# AF Revive vs PERL vs C5 vs???



## Tinkerton (May 11, 2012)

Hi all, got a few black trims on mine and the wife's cars that are starting to look a bit old and horribly, and not as black as they should be, so i'm after something to bring them back to black (or at least, darker than they are).

Having read through the forums, AF revive, PERL and gtechniq C4 appear to be the favourite, but i'm after opinions from people that have used more than one, if possible.

so, thoughts? which is longest lasting? which restores the most colour? which is easiest to apply?


Thanks in advance!

Tink.


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## gally (May 25, 2008)

It's C4 mate and that is the longest lasting out the list.

I'd possibly look into Cquartz Dlux also.


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## Tips (Mar 27, 2011)

I'm using C1+ which the same stuff as C4 and C5 blah.

Darkens the trim really well and beads fantastically, just waiting to see how long it lasts in terms of beading and darkness.

I am also contemplating coating the plastics with coat of C1.5 for the additional gloss levels & beading, but not sure of benefits of this action yet.


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## ronwash (Mar 26, 2011)

Wolfs black out is the one for me,great stuff!.


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## bero1306 (Jan 24, 2011)

I use Perl mainly on my tyres at 1-1 & Revive on trim. Both good. :thumb:


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## Demetrios72 (Jun 27, 2011)

AF Revive is a very good product as is AS Trim Wizard and Trim Ultra

Not used any of the others


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## luca (Mar 3, 2012)

Valet Pro Trim Gliz, easy to apply and with an incredible durability. In some trims of my car I've made a comparison between TG and a Wolf trim dressing. After some months, trims were cloudy but the hydrofobic effect was even present. The brightening was fast for the Wolf, TG resists for more time, also without a correct surface prep.


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## JBirchy (Oct 9, 2010)

I love AF Revive, but also a huge fan of Wolf's Blackout (also my chosen tyre dressing!) Multiple uses!


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## spursfan (Aug 4, 2009)

C4, may be more expensive but will outlast the rest.
Really it is cost versus durability.


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## LostHighway (Sep 23, 2011)

I'm not voting because I haven't personally tried all the options bur PERL goes a decent job with darkening faded trim. Ultima Trim & Tire Guard Plus, aka UTTG, is the most durable treatment I have tried but it doesn't provide a great deal of darkening. I have not used them but longevity reports on both Gtechniq C4 and Wolf's Trim Coat are *extremely* varied.


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## Steampunk (Aug 11, 2011)

That truly depends! It could be any one of them, or something else entirely. It really depends upon the type of trim, and how badly it is faded. All trim materials respond differently to different products, and the only way to find out is to sample a few. The trim on our MINI rejected CarPro PERL, and it has zero effect on my dad's Honda, but it works wonders on my MG. Auto-Finesse Revive had little darkening effect on my MGB, and had mediocre durability on the MINI, but is the only thing that works on the Honda. Dodo-Juice Fantastic Plastic does not get on with the old materials on my MG, and took a strong dislike to the plastic on the Honda, but is absolutely brilliant on the MINI. These are just a few examples that are close to home; I've run across some even stranger situations in my time detailing. I've tried close to a dozen trim dressings so far, and they are the one type of product I struggle to get rid of, because just as I find something I like better, I stumble across an application that only responds to that particular restorative. 

The ones you listed are all good quality restorers, though if I had to pick just one, I would probably start with PERL, because if it doesn't work out on your trim there is a better chance that you can use it up on another application. I'd probably also steer towards more conventional restorers at least for the time being, because if it goes pear shaped regular dressings can be stripped with some APC and you can try again; with nano coatings it isn't so simple. Once you familiarize yourself with how your trim responds to treatment, you can make a better decision about whether a nano coating is right for you, and you can proceed without reservation. 

I hope that this helps...

Steampunk


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## E38_ross (May 10, 2010)

Tips said:


> I'm using C1+ which the same stuff as C4 and C5 blah.
> 
> Darkens the trim really well and beads fantastically, just waiting to see how long it lasts in terms of beading and darkness.
> 
> I am also contemplating coating the plastics with coat of C1.5 for the additional gloss levels & beading, but not sure of benefits of this action yet.


the beading will die long before the darkening of the trim. this is one way of "proving" that C1 is still on paint when it's no longer beading. C4 stops beading but the fact it's still black shows it's still on there. will last 2+ years and by far the most durable in the list, but also the most expensive. why not include C1.5 or T1 in the list?


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## Audriulis (Dec 17, 2009)

Or Cquartz Dlux, can be used to protect your wheels as well


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## Junior Bear (Sep 2, 2008)

When people say c4 is better value because of durability, it doesn't make sense to me


Af revive is £8 for 250ml, I've used it once so far on my car and used hardly any, and it's still black ad beading, got at loads more full applications left in the bottle

But c4 is £23 for 15ml ! :s 

I know it has single application durability of 2 years. But 250ml of af revive lasting around 6 months per minimal application is better for me. And more cost effective IMO


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## digitaluk (Apr 13, 2012)

I haven't tried them all, so im not voting. However i have found AF Revive to be great, and IMO fair better than other trim dressings i have used such as AG bumper and trim gel, AG Vynal and rubber care and meguiars ultimate protectant dash & trim restorer. Would be tempted to try C4 some time however at the moment AF revive is my product of choice.


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## CraigQQ (Jan 20, 2011)

Junior Bear said:


> When people say c4 is better value because of durability, it doesn't make sense to me
> 
> Af revive is £8 for 250ml, I've used it once so far on my car and used hardly any, and it's still black ad beading, got at loads more full applications left in the bottle
> 
> ...


6 months? you must live in a dry area.. 
every car I've applied it to, and a few of my friends have tried it on multiple cars..
first time it rains the trim is streaky... no matter how much it's buffed.


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## Trip tdi (Sep 3, 2008)

Autoglym Bumper Care for me, used this years, with out fail.


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## Babalu826 (Aug 7, 2011)

CraigQQ said:


> 6 months? you must live in a dry area..
> every car I've applied it to, and a few of my friends have tried it on multiple cars..
> first time it rains the trim is streaky... no matter how much it's buffed.


Very true. It will last a long time on my car even in Florida when it goes without rain. But first rain does cause it to streak.


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