Kettering is about 61 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.
A flat tyre is not always a simple puncture. The cause can be a nail or screw, a damaged valve, a leak where the tyre meets the rim, or a bent wheel. Do not drive on a flat tyre: a short distance can ruin the sidewall and turn a repairable puncture into a replacement. Leave the car where it is, if it is safe and legal, and we come to it.
The fitter finds the cause, then repairs the tyre if the damage allows it, or fits a new tyre if not. A space saver spare can get you home, but only for a short distance at the reduced speed the handbook gives. Our main flat tyre page, linked below, has more detail.
Have these ready when you call:
We need firm, level ground with room to work beside the car: a driveway, a legal parking space on a quiet street, or a car park where the owner allows it. Supermarket, retail park and station car parks are private ground, so the owner's permission comes first.
If the car is on a busy main road, it needs to be moved to a side street or private ground before the fitter can work on it; tell us exactly where it is when you call. 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.
| What | Detail |
|---|---|
| Main roads | A14 (junctions 7 to 10), A43, A509, A6, A6003 |
| Private ground (permission needed) | Newlands Shopping Centre, Telford Way industrial estate, Pytchley Lodge industrial estate |
| Areas | Barton Seagrave, Burton Latimer, Rothwell, Ise Lodge, Brambleside, Pipers Hill, Geddington |
Only change a wheel yourself if the car is on firm, level ground well away from moving traffic. If the car is beside a fast road, leave the wheel alone.
If the spot is safe:
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. Say whether there is a usable spare.
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.
“A pleasure having them come down and save me. Big shout out to Hiwad, really responsive, recommend him to anybody.”
“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.
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. Places of this kind in this area include:
Is it safe to drive on a flat tyre?
Driving on a flat tyre is dangerous and can wreck your wheel. Here's what happens, what to do instead, and how far you can safely go (almost nowhere).
School-run flat tyre: what to do
A flat tyre on the school run throws the whole day. Here's the safe way to handle it without changing a wheel in the road with kids in the car.
Spare wheel maintenance and checks
The spare is the most forgotten tyre on the car, and often flat when you need it. Here's how to check and look after your spare, plus space-saver rules.
Stay safe, keep off the flat tyre and tell us where the car is. The price is given on the call.
