For an emergency repair in the borough, the car needs to be off the A3 and somewhere the fitter can park beside it, such as a drive or a residential street in Surbiton, Tolworth or New Malden.
Kingston upon Thames is about 12 miles in a straight line from our only base at Brent Cross, NW2. We give you an arrival time when you call.
The A3 Kingston bypass runs through the area as a red route. We cannot stop or work on a red route; the car needs to be on a side street or private ground first. If you can leave at the next junction without risk, do; if not, call your breakdown provider to move the car.
The A307 Portsmouth Road, the A240 Ewell Road, the A243 Hook Road and the A308 over the bridge are busy main roads as well, so turn off into a residential street before the fitter is called out.
Kingston Hospital, the university and the Bentall Centre have private car parks. We can only work in one with the permission of whoever runs it, so check with them first and tell us which car park and which level or bay the car is in. The Wyvern, Rainbow and St George's industrial estates are private in the same way.
If the car is in a controlled parking zone permit bay, tell us so the fitter can park legally beside it.
The area is inside the London-wide Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ), in force since 29 August 2023: a charge for driving a vehicle that does not meet its emission standards, not for a parked car.
| What | Detail |
|---|---|
| Postcode districts | KT1, KT2, KT3, KT5, KT6, KT9 |
| Areas | Surbiton, New Malden, Chessington, Norbiton, Tolworth, Berrylands, Hook, Coombe, Old Malden |
| Stations | Surbiton, Berrylands, Norbiton, New Malden, Malden Manor, Chessington North, Chessington South |
| Distance from our base | About 12 miles (straight line) |
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.
“I urgently needed to replace my tyres and the team were prompt, friendly and efficient at a great price.”
“Arrived and was very kind and polite. Reassured me about changing the tyres and was quick and attentive straight away.”
“Fast and reliable.”
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.
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:
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Don't pull it out, it may be sealing the hole. Here's the safe way to handle it and whether it can be repaired.
Send a photo of the tread and where the car is; the damage is checked before anything is decided. Tell us what has happened and the make and model of the vehicle. The price is given on the call.
