Where we can do this
Where the car stopped decides what happens next: on a driveway, a quiet street or a car park where the owner allows it, the fitter can work beside it on firm, level ground; on a fast road it has to be moved first.
Emergency tyre repair in Letchworth
Letchworth is about 28 miles in a straight line from our only base at Brent Cross, NW2. We give you an arrival time when you call.
Urgent repair
A tyre repair that cannot wait, done where the car is parked
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 on the flat tyre, even slowly, because 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. If the car has a spare wheel or a space saver and you can change it safely, that may get you moving, but a space saver is only for a short distance at the reduced speed marked on it, so the damaged tyre still has to be dealt with. 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. Common sizes are often on the van; other sizes are sourced for the job. We say on the call which applies before anyone sets off. Urgent jobs are fitted into the diary when it allows.
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
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.
What to have ready
Before you call
Have these ready when you call:
- Where the car is, and whether it is off the road somewhere safe
- Whether you have a spare or space saver, and whether sealant has been used
- The tyre size from the sidewall, if you can read it
- Whether the car has locking wheel nuts, and where the key is
- A photo of the damage on WhatsApp, if you can send one
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.
- 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.
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
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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.
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Agree what happens next
You hear what the job involves and the options for your car. Nothing is booked until you say yes.
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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.
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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.
Neighbourhoods and villages
- Norton
- Wilbury
- Jackmans
- The Grange
- Lordship
- Manor Park
- Westbury
- Pixmore
- Baldock
- Westbury Estate
- Phoenix Park Estate
- Jackmans Estate
- The Grange Estate
Postcode districts
- SG6
Main roads
- A1
- A505
- A6141
Landmarks
- Broadway Gardens
- the Spirella Building
- Standalone Farm
- Norton Common
- Blackhorse Road industrial area
The same service in nearby towns
Questions
Questions and answers
Can the fitter work in a hospital, station or retail park car park?
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:
- Letchworth Garden City station
- Garden Square shopping centre
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 a tyre with sealant in it be repaired?
Sometimes, but not always, as some sealants leave the inside of the tyre unfit for a repair.
What if the tyre needs replacing rather than repairing?
You are told before anything else is done, with the reason and the options for a new tyre in your size. Nothing changes until you agree.
Can you fit tyres at my workplace?
Yes, if the site is happy for the work to be done there and there is room around the wheel. Tell us the address and where the car is parked on site.
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.
Is a plug pushed in from outside a proper repair?
Not as a permanent repair. The British Standard for tyre repairs, BS AU 159, expects the tyre to come off the rim so the inside can be checked as well.
Helpful guides
Tyre advice worth reading
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.
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.
All tyre help here
Every tyre service, done at the car
Call or WhatsApp us
Tell us where the car is
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.