Turtle Wax Wet ‘n Black Trim and Tyre Dressing Review

The Turtle Wax Wet ‘n Black Trim and Tyre dressing is a good budget option in the market right now. I was impressed by the ease of use from the product and found that it also had a reasonable amount of longevity.

In terms of aesthetics, it’s, without doubt, a wet look tyre dressing. In fact, it’s one of the darkest that I’ve tested. These are plus and minus points for this, but in the end, it comes down to personal preference. 

It took a long time for the product to dry and this means that unless you wait, you will get some sling. You need to make sure you buff as much as possible off before you drive away to avoid this. 

Overall, Turtle Wax Wet ‘n Black Trim and Tyre performed well but is limited compared to the best tyre dressings. 

Prepmycar Rating: 7.1 / 10

Turtle Wax 53144 Wet & Black Car Trim & Tyre Gel All In One 300ml

Turtle Wax 53144 Wet N Black Trim & Tyre Gel All In One Treatment 300Ml

  • 7.5 Application/ Ease of Use
  • Aesthetics
  • 7.5 Water Repellant Features
  • 7 Longevity
  • 5 Packing and Dispenser
  • 8.5 Value for Money
  • 7.1 OVERALL RATING

Pros

  • Deep wet look. One of the “wettest” that I’ve seen
  • Great value for money
  • Fantastic water-repellent features that up there with more expensive brands
  • Decent amount of longevity, getting around 2 weeks from 2 coats

Cons

  • Lacks in terms of aesthetics for matt or satin
  • Very gungy product and can get away from you when applying

Application, Ease of Use and Process

The consistency of the product is a gel and it’s very runny. It took me a little by surprise how quickly it came out of the bottle, so you need to be on your toes here to not make a mess. 

What the runny consistency of the tyre dressing does is make it very easy to apply. A little goes a long way here and it’s not hard to move around the tyre before you then need to reload your applicator pad.



As with all tyre dressings, you need to be able to apply it to a good base. To get your tyre as clean as possible, use a product like Bilt Hamber Surfex which is a quality All Purpose Cleaner. This will open the pores of the tyre wall, remove dirt and create a perfect base for your dressing to adhere to.

Once you have the product on your applicator, work it into the tyre. I like to go over this with a few passes to make sure that the product is properly worked in. 

50/50 Shot

As soon as you start to apply you can see that this is a serious wet look finish. Even after buffing off pretty heavily with a microfibre towel, the finish was a deep, dark black. 

I applied two layers for my test which is in keeping with other products, with about 10 minutes of curing between layers. You can probably do more than this, but too be honest, I think you’re likely wasting product here as I could have easily applied just one. 

Given that this is a silicone-based product, it’s very easy to use and I had no issues with it aside from it being a little runnier than I had anticipated. 

Aesthetics After 1st Application

Turtle Wax Wet ‘n Black Trim and Tyre is as wet a finish as you’re going to get. Even after two applications and a good buffing, the product shines brightly. 

For me, it’s quite an unnatural finish. I’m not a huge wet look fan, but then, I know many are and many will love it.



This is going to look great for show cars in my option. You can use this for when you want your car to pop and stand out from the crowd. For everyday use, I think it would look a little too much.

However, this is a personal preference and as I say, if it’s wet you are looking for, this is going to be as good as you will get. You need to leave this to cure for at least an hour though as it will start to shift. 

Water Repellent Rating after 1st Application

I was pleasantly surprised with its water repellent features. It performed well here just an hour after application and as you can see from the pictures, it beads nicely. 

Given its price point, I have to admit that this is probably the best score for any of the “budget” tyre dressings.

Packaging and Dispenser

I don’t know if it’s unfair to say that Turtle Wax is seen as a budget detailing product, but most of their product line is cheaper than the competition. It’s likely because they sell in mass at places like Halfords which allows them to do this.

Either way, their packaging and dispenser are fine, but it’s nothing to write home about. I like that Turtle Wax Wet ‘n Black Trim and Tyre comes in a simplistic clear bottle with their signature green labelling. Some may argue it looks cheap. 



As I stated earlier, the solution is runny and comes out of the bottle quick. This is not any fault of the packaging, but they could have included some sort of pump dispenser to overcome this. It would likely raise the cost, but I think would be a good addition for them. 

Smell

Well, it doesn’t smell of anything at all. It’s neutral, so if you like that sort of thing, you will like this. 

I always think it’s nice to have some sort of scent to it, even if it’s a faint chemical scent. There is no logical reason behind this and it makes no difference to how the product works. 

Cost per application

As I stated earlier, I added two coats to all tyres and used about 25ml of product. I felt this was a lot, but you lose some given how runny it is. As much as I tried, it was inevitable.

I paid about £7 ($8.51 USD) for a 300ml bottle, meaning that a cost per application is around the 80p mark. This is incredibly good value for money and one of the cheapest that I’ve tested. 

You could reduce this again by applying just a single coat. Aesthetically I don’t think the product changes much from coat one to coat two, but I think you will see a difference in terms of longevity, which is why I recommend two coats. If you wash your vehicle once a week or more, you could get away with one coat. 

Tyre Sling

I did have a couple of issues with tyre sling, even though Turtle Wax state that this product will not sling. However, I’ve been quickly and easily able to overcome this and it was all down to the cure time.

You see, once you apply it, the product has a wet look about it, but a lot of the time it’s still wet. To overcome this, I increased my curing time from around 15 minutes once I’d fully finished to around 3 hours. 



This may seem like a lot, but from my tests, I got close to zero tyre sling once I had allowed it to cure properly. It’s worth noting that I think this is likely the case with most tyre dressings and not just Turtle Wax Wet ‘n Black Trim and Tyre. 

Can it be Used for Other Processes?

As the name would suggest, Turtle Wax Wet ‘n Black Trim and Tyre works trim as well as tyres. Again, the application process for this is very similar to the tyre in that you apply, allow to cure and then remove with a microfibre towel.

Also, like with the tyres, you get a very deep black finish with this which can look a little odd if I’m honest. Turtle Wax claim that this is a trim “restorer” but I’d argue that the finish is a little fake. 

It has its place, without doubt, but there are better products for use on your plastics and trims for very little more money. 

Longevity – 1 Week & 250 miles

As with all testing, all I am doing is a power wash and then a light wipe down to remove the majority of the grime.

As you can see, Turtle Wax is still going pretty strong here. It’s lost a little of that deep wet look, but when you compare it to others, it’s still a sheen that only a wet look tyre dressing can replicate.

One thing that I did notice is that a lot of dirt came off with the wipe down following the power wash. This means that it’s not as strong as repelling dirt as some it’s more expensive rivals.

Week 1 Finish
Week 1 Finish

Its water resistance is still pretty good. It’s lost a little of the beading that it initially had, but I have to admit this is still better than I had expected after the first week.



Week 1 Beading

Overall, Turtle Wax Wet and black is still going strong. It’s likely outperforming my initial expectations and you can still see it’s got a wet look finish from the tests. The big test for this will be week 2 and beyond.

FAQ

How do you apply Turtle Wax Wet ‘n Black Trim and Tyre?

Apply a small amount of product to a foam applicator. Work the product into the wheel and then buff off excess with a microfibre towel. Leave to cure for about 10 minutes before applying a second coat and repeat process. Leave for the final cure of at least 1 hour, ideally overnight.

How do you remove Turtle Wax Wet ‘n Black Trim and Tyre?

You can use a degreaser or All Purpose Cleaner like Bilt Hamber Surfex. A good tyre brush will help with this process to remove all traces of the product.

Does Turtle Wax Wet ‘n Black Trim and Tyre offer good value?

Each application works out at around 80p. This is based on 2 coats. If you were washing your car weekly you could get away with one coat, halving your costs to just 40p, making for incredibly good value.

Is Turtle Wax Wet ‘n Black Trim and Tyre silicone based?

Yes, Turtle Wax Wet ‘n Black Trim and Tyre is a silicone-based product. As a result, it has no scent attached and has some decent longevity.

Is Turtle Wax Wet ‘n Black Trim and Tyre any good?

It's not the best tyre dressing that I've tested, but it's far from the worst. In terms of wet look products, it offers one of the best value at around £7 per bottle.

Final Thoughts

Before Application
After Application

Overall I’ve been impressed with the Turtle Wax Wet ‘n Black Trim and Tyre review. I wouldn’t say that I had limited expectations, but I was wary that this is almost half the price of the likes of Geon and CarPro. 

What Turtle Wax Wet ‘n Black Trim and Tyre do well is provide a good wet look tyre dressing for a really good price. It’s small in stature, but the product does what it says on the tin. 



It’s quite an in your face tyre dressing and for me, would be best suited to show cars or tyres that need bringing back to life. On my newer tyres, it was a bit much. 

You need to be careful about drying times and make sure it’s fully cured before you drive off as it will cause tyre sling otherwise. 

It’s incredibly water-resistant and the beading was right up there with the best. 

To surmise, this is tyre dressing that will suit smaller budgets, looking for good wet look tyre dressings. If you are wanting a matt or satin finish, this is not the product for you, but then, the name would suggest that anyway. 

If you enjoyed my Turtle Wax Wet ‘n Black Trim and Tyre review then I’d love for you to join in the discussion on the Prep My Car Facebook Group. 

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