Leave the A40 bypass at the next exit if the car can be driven slowly. A burst tyre cannot be patched once the casing has split, so the fitter brings a new one to a side street, drive or permitted car park and fits it there.
Witney is about 56 miles in a straight line from our only base at Brent Cross, NW2 (further by road). We have no base or van stationed nearby. 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. If the car is unsafe where it is, your breakdown cover may reach you sooner.
No. Repairs cover holes up to 6 mm in the central tread area, checked from the inside. A blowout tears the casing or the sidewall, which is outside any repair, so the answer to a patch or roadside repair is a new tyre.
On the A40 Witney bypass, leave at the next exit if the car can still be driven slowly. If it cannot, stop, put the hazard lights on, get out on the side away from the traffic if it is safe to, and wait behind a barrier. If the car is stuck in a live lane and you cannot get out of it safely, call 999.
We never fit a tyre on a carriageway or a slip road. Once the car is off the main road, on a side street, a drive or in a car park whose owner allows the work, the fitter can work beside it.
If the car is in a shopping centre car park such as Marriotts Walk or the Woolgate Centre, the operator's permission is needed before a tyre can be fitted there. Tell us which car park and which part of it when you call.
The rules on tyre condition are in the Road Vehicles (Construction and Use) Regulations 1986. They apply to every tyre fitted to the car's wheels, and a damaged tyre carries the same penalty as a bald one: for a car, a fine of up to £2,500 and three penalty points can be given for each tyre.
A car tyre is not legal to use when it has:
Potholes and kerbs do much of this damage. A hard knock can break the cords inside the sidewall without marking the outside, and the bulge may only show days later, so it is worth looking at a tyre again after any heavy impact.
Call or WhatsApp with where the car is, the registration and the tyre size from the sidewall. A photo of the damage helps find the right replacement.
You hear what the job involves and the options for your car. Nothing is booked until you say yes.
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.
Before the fitter leaves, the wheel is checked for security and the tyre pressure is set to the maker's figure.
The replacement has to be the size the car is built for, with a load index and speed rating at least as high as the maker specifies. All of it is printed on the sidewall of the old tyre, and most cars also have a sticker inside the driver's door or the fuel flap.
Tyres on the same axle should match: the same size and type, ideally the same model, so the car brakes and corners evenly. If the tyre on the other side of the axle is badly worn, it is worth replacing the pair, and we tell you what we find while the car is up.
Four-wheel-drive cars are more sensitive. Some makers ask for all four tyres to be close in tread depth to protect the transmission, so tell us on the call if the car is four-wheel drive.
“Good communication, excellent work and takes the initiative. Happy to go the extra mile, highly recommended if you're in a tyre-related bit of bother!”
“From start to finish, Hiwad was incredibly professional and helpful.”
“Faultless experience. Great communication, attitude and service.”
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.
The price is the same at any hour. 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.
These are the neighbourhoods, postcode districts and main roads on record for this area. Whether we can take a particular job depends on the diary and the distance from our base, so the call always decides.
Yes, if the site allows it. Supermarket, retail park and station car parks are private ground, so the owner's permission comes first. Places of this kind in this area include:
Pothole damaged your tyre? How to claim
Potholes wreck tyres and wheels. Here's how to claim for the damage in the UK, who's responsible for the road, and exactly what evidence you need.
A blowout at speed is frightening but survivable if you react correctly. Here's exactly what to do, why braking is dangerous, and how to prevent the next one.
You don't always need four new tyres. Here's when you can replace just one, when you should do a pair, and when all-wheel-drive means replacing all four.
Get the car somewhere safe, send a photo of the damage and the size, and the new tyre comes to the car. The price is given on the call.
