car in HOV because someone called 911. There are too many. Plus legit carpoolers.

The only people who get stopped in HOV are the ones unlucky enough to pass a CHP while non-compliant.

 

[vapor trail]

I live about 20 miles from Sacramento and occasionally have to commute to the city via 80W. Unauthorized use of the HOV lane is rampant during rush hour. I've yet to see car pulled over, but have witnessed every variety of lane violation while sitting in traffic (waiting for my decals to arrive).

It seems so loosely monitored I've even considered leaving the decals off my car entirely and just joining the party. Years ago I lived in Northern Virginia, where the police had full lockdown control over the HOV lanes and nobody dared such hijinks.

 

[Lloyd]

I only have one sticker on the rear. Never had an issue in 4 years!

 

[pnd4pnd]

I put just one of the smallest stickers on the lowest part of the rear bumper (the black part). I've never had a problem.

 

[Branzo90D]

Same here. What @ethune said.

 

[NikeWings]

One sticker, rear, centered low below right tail light.
I've a white car so its less intrusive, but thank CA everyday that we didn't get stuck with those bright green hybrid stickers.

 

[derekmw]

I cannot bear to put those stickers on, so for the past year now, I've been driving with them in the glove box. I use the HOV lanes both ways everyday and have yet to be pulled over. But that's because, like some have posted, it seems they don't really enforce it much. More often than not, I will be sitting in the HOV on-ramp with more violators than actual carpool/EV cars.

In fact, I've been doing this commute for 3 years now with other EV cars and never once have I seen any police enforcing/checking these lanes.