Well... I couldn't wait for further advice, so I went ahead and applied my stickers today.
I decided on the traditional "bumper" placement since my FFE is Platinum White and the white HOV stickers should be less obtrusive than on a darker color. In fact, now that they are on, the "white" background of the stickers is actually somewhat creamy and is virtually an exact match for Platinum White!
Tip #1: I created a "rough preview" for myself first by cutting around the sticker backings (without removing them) to their exact shape and then temporarily affixing the still-backed stickers to my car with some clear tape. This helped me decide what I wanted to do.
I also read online about lots of fancy application techniques, but in the end I simply cleaned the areas well and laid down a fresh coat of wax. With the surfaces thus prepped, I applied the stickers...
Tip #2: I'm somewhat of a perfectionist and wanted the two side stickers to be positioned "equally". So, I created a "template" from a piece of paper with one edge trimmed to match the curve of the wheel well (as a point of reference). On the remaining part, I drew a level horizontal line (for the top of the sticker) and a vertical line (for the trailing edge of the sticker). I cut away the rest of the paper, leaving a sticker shape (well, matching the "straight" part of the sticker, not the round part). I securely mounted the completed template to the car with masking tape and used it to lay down some strategic masking tape "markers" on the car itself. I then removed the template and applied the sticker according to the markers. Then, I simply took the template to the other fender and mounted it with the
reverse side against the car, yielding the mirror image of the template, and repeated the process.
Tip #3: When applying the stickers, you can avoid trapping air bubbles by carefully laying the sticker down from one edge to the opposite edge. In my case, I affixed just the very top edge of the sticker first, using one hand to gently hold the bottom portion of the sticker away from the car, and then carefully pressed down small sections of sticker (about 1 cm at a time) by rubbing left to right with my other hand. I felt this approach was especially important due to the uneven body curves where I chose to mount the side stickers. Fortunately, the sticker will conform to slight curves well, but you have to move slowly and carefully.
Tip #4: Perhaps flush with confidence after applying the two side stickers without mishap, I somehow created a small air bubble in the "easier" smaller rear bumper sticker. But, I was able to correct it. If this happens to you (with any of the stickers)
don't panic and try to remove the sticker to start over (you will destroy the sticker). If the sticker is otherwise well-positioned but simply has some unescaped air that you aren't able to "push" out to an edge, try to push it under a dark letter or line. Then, carefully "drill" small hole with a sewing needle. It should be easy to press the air out. The hole should be very hard to see anyway, but even more so on a dark area.
