Emergency tyre repair once you are safely off the main road. We repair the tyre if the damage allows it, and fit urgent jobs in when the diary allows. Our only base is at Brent Cross, NW2, about 51 miles away in a straight line. 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 a tyre fails and the car can still be driven safely, get it off the road into a side road, a lay-by or a car park. A lay-by on a fast road is a place to stop safely, not somewhere we can work; we come to the car once it is on a side street or in a car park. On a busy road or dual carriageway, do not try to change the wheel yourself; call your breakdown cover, or 999 if the car is somewhere dangerous. We never work on the carriageway of a motorway or main road, on a hard shoulder, in a smart motorway emergency area or on a slip road.
Road operator: Birmingham City Council west of M42 J6; National Highways from Tollbar End to M42 J6 and from M1 J16 to Thrapston. For its sections, the National Highways contact centre is on 0300 123 5000; in an emergency, call 999.
The road's junction list and the full Highway Code steps are on its main page, under Related pages below.
Start with where the car stopped. If it is on a driveway, a quiet street or a car park where the owner allows it, leave it there and wait away from the traffic. Do not drive any further on the flat tyre: that can damage it inside so that it can no longer be repaired. If it stopped on a motorway, a slip road or the carriageway of a fast main road, call your breakdown cover: we never work there, and we can help once the car has been moved somewhere safe.
Then the spare. Many newer cars carry a sealant kit instead of a spare. If you have used sealant, tell us on the call, because the fitter needs to know before taking the tyre off.
If the tyre cannot be repaired, we fit a new one at the car instead. A photo of the damage on WhatsApp and the size from the sidewall help us tell you on the call which is more likely. Urgent jobs are fitted into the diary when it allows.
When the car is parked somewhere safe and legal, such as a side street near the exit or a car park where the owner allows it, we can come to it. Tell us which junction you left at and where the car is now.
| Road | A45 Northampton to Thrapston and Coventry to Birmingham |
|---|---|
| Operator | Birmingham City Council west of M42 J6; National Highways from Tollbar End to M42 J6 and from M1 J16 to Thrapston |
At its nearest measured point, the A45 is about 51 miles in a straight line from our only base at Brent Cross, NW2. We have no base or van stationed nearby. If the car is unsafe where it is, your breakdown cover may reach you sooner.
The accepted way to repair a puncture is a combined patch and plug fitted from inside the tyre, rather than a string plug pushed in from outside. That means taking the tyre off the rim, which also lets the inner liner be checked for damage from running low.
BS AU 159 is the British Standard for repairing car and van tyres. For car tyres it allows a repair only in the central part of the tread, known as the minor repair area, and only for damage up to 6 mm across. How wide that area is depends on the tyre.
Anything in the outer shoulder or the sidewall is outside the repair zone, because those parts flex too much for a patch to hold. Two repairs too close together, or an earlier poor repair, also rule a repair out.
If you can see a nail or screw in the tread, leave it where it is. It is often partly sealing the hole, and pulling it out can turn a slow leak into a flat.
Take a photo of where it sits and send it on WhatsApp. Its position across the tread says a lot about whether a repair is likely.
Nobody can promise a repair over the phone. The decision is made with the tyre off the rim, against the limits in the standard and the tyre maker's own guidance.
If the damage rules out a repair, you are told why before anything else is done. Common sizes are often on the van; other sizes are sourced for the job.
Call or WhatsApp with where the car is, the registration and the tyre size from the sidewall. A photo of the tread where the damage is helps judge whether a repair is possible.
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.
“Had two tyres replaced and was really impressed. Friendly and efficient, job completed quickly. Highly recommend!”
“Good and reliable service in all conditions.”
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 given on the call. 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Tyre valve problems and replacement
A faulty valve can leak air just like a puncture. Here's how to spot a bad tyre valve, why to replace it with every new tyre, and how TPMS valves differ.
How much does puncture repair cost in the UK?
What a proper UK puncture repair includes, what changes the price, the BS AU 159 limits, and when a new tyre is better value than a repair.
Send a photo of the tread and where the car is; the damage is checked before anything is decided.
