- If the car can still be driven safely, leave at the next junction, or pull into Hopwood Park services at J2 or Tamworth services at J10.
- Otherwise stop on the hard shoulder, or in an emergency area where there is one, as far to the left as you can, with the hazard lights and sidelights on.
- Get everyone out by the left-hand doors and wait behind the barrier, well away from the traffic; if you cannot get out safely, stay in with seat belts on and call 999.
- Do not try to change the wheel at the roadside, and do not put a warning triangle out on a motorway.
Out-of-hours tyre fitting near the M42
We work evenings, nights, weekends and bank holidays when the diary allows, at the same price as a weekday job. This motorway is far from us: its nearest point, junction 3a where it meets the M40, is about 86 miles in a straight line from our only base at Brent Cross, NW2 1LX, and we have no van stationed in the West Midlands. Once the car is safely off the road, call. Call and we will tell you straight away whether we can take the job; if we can, the arrival time is given on the call.
Staying safe
Stopping safely after dark
National Highways runs the motorway and takes breakdown and incident calls on 0300 123 5000. These steps follow Highway Code rules 274 to 287, and we never work on the carriageway, the hard shoulder or a slip road.
On the road
Junctions and how far they are from us
Road miles are longer than these straight-line figures. Some junctions only link to another motorway, so follow the signs to a junction with a local exit.
| Junction | Serves | From Brent Cross |
|---|---|---|
| J1 | A38 Bromsgrove, Lickey End | about 94 miles |
| J2 | A441 Redditch, Alvechurch, Hopwood Park services | about 91 miles |
| J3 | A435 Redditch, Alcester, Birmingham south via Wythall | about 89 miles |
| J3a | M40 J16 for London and Oxford | about 86 miles |
| J4 | A34 Shirley, Monkspath, Stratford-upon-Avon | about 87 miles |
| J5 | A41 Solihull, Knowle, Warwick | about 86 miles |
| J6 | A45 Birmingham Airport, NEC, Coventry | about 87 miles |
| J7 | M6 J4 for Birmingham and the north, Coleshill | about 88 miles |
| J7a | M6 Toll link | about 90 miles |
| J8 | M6 J4a for Coventry and the south | about 91 miles |
| J9 | A446 Coleshill, Lichfield, A4097 Kingsbury, Curdworth | about 92 miles |
| J10 | A5 Tamworth, Nuneaton, Tamworth services | about 93 miles |
| J11 | A444 Burton upon Trent, Twycross; the road continues north as the A42 | about 95 miles |
Before you call
What to tell us late in the day
Suppliers may be closed late at night or on a bank holiday, so if your size has to be ordered, we tell you on the call and you can decide what to do next.
- The junction you left by and the street, car park or address where the car is now.
- The tyre size printed on the sidewall, for example 205/55 R16 91V.
- Whether the car has locking wheel nuts, and where the key is.
- Whether you have used a sealant kit, because the fitter needs to know before taking the tyre off.
Tyre help
Service areas and private ground
Hopwood Park services (Welcome Break) at J2 and Tamworth services (Moto) at J10 are safe places to stop, but they are private ground, so we can only work there with the operator's permission. A side street off the junction, your home or workplace, or a car park whose owner agrees are the other places we can work.
At this distance, and especially at night, your breakdown cover may reach you sooner than a van from north London. If you would rather have the tyre dealt with where the car is parked, call anyway: we say straight away whether we can take the job, and the price is given before anyone sets off.
Out of hours
Tyre trouble in the evening or at the weekend
Call to check what can be done; evening and weekend jobs are fitted around the work already booked.
A flat found at home or at work
A flat found on the drive or outside the house can stay where it is, as long as the car is legally parked. There is no need to move it to a garage.
At work or in a hospital or shift car park, check that the site is happy for a tyre to be fitted in its bays.
What the price depends on
The price depends on the tyre and the work, not on the clock. The price is the same at any hour.
The price is given on the call.
Light, space and firm ground
A well-lit spot on firm, level ground makes the job safer for everyone. Room on the side of the flat tyre lets the jack go in properly.
If the car is boxed in or in a tight bay, say so on the call so the fitter can plan around it.
What an out-of-hours job includes
- The same repair-or-replace check as at any other time
- A new tyre fitted when the damage rules out a repair
- A lit, legal spot to work in, agreed on the call
Staying safe
Staying safe until the job is done
While you wait for the fitter
- Stop somewhere off the main flow of traffic, switch on the hazard lights and, if you have one, put on a high-visibility vest.
- Get everyone out on the side away from the traffic and wait behind a barrier, on a pavement or well back from the road.
- If the tyre may still be repairable, say so before using a sealant can, and leave any nail or screw where it is.
- Keep your phone on and charged, and tell us about anything that makes the spot hard to find.
What to tell us from the roadside
- Which road you were on and the direction you were travelling
- The last junction you passed, or the number on a driver location sign if you can read one safely
- Where the car is now: the exit, the side street or the car park it was moved to
- The tyre size from the sidewall, and whether the car has locking wheel nuts
Step by step
Calling us once the car is safe
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Tell us what happened
Call or WhatsApp with where the car is, the registration and the tyre size from the sidewall.
→
Agree what happens next
You hear what the job involves and the options for your car. Nothing is booked until you say yes.
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Work at the car
The fitter comes to your home, your workplace or a safe place to park, raises the car on a jack and does the job beside it.
Checked before the fitter leaves
Before the fitter leaves, the wheel is checked for security and the tyre pressure is set to the maker's figure.
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“Had two tyres replaced and was really impressed. Friendly and efficient, job completed quickly. Highly recommend!”
PNPegah NourmandGoogle review
★★★★★
“Faultless experience. Great communication, attitude and service.”
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Questions
Questions drivers ask
Do you charge more at night or at the weekend?
No. It depends on the job and the tyre, and we confirm it on the call.
Will someone always come out late at night?
Not always. It depends on the diary and on how far the car is from our base, and this motorway is a long way from it. We tell you on the call whether we can take the job.
Will someone always pick up the phone?
We cannot promise that the phone is answered at every hour. If you cannot get through and the car is somewhere unsafe, call your breakdown cover.
Is a tyre job at night done any differently?
No. The checks are the same as in the day, but the fitter needs a lit, legal spot away from passing traffic to work safely.
What if the tyre needs replacing rather than repairing?
You are told before anything else is done, with the reason and the options for a new tyre in your size. Nothing changes until you agree.
Are you insured?
Yes. Rescue Tyres is fully insured, has fitted more than 2,000 tyres and is a UK registered company.
Can you work on the street outside my house?
Yes, if it is legal to park there and the car is not blocking traffic. A quiet residential street is usually fine; a busy main road or a red route is not.
Can a damaged tyre get me to the next exit?
If the car is controllable and the tyre is only losing air, driving slowly to the exit is usually safer than stopping beside fast traffic. A tyre that has burst or is flapping loose is different: stop as soon as it is safe.
What if I stop on a smart motorway?
Use an emergency area if you can reach one; they are marked with blue signs and an orange SOS phone. If the car stops in a live lane and getting out is not safe, everyone stays belted in with the hazard lights on while you dial 999.
Pricing
How the price is worked out
There is no fixed figure that suits every car, so the price is built from a few things and told to you before you decide.
Asking for a price does not commit you to anything.
When you compare prices, compare like with like: the same brand and pattern, the same load index and speed rating, and whether balancing and a new valve are part of the job.
What goes into the price
- The tyre itself: size, load index, speed rating and whether it is a run-flat
- The tier you choose: budget, mid-range or premium
- The work: a repair, one new tyre or several, and any locking nut removal
- The location of the car
Tyres and the law
Tread depth, tyre age and the law
The legal tread limit
Cars and light vans need at least 1.6 mm of tread across the central three-quarters of the tyre, around the whole circumference.
For a car, each illegal tyre can bring a fine of up to £2,500 and three penalty points; the maximum fine for a van is higher.
The 20p test
Push a 20p coin into the main grooves at several points around the tyre. If the outer band of the coin is visible, the tread may be close to the limit and should be measured properly.
Other defects that make a tyre illegal
A tyre is also illegal with a cut longer than 25 mm or a tenth of its section width, whichever is greater, that reaches the ply or cord, a lump or bulge, exposed cords, or the wrong size or type for the car.
How old is your tyre?
The last four digits of the DOT code on the sidewall give the week and year of manufacture, so 2319 means the 23rd week of 2019.
Rubber hardens and cracks with age even on a tyre that has done few miles, and many tyre makers advise replacing any tyre ten years old or more.
Helpful guides
Tyre advice worth reading
Tyre fitting at the office: how it works
Get your tyres fitted while you're at work. Here's how workplace mobile tyre fitting works, what we need from you, and why it saves you the most time.
What to keep in the car for a tyre emergency
Most cars carry the wrong things for a puncture. Here is the short list that helps at the roadside, and what to check you have now.
Night driving safety and your tyres
At night you spot hazards later, so grip matters more than ever. Here's how to drive safely after dark and why healthy tyres are your safety net.
Call to check we can take the job
Tell us where the car is
Call to check what the diary allows this evening or this weekend.