If a tyre fails on the M42, your safety comes first and the tyre second. 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. Once the car is safely off the road, we can come to it.
Hold the steering wheel firmly, ease off the accelerator and do not brake hard.
If the car can still be driven safely, leave at the next exit or pull into a service area.
If you cannot, stop on the hard shoulder or in an emergency area, as far to the left as you can, with the wheels turned to the left.
Switch on the hazard warning lights, and the sidelights too if it is dark or visibility is poor.
Get out by the left-hand doors with your passengers and wait behind the safety barrier where there is one, well away from the traffic.
Do not try even a simple repair yourself, and do not put a warning triangle out on a motorway.
If the car stops in a live lane, or you cannot get out safely, stay in the car with your seat belt on and the hazard lights on, and call 999. Otherwise use an emergency phone or call your breakdown cover.
National Highways runs this road. Its contact centre is on 0300 123 5000; in an emergency, call 999.
This advice follows the Highway Code rules on breakdowns and incidents (rules 274 to 287). Read the rules on GOV.UK.
About this road
The road at a glance, from our road record
Stretch covered
Birmingham eastern orbital
Meets
M5, M40, M6, M6 Toll, A45
Service areas
Hopwood Park services (Welcome Break) at J2; Tamworth services (Moto) at J10
Service areas are private ground, so we can only work there with the operator's permission.
At its nearest measured point, the M42 is about 86 miles in a straight line from our only base at Brent Cross, NW2. 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.
Junction by junction
Junctions and what they serve
Junctions and the places they lead to
Junction
What it serves
J1
A38 Bromsgrove, Lickey End
J2
A441 Redditch, Alvechurch, Hopwood Park services
J3
A435 Redditch, Alcester, Birmingham south via Wythall
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
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.
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
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
Where we can work
Good spots for the job, and places to avoid
Good places for the job
A driveway or private parking space
A residential street where it is legal to park
A workplace or business car park, with the site's agreement
Firm, level ground with room to work around the wheel
Places we cannot work
Motorways and fast main roads, including their hard shoulders and slip roads
Anywhere the car or the van would block traffic or put people at risk
Soft ground, steep slopes or loose gravel where a jack cannot sit safely
Supermarket, retail park and station car parks are private ground, so the owner's permission comes first.
Road FAQs
Questions drivers ask about this road
Where is there no hard shoulder?
J3a to J7 (hard shoulder sometimes open to traffic: use an emergency area or follow the gantry signs). On a stretch like that, keep going to the next exit if the car can still be driven safely; if it cannot, stop in an emergency area if one is in reach and call 999 if you are stuck in a live lane.
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.
Are you insured?
Yes. Rescue Tyres is fully insured, has fitted more than 2,000 tyres and is a UK registered company.
Can you fit tyres to a car with pressure sensors?
Yes. Mention the sensors on the call, as they sit inside the wheel and stay with it when the tyre is changed.
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.
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.
Do I need to replace both tyres on the axle?
Not always. If the other tyre on that axle has good tread and is the same size and pattern, one new tyre can be enough.
Can I order a new key instead?
Yes, if you have the code from the card, the box or the handbook. The dealer or the nut maker can supply one, which suits you if the car can wait.
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.
Can I replace run-flats with standard tyres?
On some cars, but never mix the two types, and remember a standard tyre cannot be driven on after a puncture.
“A pleasure having them come down and save me. Big shout out to Hiwad, really responsive, recommend him to anybody.”
AMAdam MorrisGoogle review
★★★★★
“From start to finish, Hiwad was incredibly professional and helpful.”
KMKian MGoogle review
★★★★★
“Faultless experience. Great communication, attitude and service.”
BCBen CorrieGoogle review
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.
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