Rescue Tyres fits, repairs and replaces car and van tyres at the car: on a driveway, a side street or a car park where the owner allows it. Bexley is about 18 miles in a straight line from our only base at Brent Cross, NW2. We give you an arrival time when you call. DA5, DA6, DA7, DA8, DA14, DA15: Bexleyheath, Sidcup, Welling, Erith
Puncture, blowout or worn tyres? We come to the car.
The A2, Queen Mary's Hospital and the trading estates
The fitter needs a safe, level spot beside the car with room to jack it up: a driveway, a quiet side street, a parking bay or a car park where the owner allows it. A few places need some care first.
The A2 through the borough is a TfL red route. We cannot stop or work on it, so if a tyre goes on the A2, get off at the next exit and onto a side street or private ground before you call.
If the car is in a permit or pay-and-display bay, tell us, so the fitter can park legally beside it.
Station car parks, supermarket and retail park car parks, hospital car parks such as the one at Queen Mary's Hospital in Sidcup, the Broadway shopping centre car parks in Bexleyheath, and industrial estates such as Crayford Industrial Estate or the Europa Trading Estate near Erith are private ground. Private car parks need the permission of whoever runs them before we can work there.
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.
The other main roads, the A20 Sidcup bypass, the A206 through Belvedere and Erith, the A207 through Welling and Crayford, and the A2016 Eastern Way, carry fast or heavy traffic too. If a tyre goes on one of them, take the car slowly into a side street if it can be moved safely, and tell us where it ended up.
A nail or screw in the main tread can often be repaired. The fitter takes the tyre off the rim and looks at the inside before deciding, because a small hole can hide bigger damage.
Damage in the shoulder or the sidewall, or a tyre that has been driven flat, cannot be repaired safely, and you are told why before anything else is done.
Tyre taken off the rim and inspected inside
Repair considered only for small holes in the central tread area
A burst tyre, a bulge in the sidewall or a deep cut from a kerb or pothole cannot be repaired. The fitter replaces the tyre at the car and checks the wheel while the tyre is off.
Send a photo of the damage and the size on the sidewall so the right replacement can be found.
Damaged tyre removed and the rim checked for bends or cracks
Replacement matched to the size, load index and speed rating
New tyre balanced on the wheel before it goes back on
A vibration through the steering wheel at a steady speed is often a wheel out of balance. Balancing spins the wheel and adds small weights to even it out.
A wheel is balanced each time a new tyre is fitted to it, and it can be done on its own when a weight has come off.
Wheel removed and spun on a balancer
Weights fitted to the rim to even out the balance
Wheel back on with the nuts torqued to the maker's figure
We fit tyres only. We do not sell part-worn tyres and we do not do batteries, brakes or wheel alignment.
Step by step
What happens when you call
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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.
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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.
Worth knowing
Tyre know-how before you call
New tyres
New tyres fitted where the car is parked
Reading the size on your sidewall
The size is the string of figures on the tyre wall, such as 205/55 R16 91V. The first number is the width in millimetres, the second is the sidewall height as a percentage of that width, R means radial construction and the last number is the rim diameter in inches.
The part after the size, 91V in that example, is the load index and speed rating. A replacement should match or exceed both, and the two tyres on one axle should be the same size and pattern.
Budget, mid-range or premium
Tyres fall roughly into three tiers. Premium brands usually stop shorter in the wet and often last longer; budget tyres cost less up front but vary more in quality.
The label on most new car tyres grades wet grip, fuel efficiency and outside noise, which is a fairer guide than the brand name alone. For a car doing high mileage or plenty of motorway driving, look at the wet grip grade first.
Puncture repair
How a puncture is judged and repaired
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.
Local detail
From the riverside towns down to Sidcup
We cover the whole borough, north and south of the A2. In the north that means Erith, Belvedere, Slade Green, Northumberland Heath and the borough's side of Thamesmead and Abbey Wood. Through the middle it takes in Bexleyheath, Welling, Barnehurst and Crayford, and in the south Sidcup, Blackfen, Lamorbey, Foots Cray and the old village by Hall Place.
Parks such as Danson Park, Hall Place and Lesnes Abbey Woods have car parks with their own operators, so check with them before booking a fitter there. If your street is not named anywhere on this page, it is still covered: give us the address or the postcode when you ring.
Where we can work
DA postcodes, roads and stations
From our records of the borough. Distances are straight-line.
What
Detail
Postcode districts
DA5, DA6, DA7, DA8, DA14, DA15, DA16, DA17, DA18, part of DA1
“Had two tyres replaced and was really impressed. Friendly and efficient, job completed quickly. Highly recommend!”
PNPegah NourmandGoogle review
★★★★★
“I called out for a mobile repair. The service was quick and quite reasonably priced. Would recommend.”
AMAjith Das MenonGoogle review
★★★★★
“Amazingly fast, polite and saved my day.”
YOYvonne OphausGoogle review
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.
Sources: the tread and tyre rules are in the Highway Code, annex 6 on GOV.UK; TyreSafe publishes tyre safety advice.
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.
Bexley FAQs
Questions drivers ask
Can you work at Queen Mary's Hospital car park?
Only if the hospital's car park management allows it. It is private ground, so check with them first, then tell us where in the car park the car is when you call.
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:
Bexleyheath Broadway shopping centre
Sidcup station
Erith Riverside Shopping Centre
Bexleyheath station
Which main roads near here can the fitter not work on?
If the car stops on one of the roads below and can still be driven safely, leave at the next exit or turn into a side street, then call:
A2 Rochester Way and East Rochester Way
A20 Sidcup bypass
A206 through Abbey Wood, Belvedere and Erith
A207 Welling, Bexleyheath and Crayford
A2016 Eastern Way and Bronze Age Way
Can I bring the car to you instead?
No. Our base at Brent Cross holds tyres only and is not a walk-in garage. Every fitting and repair is done at the car.
Can you fit tyres at my workplace?
Yes, if the car is parked legally on the street, or in a car park where the owner or site manager allows the work. Tell us where the car is. If the car has locking wheel nuts, have the key ready.
Can I mix tyre brands on my car?
Yes, but keep the same brand and pattern across one axle, so the car brakes and corners evenly.
Should I buy budget or premium tyres?
It depends on the car and how it is used. The tyre label's wet grip grade is a fair way to compare tyres in the same size.
Can a puncture in the sidewall be repaired?
No. The sidewall flexes as the tyre turns, so damage there always means a new tyre.
Is a bulge in the sidewall dangerous?
Yes. A bulge means the internal cords have broken and the tyre can fail without warning. Do not drive on it further than you need to reach a safe place.
Can you remove locking wheel nuts without the key?
Yes. Removal without the key is the whole point of the job, and it is done at the car.
Area map
See the area on a map.
Rescue Tyres is a mobile service run from one base at Brent Cross, London NW2. The map shows the Bexley area so you can check where your car is: it is not an address of ours.
The 20p test is the quickest free way to check if your tyres are road-legal. Here's how to do it in 30 seconds, why it works, and what to do if they fail.