We repair tyres at the car when the damage allows it, and fit a new tyre when it does not, from one base at Brent Cross, NW2 1LX. Urgent jobs are fitted in only when the diary allows.
Handsworth is about 97 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.
If the tyre failed on a busy main road, such as the A41 Soho Road, move off it to a side street only if you can do so slowly and safely. If the car cannot be moved, put the hazard lights on and wait away from the traffic.
The M5 is close by at junction 1. On a motorway, leave at the next exit if you can. If you have to stop, pull into an emergency area or onto the hard shoulder, get out by the left-hand doors and wait behind the barrier. Call your breakdown provider, or 999 if anyone is in danger; in an emergency area, use the SOS phone to reach National Highways. 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. We can help only once the car has been recovered to somewhere safe.
When a tyre lets you down without warning, the first question is whether it can be repaired. A puncture in the central part of the tread, no wider than 6 mm, can usually be repaired; damage on the sidewall or shoulder cannot. Urgent jobs are fitted into the diary if it allows. We give you an arrival time when you call.
At the car, the fitter takes the tyre off the wheel, checks the inside and repairs it from the inside with a combined plug and patch. If it cannot be repaired safely, it needs a new tyre: common sizes are often on the van; other sizes are sourced for the job. Our main puncture repair page, linked below, explains the standard.
Have these ready when you call:
Whether a run-flat can be repaired depends on the tyre maker's guidance and on how far it was driven without air; if there is any doubt, it is replaced rather than repaired. Run-flats are not always on the van, so tell us on the call if the car has them and we will say whether the tyre has to be sourced.
The price depends on the tyre size, the brand and the job, and we confirm it on the call before anyone sets off.
We work evenings, nights, weekends and bank holidays when the diary allows, at the same price as a weekday job.
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.
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:
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 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!”
“Faultless experience. Great communication, attitude and service.”
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.
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.
Tyre repair vs replacement: which do you need?
Should you repair a damaged tyre or replace it? Here's how to decide, based on UK safety standards, the repair zone rules, and the real cost difference.
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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.
Send a photo of the tread and where the car is; the damage is checked before anything is decided. The price is given on the call.
