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. Bordesley Green is about 93 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. B9: Bordesley Green Road, Bordesley Green East, Little Bromwich, Heartlands
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.
Hospital, retail park and trading estate car parks
Much of the parking around here is private ground: the Heartlands Hospital car parks, St Andrews Shopping Park, Stechford Retail Park, the stadium at St Andrew's, and yards on the Bordesley Trading Estate and the Green Lane Industrial Estate. Private car parks need the permission of whoever runs them before we can work there. If the car is in one, ask the site staff or security first, and tell us what they said when you ring.
If the car is in a controlled parking zone permit bay, tell us so the fitter can park legally beside it.
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.
One tyre, a pair or all four
One new tyre is fine when the others still have plenty of tread and match it in size and pattern. A big difference in tread depth across one axle makes the car brake and corner unevenly.
Four-wheel-drive cars are more sensitive to differences in tread depth between tyres, so check the handbook before replacing just one.
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
Main roads and side streets
The B4128 Bordesley Green, the B4114 Washwood Heath Road, the B4516 Highfield Road, Green Lane and Cattell Road, and Yardley Green Road are busy through roads, and the edge of a busy road is not a safe place to change a wheel. If the car can be moved safely to a side street, please do that before we come. On a residential street, the fitter needs room to park legally beside the car, so tell us if that looks difficult.
Local detail
The Clean Air Zone and the Middleway
Birmingham's Clean Air Zone covers the roads inside the A4540 Middleway ring road and has charged since 1 June 2021. It is a charge for driving a vehicle that does not meet the standards, not for a parked car.
So it has no bearing on whether a tyre can be fitted where your car is parked.
Local detail
Heartlands, Little Bromwich and around
We take calls from the whole B9 area: Heartlands and St Andrew's, Little Bromwich and Pelham, Blake Lane and Cherrywood Road, Bordesley to the west, and the shops along Bordesley Green East. The nearest stations are Adderley Park and Stechford.
Give us the street and postcode, and say whether the car is on a drive, the road or a car park.
“From start to finish, Hiwad was incredibly professional and helpful.”
KMKian MGoogle review
★★★★★
“Had two tyres replaced and was really impressed. Friendly and efficient, job completed quickly. Highly recommend!”
PNPegah NourmandGoogle review
★★★★★
“A pleasure having them come down and save me. Big shout out to Hiwad, really responsive, recommend him to anybody.”
AMAdam MorrisGoogle 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.
Bordesley Green FAQs
Questions drivers ask
Can you change a tyre on a car parked at the hospital?
Only with the permission of whoever runs the car park, because it is private ground. Ask the site staff first and tell us their answer on the call.
Can the fitter work outside a house with no drive?
Yes, if the car is parked legally and there is room to work at the wheel without stepping into traffic. If the street is too tight, a quieter side street nearby, or a car park whose owner agrees, may do 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:
St Andrew's stadium
Adderley Park 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:
B4128 Bordesley Green
A4540 Middleway
Green Lane and Cattell Road
Yardley Green Road and Blake Lane
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.
Should new tyres go on the front or the rear?
When only two are replaced, the newer pair generally goes on the rear axle, which helps keep the car stable in the wet.
Can a puncture in the sidewall be repaired?
No. The sidewall flexes as the tyre turns, so damage there always means a new tyre.
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.
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 Bordesley Green area so you can check where your car is: it is not an address of ours.
Tyres are one of the most common MOT failures. Here are the exact tyre checks an MOT covers, the faults that catch people out, and how to pass first time.
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.
Find your car's recommended tyre pressure on the door placard or in the handbook, and learn how to set it correctly for load and conditions on UK roads.
Call to check we can take the job
Need a tyre fitter in Bordesley Green? Call now.
Tell us where the car is, the tyre size and what has happened, and the options are explained on the call.