07473 720871

WhatsApp usBook online

Emergency tyre repair near the M1

Emergency tyre repair once you are safely off the motorway. 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 0.1 miles to about 70 miles away depending on where you are on the road.

07473 720871 Book online
5.0173 Google reviewsPuncture repairs where the damage allows it2,000+ tyres fittedFully insuredSame price at any hourUK registered company
Safety first

Safety first

If a tyre fails on a motorway, leave at the next exit or pull into a service area if the car can still be driven safely. If you have to stop, use the hard shoulder or an emergency area, get everyone out by the left-hand doors, wait behind the barrier and do not try a repair yourself. If you are stuck in a live lane, stay in the car with your seat belt on and call 999. 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.

National Highways runs this road. Its 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.

What happens

How emergency tyre repair works

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.

Before you call

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.

  • Whether the car has locking wheel nuts, and where the key is

On this road

RoadM1 (London to the Catthorpe Interchange)
OperatorNational Highways
Service areasLondon Gateway services, Toddington services, Newport Pagnell services, Northampton services (Rothersthorpe), Watford Gap services

Measured at points on the road itself, the M1 runs from about 0.1 miles to about 70 miles in a straight line from our only base at Brent Cross, NW2. 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.

Puncture repair

How a puncture is judged and repaired

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.

What BS AU 159 allows

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.

Slow punctures and valve leaks

A tyre that needs air every week or two has a slow leak. The cause can be a small object in the tread, a leaking valve or valve core, or a poor seal where the tyre meets a corroded rim.

A slow leak still needs finding and fixing, because a tyre run underinflated wears faster, runs hotter and can fail at speed.

Repair or replace: how the decision is made

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.

What a puncture repair includes

  • Tyre taken off the rim and inspected inside
  • Repair considered only for small holes in the central tread area
  • Wheel balanced and pressure set after the repair
  • A plain answer if the tyre needs replacing instead
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.

What to tell us from the roadside

  • Which road you were on and the direction you were travelling
  • The last junction you passed, or the number on a driver location sign if you can read one safely
  • Where the car is now: the exit, the side street or the car park it was moved to
  • The tyre size from the sidewall, and whether the car has locking wheel nuts
Step by step

Calling us once the car is safe

→

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.

Google reviews

What customers say

Rated 5.0 out of 5 from 173 Google reviews. Read more reviews

“Had two tyres replaced and was really impressed. Friendly and efficient, job completed quickly. Highly recommend!”

PNPegah NourmandGoogle review

“Faultless experience. Great communication, attitude and service.”

BCBen CorrieGoogle review
Questions

Questions drivers ask

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.
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.
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.
Can a puncture in the sidewall be repaired?
No. The sidewall flexes as the tyre turns, so damage there always means a new tyre.
Do you charge more in the evening or at the weekend?
We work evenings, nights, weekends and bank holidays when the diary allows, at the same price as a weekday job.
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.
Can a damaged tyre get me to the next exit?
If the car is controllable and the tyre is only losing air, driving slowly to the exit is usually safer than stopping beside fast traffic. A tyre that has burst or is flapping loose is different: stop as soon as it is safe.
Is it safe to change a wheel on the hard shoulder?
No. The advice in the Highway Code is to keep well away from the vehicle and the traffic and not to attempt any repairs there.
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 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.

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
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.

Helpful guides

Tyre advice worth reading

Tyre sealant: good idea or bad idea?

Tyre sealant can get you moving after a puncture, but it has real downsides. Here's when to use it, when to avoid it, and why it isn't a proper repair.

Call to check we can take the job

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.

Call 07473 720871 WhatsApp us Book online
Call now Chat now