Birmingham is about 95 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.
If we can take the job, we work evenings, nights, weekends and bank holidays when the diary allows, at the same price as a weekday job.
The A4540 Middleway rings the centre, the A38(M) Aston Expressway runs north to the M6 at junction 6, and the M42 passes to the east between junctions 3 and 6. We never work on a motorway, the expressway, the Middleway carriageway or any slip road. Once off them, a residential street is where the fitter can work.
Station, retail park and industrial estate car parks are private land. The fitter can work there only if the owner or operator allows it, so check the signs or ask first. A driveway or a quiet, well lit residential street is usually the easiest place for the work.
Give the postcode and a landmark, such as the Bullring, Grand Central, Snow Hill or Moor Street station, Brindleyplace, Millennium Point or Aston University. City-centre car parks and shopping parks such as St Andrews are private, so check with the operator before calling.
The price is the same at any hour. It depends on the job, and we confirm it on the call before anyone sets off.
Whether we can come out depends on the diary, on where the vans are and on how far the car is from our base.
Common sizes are often on the van; other sizes are sourced for the job. Late at night or on a bank holiday suppliers may be closed, so if the right tyre cannot be found, we tell you on the call so you can decide what to do next. A puncture is repaired where the damage allows it.
Do not wait on the carriageway or the verge of a motorway or a fast road. If the car can be moved safely, leave at the next exit and stop in a lit side road or car park. If it cannot, follow the Highway Code: hazard lights on, everyone out on the side away from the traffic and behind the barrier if there is one, use the emergency phone or call 999 if anyone is in danger, then call your breakdown cover. 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. We can help once the car is somewhere safe.
Try not to keep driving on a flat tyre. It can turn a repairable puncture into a tyre that has to be replaced, and it can damage the wheel.
The replacement has to be the size the car is built for, with a load index and speed rating at least as high as the maker specifies. All of it is printed on the sidewall of the old tyre, and most cars also have a sticker inside the driver's door or the fuel flap.
Tyres on the same axle should match: the same size and type, ideally the same model, so the car brakes and corners evenly. If the tyre on the other side of the axle is badly worn, it is worth replacing the pair, and we tell you what we find while the car is up.
Four-wheel-drive cars are more sensitive. Some makers ask for all four tyres to be close in tread depth to protect the transmission, so tell us on the call if the car is four-wheel drive.
Call or WhatsApp with where the car is, the registration and the tyre size from the sidewall.
You hear what the job involves and the options for your car. Nothing is booked until you say yes.
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.
Before the fitter leaves, the wheel is checked for security and the tyre pressure is set to the maker's figure.
“Had two tyres replaced and was really impressed. Friendly and efficient, job completed quickly. Highly 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!”
“From start to finish, Hiwad was incredibly professional and helpful.”
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.
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.
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.
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.
These are the neighbourhoods, postcode districts and main roads on record for this area. Whether we can take a particular job depends on the diary and the distance from our base, so the call always decides.
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:
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Call to check what the diary allows this evening or this weekend. The price is given on the call.
