A fitter comes to your home, work or a safe parking spot and repairs the puncture to BS AU 159, or fits a new tyre if it cannot be saved. The price is agreed on the call before any work.
A Rescue Tyres fitter comes to your home, workplace or a safe parking spot with tyre fitting and wheel balancing equipment, so a puncture repair at home is the same proper job a tyre centre would do. Every repair follows British Standard BS AU 159, which allows a permanent repair only in the central three-quarters of the tread and only for damage up to 6mm across. The tyre comes off the wheel so the inside can be inspected, because driving on a soft or flat tyre can damage it where you cannot see. If the hole is in the shoulder or sidewall, is larger than 6mm, or the inside shows damage from running flat, the tyre needs replacing. We quote on the call for a new tyre in your size. Common sizes are often on the van, and other sizes are sourced for the job.
We work from one base at Brent Cross, NW2. The price is agreed on the call before any work, and you are given an arrival time on the call. Evenings, nights, weekends and bank holidays are possible when the diary allows, at the same price as a weekday job.
The fitter decides once the tyre is off the rim, but this is how the British Standard and the tyre makers draw the line. Send a photo on WhatsApp for an honest first opinion.
| What you can see | Usual outcome | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Nail or screw in the central three-quarters of the tread, hole up to 6mm | Usually repairable | The minor repair area in BS AU 159, if the inside inspection finds no other damage. |
| Puncture in the shoulder or sidewall | Replace | Outside the repairable area, too close to the sidewall for a safe, lasting repair. |
| Hole or cut larger than 6mm | Replace | Beyond the maximum damage size for a minor repair. |
| Driven on while flat or very soft | Usually replace | Running deflated damages the inside of the tyre. The inspection confirms it. |
| Bulge, split, exposed cords or cracked rubber | Replace | Listed by the British Tyre Manufacturers' Association as ruling out a repair. |
| Tread at 1.6mm or less | Replace | 1.6mm across the central three-quarters is the legal minimum for a car tyre. |
| New puncture near an earlier repair | Depends on spacing | Further repairs are allowed as long as the patches do not overlap. |
| Punctured run-flat tyre | Follow the tyre maker | Some makers allow one repair, others say replace. |
A string plug pushed in from outside, or a can of sealant, can get you to a safe place but neither is a repair. TyreSafe states that externally applied plugs and liquid sealants cannot be considered permanent repairs. A BS AU 159 repair is a combined plug and patch fitted from inside, after the tyre is removed from the wheel, and a tyre repaired this way keeps its original speed and load capability.
A tyre that needs topping up every few days is losing air for a reason. The fitter tests the whole wheel rather than assuming the tyre is to blame.
Until the fitter arrives, keep the tyre at the pressure on the door shut or in the handbook and stop driving on it once it looks soft.
Tell us the tyre brand and size when you call, so the fitter arrives with the right plan.
Makers disagree. Michelin says its runflat tyres can be repaired once, using the same inspection and procedure as a standard tyre. Pirelli says a punctured run-flat should be replaced, because secondary damage is hard to spot. TyreSafe advises consulting the tyre manufacturer, and we follow that.
Run-flat tyres →EVs are heavier because of the battery, and TyreSafe notes that EV tyres are reinforced for the load and may carry an HL marking. A tread puncture is judged by the same standard, but any replacement must match the size, load and speed rating your car needs.
EV tyres →Quiet tyres such as Continental's ContiSilent have polyurethane foam bonded to the inside of the tread, exactly where a repair patch goes. Michelin says its Acoustic tyres can be repaired in the standard way. For other brands the fitter follows the maker's guidance.
Tyres we fit →Your safety comes first. These steps also give the tyre the best chance of being repairable.
Tell us where the car is and the tyre size. We confirm the price for a repair and for a replacement, and give you an arrival time on the call.
The fitter marks the puncture, removes the wheel on firm ground and takes the tyre off the rim on a tyre changer.
The inside is checked for run-flat damage or a second hole. If it passes, a plug and patch is fitted from inside. If not, we fit the new tyre you agreed.
The tyre is inflated and balanced, and the wheel is refitted with nuts torqued to the manufacturer's setting.
New tyres carry the manufacturer's warranty.
We work from one base at Brent Cross, London NW2. The nearest London boroughs are a couple of miles away, while Birmingham and the West Midlands are roughly 80 to 110 miles. Distance decides whether we can take a job and when, so call and we will tell you whether we can help. The arrival time is given on the call.
"I called out for a mobile repair. The service was quick and quite reasonably priced. Would recommend."
"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!"
"Good and reliable service in all conditions."
Standards we work to: puncture repairs follow BS AU 159, the British Standard for tyre repairs (explained by TyreSafe); the legal minimum tread depth is 1.6mm across the central three-quarters (GOV.UK); motorway breakdown advice follows the Highway Code, rules 274 to 287.
Sources: TyreSafe, British Tyre Manufacturers' Association, Michelin, Pirelli, Highway Code Annex 6, Highway Code rules 275 to 278, National Highways.
Send the tyre size and where the car is. The price is agreed on the call before any work.
