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. Rugby is about 71 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. CV21, CV22, CV23: Bilton, Hillmorton, Brownsover, Newbold-on-Avon
Puncture, blowout or worn tyres? We come to the car.
A job this far from our base is a long trip for one of our vans, so whether we can take it depends on the diary that day. We would rather tell you no on the first call than keep you waiting, so you can ring someone closer straight away.
Elliott's Field, the station 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. If the car is in a controlled parking zone permit bay, tell us so the fitter can park legally beside it.
Retail parks such as Elliott's Field, Junction One and Technology Drive, the Clock Towers shopping centre and the car park at Rugby station are private land. Private car parks need the permission of whoever runs them before we can work there. The same goes for industrial estates and for the big distribution sites at DIRFT by M1 junction 18, where the site gate has to agree first.
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.
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.
Roads nearby
The motorways, the relief road and the A428
The M6 at junction 1, the M1 at junction 18 and the M45 all meet near the town, with the A45 and the A5 not far off. 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 the car needs to be off them and parked somewhere safe and legal before we can talk about coming out.
Inside the town, the busier roads include the A4071 Western Relief Road, the A426 Dunchurch Road and the A428 through Hillmorton and Long Lawford. 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.
“Had two tyres replaced and was really impressed. Friendly and efficient, job completed quickly. Highly recommend!”
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★★★★★
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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.
Rugby FAQs
Questions drivers ask
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:
Hospital of St Cross
Elliott's Field retail park
Junction One retail park
Houlton (the old radio station site)
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:
M6 J1
M1 J18
M45
A45
A5
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.
Can a puncture in the sidewall be repaired?
No. The sidewall flexes as the tyre turns, so damage there always means a new tyre.
Will the wheel be damaged too?
It can be. The rim is inspected with the tyre off, and you are told if it is bent or cracked before the new tyre is fitted.
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 you work on the street outside my house?
Yes, if it is legal to park there and the car is not blocking traffic. A quiet residential street is usually fine; a busy main road or a red route is not.
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 Rugby
Villages and estates around the town
Bookings are taken across the town and its edges, including Bilton, New Bilton, Hillmorton, Cawston, Dunchurch and Long Lawford, as well as Brownsover, Newbold-on-Avon, Clifton upon Dunsmore and the newer Houlton development on the old radio station site. Addresses here are in the CV21, CV22 and CV23 postcode districts.
On a new estate such as Houlton or Cawston, some roads may not show on every sat nav yet, so a nearby landmark or the name of the road you turned off helps the fitter find 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 Rugby 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.
Tyres are a big running cost. These six habits stretch their life and save you money without compromising safety, from correct pressures to smooth driving.
Call to check we can take the job
Need a tyre fitter in Rugby? Call now.
Tell us where the car is, the tyre size and what has happened, and the options are explained on the call.