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. Richmond upon Thames is about 8 miles in a straight line from our only base at Brent Cross, NW2. We give you an arrival time when you call.
TW1, TW2, TW9, TW10, TW11, TW12: Twickenham, Richmond, Kew, Barnes
Two red routes cross the borough: the A316, which runs as Chertsey Road through Twickenham, over Twickenham Bridge and on as Clifford Avenue past Richmond, East Sheen and Mortlake to Chiswick Bridge, and the A205 South Circular through Kew, Mortlake, East Sheen and Barnes. We cannot stop or work on a red route; the car needs to be on a side street or private ground first. If the car is unsafe where it is, your breakdown cover may reach you sooner.
If the car is in a controlled parking zone permit bay, tell us so the fitter can park legally beside it.
Retail parks such as Kew Retail Park, station car parks and private estates belong to someone else, and the fitter can only work there with the owner's or operator's permission. 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.
The area is inside the London-wide Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ), in force since 29 August 2023: a charge for driving a vehicle that does not meet its emission standards, not for a parked car.
| Postcode districts | TW1, TW2, TW9, TW10, TW11, TW12, SW13, SW14 |
|---|---|
| Areas | Twickenham, Richmond, Kew, Barnes, Mortlake, East Sheen, Teddington, Hampton, Hampton Hill, Whitton, St Margarets, Ham, Petersham, Strawberry Hill, Hampton Wick |
| Landmarks | Kew Gardens, Richmond Park, Hampton Court Palace, Teddington Lock, Richmond Bridge |
| Local rules | Inside the London-wide Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) |
| Red routes: we cannot stop or work on them | |
| Controlled parking zones (permit or pay-and-display bays) on many streets | |
| Distance from our base | About 8 miles in a straight line from Brent Cross, NW2 |
The fitter brings the tools to the car, so there is no need to drive on a damaged tyre to a garage.
The fitter brings the new tyre to your home, your workplace or a safe place to park, fits it, balances the wheel and sets the pressure.
Tell us the size from the sidewall and we can talk through budget, mid-range and premium options for 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
We fit tyres only. We do not sell part-worn tyres and we do not do batteries, brakes or wheel alignment.
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.
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.
Tread close to the legal minimum is the obvious sign, but it is not the only one. Fine cracks that open up when you squeeze the sidewall, a bulge, exposed cords or uneven wear on one edge all mean the tyre should be looked at.
Tyre safety groups suggest thinking about new tyres at 3 mm of tread, because stopping distances in the wet grow noticeably below that depth.
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.
Driving on a tyre with little or no air crushes the sidewall between the rim and the road. The inner liner rubs on itself and breaks up, which often shows as grey dust or a groove inside the tyre.
Once that has happened the tyre cannot be repaired, even if the hole itself is small and well placed. Stopping as soon as the tyre feels soft gives the best chance of saving it.
This is the only London borough on both banks of the river. Richmond, Kew, Barnes, Mortlake, East Sheen, Ham and Petersham are on one side; Twickenham, St Margarets, Whitton, Strawberry Hill, Teddington, Hampton, Hampton Hill and Hampton Wick are on the other. We cover all of them.
When you call, give the street and postcode, or a landmark if you are not sure of the address. That tells the fitter which side of the river the car is on and which crossing to use, such as Richmond Bridge or Twickenham Bridge.
Several other main roads carry heavy traffic through the borough without being red routes: the A307 Kew Road and Petersham Road, the A305 Richmond Road and Heath Road through Twickenham, and the A308 Hampton Court Road past Hampton Court Palace. 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.
The car parks inside Richmond Park are run by the park, so the work can only happen there with its agreement. If the car is near Twickenham Stadium on a match day, say so when you ring, so we can agree a quieter street to meet on.
“A pleasure having them come down and save me. Big shout out to Hiwad, really responsive, recommend him to anybody.”
“From start to finish, Hiwad was incredibly professional and helpful.”
“Fast and reliable.”
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.
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.
Sources: the tread and tyre rules are in the Highway Code, annex 6 on GOV.UK; TyreSafe publishes tyre safety advice.
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:
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:
Rescue Tyres is a mobile service run from one base at Brent Cross, London NW2. The map shows the Richmond upon Thames area so you can check where your car is: it is not an address of ours.
How to make your tyres last longer
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.
How to check your tyre tread with the 20p test
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.
How to choose a tyre fitter you can trust
Not all tyre fitters are equal. Here's how to spot a trustworthy one, the questions to ask, and the red flags that mean you should look elsewhere.
Tell us where the car is, the tyre size and what has happened, and the options are explained on the call.
