A tyre that has gone down on a drive off the Outer Circle, or in a side road near the Warwick Road shops, can be repaired where it stands, but only if a van can get there.
Acocks Green is about 91 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.
On a trip this long a precise location matters. Give us the side road and house number or business name, the nearest station, and whether the car is on a drive, at the kerb or inside a gated yard.
What the job includes
A plain answer on the call about whether we can take the job
The tyre checked from the inside before anything is decided
A repair from the inside when the damage allows it
A replacement tyre when it does not, with the reason explained
Pressures set and wheel nuts tightened before the fitter leaves
Both are main roads, and a car that stops on either has to be moved into a side road before a wheel comes off, if it can be moved without risk. 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.
A residential street where you can park legally beside the car, or your own drive, gives the fitter room to jack the car and lift the wheel clear. The trading estates in the table and the car parks at the shops belong to someone, so ask the site or the operator before we set off. Supermarket, retail park and station car parks are private ground, so the owner's permission comes first.
The city's Clean Air Zone covers the roads inside the A4540 Middleway ring road and has charged since 1 June 2021. It is a charge for driving a non-compliant vehicle in the zone, not for a parked car.
Staying safe
Waiting for a van from north London, or calling someone nearer
Be realistic about the trip. If the car is parked at home and can stay there, a confirmed visit from us may suit you; we run more than one van, and if one is already out this way we will tell you. If the car is blocking a road, or you need it moving soon, a breakdown service or a fitter based in Birmingham is likely to be the better call, and we would rather say so than keep you hanging on.
Urgent jobs
How an urgent job is fitted in
An urgent job is fitted into the day's work when the diary allows. We run more than one van, and if one is already working nearby that can help, but we never promise a slot we cannot keep.
On the call we tell you honestly whether we can take the job and, if we can, when to expect the fitter. If we cannot, we say so at once so you can make other plans, such as calling your breakdown cover.
The more you can tell us, the easier the job is to plan: the tyre size, where the damage is, a photo on WhatsApp and exactly where the car is.
Related help
Not quite your situation?
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.
Tyre failure on a motorway
If the car can still be driven safely, carry on to the next exit or services and stop away from traffic before you call.
If you cannot leave, use an emergency area or the hard shoulder, stop well to the left and, if it is safe to, get out on the side away from the traffic.
Wait behind the barrier, not in the car. Rule 277 of the Highway Code says not to attempt any repairs on your vehicle on a motorway.
Call 999 if you are in danger or stuck in a live lane. Otherwise National Highways can be reached on 0300 123 5000.
Repair or replace
Repair or replace: how the decision is made
Most punctures from a nail or screw in the middle of the tread can be repaired. The decision is made with the tyre off the wheel, because the outside of a tyre does not show everything. BS AU 159, the British Standard for car tyre repairs, sets out which damage can be repaired and how the repair must be done.
The shoulder and the sidewall are never repaired. They flex with every turn of the wheel, and the sidewall has no steel belt behind it for a repair to hold against, so a patch there can let go without warning.
A tyre that has been driven while flat is the other common reason. Even a short distance on a flat tyre can crush the inner wall, and that damage is often invisible until the tyre is off the rim.
The tyre is replaced rather than repaired when:
The damage is in the shoulder or the sidewall
The hole is wider than 6 mm, or it is a cut rather than a hole
The inner wall shows damage from running flat
A new repair would overlap an earlier one
The tread is already at or below the legal minimum of 1.6 mm
The tyre has a bulge, a split or exposed cords
Step by step
From your call to the finished job
→
Tell us what happened
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.
→
Agree what happens next
You hear what the job involves and the options for your car. Nothing is booked until you say yes.
→
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.
“From start to finish, Hiwad was incredibly professional and helpful.”
KMKian MGoogle review
★★★★★
“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!”
DFDavid FordhamGoogle review
★★★★★
“A pleasure having them come down and save me. Big shout out to Hiwad, really responsive, recommend him to anybody.”
AMAdam MorrisGoogle review
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.
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.
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.
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
Around the area
Neighbourhoods, roads and nearby towns
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.
They are on the same side of the city, so the same applies: ring with the address and we will say whether the trip can be made.
Can the fitter work in a hospital, station or retail park car park?
Yes, if the site allows it. Places of this kind in this area include:
Acocks Green station
Olton station
Can a tyre be repaired more than once?
Sometimes. Two repairs must not overlap or sit too close together, so where the earlier repair is matters.
Should I pull the nail out?
No. Leave it in, as it is often partly sealing the hole. Send a photo of where it sits instead.
My tyre keeps losing air slowly. Is it a puncture?
It may be, or it may be the valve or the seal between the tyre and the rim; the tyre has to come off to tell which.
Is a puncture repair permanent?
A repair that meets BS AU 159 is treated as permanent, so the tyre can stay on the car for the rest of its legal tread life.
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 I bring the car to you instead?
No. Rescue Tyres is fully mobile and works from one base at Brent Cross, NW2, which is not open to walk-in customers. The fitter comes to the car.
Are you insured?
Yes. Rescue Tyres is fully insured, has fitted more than 2,000 tyres and is a UK registered company.
Do you bring the tyre with you?
Common sizes are often on the van; other sizes are sourced for the job. Send the size from the sidewall when you call so the right tyre can be found.
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.
Not every puncture means a new tyre. Learn which punctures are safely repairable under the UK standard (BS AU 159) and which ones always need replacement.