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. Oldbury is about 100 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. B68, B69: Langley, Rounds Green, Tividale, Brades Village
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 100 mile trip into the Black Country
Sandwell is a long way from Brent Cross, so every job here is a planned trip rather than a short hop across town.
Replacing worn tyres before an MOT or a long drive is the easiest job to arrange: the tyres can be sourced first and the trip planned around them.
For a puncture or a damaged tyre, read us the full size from the sidewall when you ring. At this distance we need it before we can say whether the job is possible.
We have more than one van. A van already working in the West Midlands can make a job possible, but that is never guaranteed.
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.
Sealant kits and what they mean for a repair
The sealant kit supplied with many new cars is a temporary measure to get you moving. The kit sets its own low speed and distance limits, printed on the bottle or in the handbook.
If you have used sealant, say so on the call. The inside of the tyre has to be cleaned before it can be inspected, and some sealants leave it unfit for a repair.
Local detail
Langley, Tividale and Warley
Neighbourhoods around the town include Langley, Tividale, Warley, Rounds Green and Causeway Green, with Brades Village, Bristnall, Whiteheath and Portway as well. Most addresses here are in the B68 and B69 postcode districts.
Give the street name and house number when you ring. If the car is near Bury Hill Park or on Langley high street, the road it is parked on matters more than the landmark, because the fitter needs to know which kerb to pull up beside.
Local detail
Searching for tyres in Oldbury?
Most searches for tyres here are from drivers looking for a shop. We do not have one in the Black Country: the tyre comes to the car, on the drive or at the kerb, and the job is planned around the trip from north London. Tell us the street, the size and what has happened to the tyre, and we will say what is possible.
Where we can work
Birchley Island, the ring road and the station 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.
Birchley Island Retail Park, the Portway Lifestyle Centre and the car parks at Langley Green, Rowley Regis and Sandwell and Dudley stations are private land, so the owner or operator has to allow the work first.
If the car stops on a busy main road and can be moved slowly and safely, take it into a side street before you call. Around the town that means the A4123 Wolverhampton Road, the A457 Oldbury Road and Tollhouse Way, and the A4034 ring road.
Junction 2 of the M5 meets the A4123 at Birchley Island, with junctions 1 and 3 either side. 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, and the island itself is no place to stop. Once the car is safely off the road, call us.
“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
★★★★★
“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.
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.
Oldbury FAQs
Questions drivers ask
Can the fitter work in the car park at Sandwell and Dudley station?
Only if the station operator allows it. If you are not sure, a legal space on a nearby side street, or your own drive, is usually the simpler place for the job.
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:
M5 J2
A4123 Wolverhampton Road
A457 Oldbury Road and Tollhouse Way
A4034 Oldbury ring road
M5 J1 and J3
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 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 you fit tyres to a car with pressure sensors?
Yes. Mention the sensors on the call, as they sit inside the wheel and stay with it when the tyre is changed.
My tyre keeps losing air slowly. Is it a puncture?
It may be, or it may be the valve or the seal between the tyre and the rim; the tyre has to come off to tell which.
Will the wheel be damaged too?
It can be. The rim is inspected with the tyre off, and you are told if it is bent or cracked before the new tyre is fitted.
Can I order a new key instead?
Yes, if you have the code from the card, the box or the handbook. The dealer or the nut maker can supply one, which suits you if the car can wait.
Can you work on the street outside my house?
Yes, if it is legal to park there and the car is not blocking traffic. A quiet residential street is usually fine; a busy main road or a red route is not.
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 Oldbury area so you can check where your car is: it is not an address of ours.
Tyres are a big running cost. These six habits stretch their life and save you money without compromising safety, from correct pressures to smooth driving.
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.