Mobile tyre fitting on the Isle of Dogs.

Puncture repair

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
• Wheel balanced and pressure set after the repair

Puncture repair →

Burst and damaged tyre replacement

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

Burst and damaged tyre replacement →

Flat tyre help

A flat tyre does not always mean a new tyre. Whether it can be repaired depends on where the damage is and how far the car was driven flat.

If the spare is missing, flat or a space saver you would rather not rely on, the repair or the new tyre is brought to the car.

• The cause found with the tyre off the rim
• A repair if the damage allows it, or a new tyre if not
• Valve checked and pressure set before the wheel goes back on

Flat tyre help →

Removing locking wheel nuts

Lost, broken or rounded key? The nuts are removed at the car with extraction sockets made for locking nuts.

Plain nuts or a new locking set go back on, and the tyre can be sorted on the same visit.

• Removal without the key, using sockets made for locking nuts
• Replacement nuts matched to the wheel's seat type and thread
• Tyre repaired or replaced on the same visit if needed

Removing locking wheel nuts →

Out-of-hours tyre fitting

We work evenings, nights, weekends and bank holidays when the diary allows, at the same price as a weekday job.

Out of normal working hours, where the car waits matters more: somewhere lit, legally parked and away from passing traffic.

• The same repair-or-replace check as at any other time
• A new tyre fitted when the damage rules out a repair
• A lit, legal spot to work in, agreed on the call

Out-of-hours tyre fitting →

Wheel balancing

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

Van tyre fitting

Van tyres carry heavier loads and are marked with a C after the rim size and a higher load index. The replacement has to match both.

Fitting at a yard, a business car park or the kerb outside the job keeps the van working.

• C-marked tyre matched to both load index numbers and the speed rating
• Fitted where the van is parked: a yard, a site or the kerb
• Pressure set for the load the van carries

Run-flat tyres

Run-flats keep the car moving for a limited distance after losing pressure, but they still need sorting properly afterwards.

The correct run-flat is sourced for your car, including maker-approved fitments, and fitted at the car.

• Correct run-flat in your size, load index and speed rating
• Inspection inside the tyre before any repair is considered
• Advice on maker markings such as RSC and the star

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.

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.