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Recently purchased a color matched intake plenum cover for my 2004. Similar to this one;
This particular one didn't have ears to hold it in place, rather, it was supplied with double sided tape that's just supposed to stick it to the plenum. I wasn't crazy about the double sided tape, but I tried it anyway, and found that it wouldn't stick to the plenum. I had thoroughly cleaned the area where it would stick with alcohol beforehand, but I found it still had a slick feel to it. I moved up to brake cleaner, but no dice. Tried acetone, and replaced the tape with the heavy duty 3M tape. Still no stick.
I know when I bought the car last year, that the previous owner had the engine bay detailed, and there was a slimey feel to everything under there, but although the solvents that I used to clean the plenum, it still feels slick. It might sound weird, but it's not like there's a residue on it, but rather the property of the plenum plastic itself. I've decided that I would rather go with industrial grade Velcro strips, but before I can stick something to the plenum, I need to find some kind of adhesion promoter that I can use on the plenum so that half of the Velcro will stick to it.
clear silicone !!! (doesn't have to be clear !!!!) don't use a lot just a dab here and there !!
Makes sense, especially if the detailer used a silicone based product. I'll give it a shot.
Sidebar: I spent 5 years painting helicopters many moons ago, and learned how silicone can be a scourge. The door seals on the Bell 206's were stick on silicone, and we used a special silicone based adhesive to put them on. One time, I had a tail boom in the booth, and as I started painting it, I could see fish eyes start to pop up everywhere. I thought my head was going to explode! The booth was a side draft model, sucking it's air from the inside of the hanger. After some investigation, we found that there was a mechanic, on the far side of the hanger, that had the glue container open, installing a set of door seals on a 206. The silicone fumes got sucked through the hanger and into the booth, contaminating the surface of the tail boom.
Adhesive recommendations please.
