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. Princes Risborough 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. HP27: Town centre and High Street, Monks Risborough, Longwick, Bledlow
Puncture, blowout or worn tyres? We come to the car.
Station car parks, village lanes and the main roads
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 more thought:
Car parks at Princes Risborough, Monks Risborough and Saunderton stations, at shops and at workplaces belong to someone. Private car parks need the permission of whoever runs them before we can work there.
If you parked to walk near Whiteleaf Cross or the Ridgeway, give us the exact spot. A car park there still has an owner whose permission counts, and soft grass is not a safe place to lift a car.
If the car stops on a busy main road and can be moved slowly and safely, take it into a side street before you call. Around the town that means the A4010 and the A4129, and the B4009 towards Chinnor. If the car is unsafe where it is, your breakdown cover may reach you sooner.
On a narrow lane or near a bend, tell us. The van has to be visible to other drivers, and if that is not possible where the car is, we talk through moving it a short way on the call.
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
→
Tell us what happened
Call or WhatsApp with where the car is, the registration and the tyre size from the sidewall.
→
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.
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.
Nails and screws in the tread
If you can see a nail or screw in the tread, leave it where it is. It is often partly sealing the hole, and pulling it out can turn a slow leak into a flat.
Take a photo of where it sits and send it on WhatsApp. Its position across the tread says a lot about whether a repair is likely.
Local detail
Tyres in the town without a tyre shop
If you searched for tyres here, you may have expected a shop on the High Street. We are not one: the fitter brings the tyre to the car, at home, at work or in a car park where the owner allows it, so there is no queue and no lift home to arrange.
Where we can work
Near the edge of the area we serve
At about 28 miles from Brent Cross, the HP27 villages are close to the outer edge of where we work. Whether we can come depends on the distance and the diary on the day, not on a line drawn on a map, so ask even if your village is further out.
Stokenchurch sits beside junction 5 of the M40. 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, so a car with a tyre problem on the motorway has to be recovered off it first. Once it is off, call us.
“I urgently needed to replace my tyres and the team were prompt, friendly and efficient at a great price.”
JIJisoo ImGoogle review
★★★★★
“From start to finish, Hiwad was incredibly professional and helpful.”
KMKian MGoogle review
★★★★★
“Fast and efficient, really good service, sociable guy.”
AAAdam AntarGoogle 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.
Princes Risborough FAQs
Questions drivers ask
Can you fit tyres while my car is parked at the station?
Only if the car park operator allows work to be done there. If they do not, or you are not sure, we can come to your home or another spot where the work is allowed instead.
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:
Princes Risborough station
Monks Risborough 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:
A4010
A4129
B4009
M40 J4
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.
How do I find my tyre size?
Look on the side of the tyre for a code like 205/55 R16 91V. The handbook has it too, and many cars show it on a sticker inside the driver's door or the fuel flap.
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.
What should I do if a tyre bursts while I am driving?
Hold the wheel firmly, keep straight, ease off the accelerator and avoid braking hard. Once the car has slowed, brake gently and pull over where it is safe.
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.
Do new tyres come with a warranty?
New tyres carry the manufacturer's warranty against defects. It does not cover damage from punctures, kerbs or potholes.
Around Princes Risborough
The town, the HP27 villages and around
We cover the town centre and High Street, and the villages in and around the HP27 postcode district: Monks Risborough, Askett, Whiteleaf, Longwick, Bledlow, Bledlow Ridge, Saunderton, Lacey Green and Loosley Row. Chinnor and Stokenchurch are covered too.
In the villages, a house name, a pub or a church helps the fitter find the car, as some lanes have few numbers. If your village is not named here, ask.
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 Princes Risborough 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.
Mobile or garage tyre fitting? How the two compare on time, safety and emergencies, what a fair quote should include, and when a garage is the better choice.
Call to check, get a price and an arrival time
Need a tyre fitter in Princes Risborough? Call now.
Tell us where the car is, the tyre size and what has happened, and the options are explained on the call.