'I Gotta Make A Living:' Tire Shop Worker Filmed Seemingly Painting Old Tires Black. Why’s He Doing That?

"Wait till you find out all tire shops do this."

Painted Tires

Photo by: Unsplash.com

Steve Ecker

By: Steve Ecker

Sep 17, 2025 at 1:00pm ET

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A woman believes a tire shop is spray painting used tires black to make them appear new.

In a TikTok that’s generated over 197,200 views as of this writing, Martin (@martin_extraordinaire) reshares a viral Instagram Reel of a woman revealing a tire shop owner seemingly painting used tires.

“I went to buy two new tires and caught him spray painting the tires black,” she captions her video.

In the video, the tire shop owner is seen spraying the tires with a substance that appears to make the tires glossy black, so they appear cleaner and shinier.

The woman believed the tire shop owner was spray painting the tires black. However, some commenters believed otherwise.

“It’s tire shine people. Same as when you wash your car....Come on folks,” one TikTok commenter said.

“Not paint, tire dressing to make black and shiny,” another added.

“It’s a milky gloss I used to work at a tire shop and I loved doing that. Make them look better because they are full of dirt. It’s not paint,” a third replied.

What is Tire Shine?

Tire shine is used to give tires a glossy wet appearance and protect them from harsh elements, Avalon King reports. This product is essential in car detailing and can also be referred to as tire dressing.

Tire shine will enhance the overall appearance of the tire by restoring the dark black color, making it appear new again. In addition to enhancing the color appearance, the gloss layer can protect against fading, cracking, and aging caused by sun exposure and other elements.

According to AutoManiacs, tire shine nourishes and shields your tires without buildup, similar to the way conditioner does for hair.

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What To Look For When Buying Used Tires?

Appearance isn’t the only thing to consider when buying used tires. According to Tire Agent, here are the things to look out for:

Locate the Date Code: The date code will be on the sidewall of the tire. Tires do have an expiration date, which is typically six to 10 years after manufacture. After six years of regular use, tires will begin to dry and break down, Murray’s Tires reports.
Look For Cracks On the Side Wall: Avoid buying any tires with cracks in the rubber. To reveal cracks, gently apply pressure anywhere along the tire and check whether any changes occur when pressure is applied.
Check the Seams and For Patching: Tires that have any bubbles, splitting seams, patches, or plugs may not hold air as well, Murray’s Tires shares. Damage in this manner can increase the risk of tire blowouts.
Check the Tread Depth: This can be done with the penny test. To do this, use a penny face down and insert it into the tire. If you can see the top of Lincoln’s head, then you should get new tires. This is because the distance between Abe’s head and the penny is about 2/32nds of an inch, and if you can see his head, it’s less than 2/32nds, Firestone Tire shares. New tires will begin around 10/32nd of an inch or 11/32nd of an inch of tread depth, and tires become unsafe once they reach 2/32nds of an inch, Progressive reports.

Motor1 has contacted Martin via TikTok direct message. It contacted the Instagram user who posted the initial video via Instagram direct message. The story will be updated if either party replies.

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