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. Kenilworth is about 78 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. CV8: Windy Arbour, Whitemoor, Crackley, Abbey End
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.
A long way from our base, and what that means for you
A trip into Warwickshire is a long one for the van, so we will be plain with you on the phone. For worn tyres that are still legal, booking a few days ahead gives us the best chance of saying yes, and having the size from the sidewall ready lets the tyre be sourced before the journey starts.
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.
Pressure sensors and run-flats
Many cars have a tyre pressure sensor fitted inside each wheel, usually on the back of the valve. Mention it on the call, because the sensor stays with the wheel when the tyre is changed.
Cars that left the factory on run-flat tyres usually need run-flats again, and run-flat and standard tyres should never be mixed on one car.
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.
Repair or replace: how the decision is made
Nobody can promise a repair over the phone. The decision is made with the tyre off the rim, against the limits in the standard and the tyre maker's own guidance.
If the damage rules out a repair, you are told why before anything else is done. Common sizes are often on the van; other sizes are sourced for the job.
Where we can work
Drives, streets and private car parks
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.
Car parks belong to someone. At the station, Talisman Square, Abbey Fields, the castle, a supermarket or a workplace, we can only work if the operator allows it, so check first or tell us who runs it.
Large sites such as the University of Warwick on the Gibbet Hill side or Stoneleigh Park have their own parking and access rules. Private car parks need the permission of whoever runs them before we can work there.
Roads nearby
The A46 bypass, the A452 and junction 15
The A46 Kenilworth Bypass runs along the east side of the town, the A452 heads south towards Leamington Spa, and the A429 runs towards Coventry and Warwick, with junction 15 of the M40 further south. If a tyre fails on any of them, get the car off the main road at the next safe exit. 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. Once the car is safely off the road, call us.
“Had two tyres replaced and was really impressed. Friendly and efficient, job completed quickly. Highly recommend!”
PNPegah NourmandGoogle review
★★★★★
“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!”
DFDavid FordhamGoogle review
★★★★★
“Faultless experience. Great communication, attitude and service.”
BCBen CorrieGoogle 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.
Kenilworth FAQs
Questions drivers ask
Can you fit a tyre on the University of Warwick campus?
Only with the permission of the university, which manages its own car parks and access. Check with campus security or your department first, then tell us which car park the car is in when you call.
Do you cover Leek Wootton and Ashow as well as the town?
Yes. Both are small villages just south of the town, off the A46 and the A452, and are the same long trip from Brent Cross. Give us the house name or number and the postcode, as some addresses there are hard to find from the road name alone.
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:
Kenilworth station
University of Warwick (Gibbet Hill side)
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:
A46
A452
A429
M40 J15
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.
Should I buy budget or premium tyres?
It depends on the car and how it is used. The tyre label's wet grip grade is a fair way to compare tyres in the same size.
Should I pull the nail out?
No. Leave it in, as it is often partly sealing the hole. Send a photo of where it sits instead.
Do I need to replace both tyres on the axle?
Not always. If the other tyre on that axle has good tread and is the same size and pattern, one new tyre can be enough.
The key has broken in the nut. Can you still help?
Yes. Stop turning it, because forcing a broken key rounds the nut further. The nut is taken off with an extraction socket instead.
Around Kenilworth
Villages and estates in CV8
The town and the villages around it in CV8 are treated the same way, from Abbey End, Windy Arbour, Whitemoor and Crackley to Leek Wootton and Ashow. Rural lanes can be narrow, so if the car is on a single-track road, tell us; we may need it moved to a wider spot or a drive before the fitter can work safely.
To the north, Burton Green sits along the B4101 towards Tile Hill station, and Stoneleigh is reached from the B4113 Coventry Road, near Stoneleigh Park and the business parks on that side. Give us the full address or postcode for any of them.
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 Kenilworth area so you can check where your car is: it is not an address of ours.
Mobile or garage tyre fitting? How the two compare on time, safety and emergencies, what a fair quote should include, and when a garage is the better choice.