On my aluminum sided toy hauler I washed the area with soapy water then cleaned it again with rubbing alcohol. The 3m adhesive seems to be holding very well. I tucked the LED wire under the speaker then zip tied it to the top of my awning assembly. The wire then hangs down the arm of my awning where I bungee ball tie it to the awning arm when in transit and just let it hang when the awning is deployed. On my battery I have a 2 pole flat plug that stays attached to the batteries and the capped end is under the battery hold down strap. I then use a 12' 2 pole flat extension cord to go between the battery and LED light wiring. I use this same 12'cord to hook to my water transfer pump when filling the trailer out of my water tank so its a 2 in 1 deal.