Breakdown Problem
Flat Tyre and Blowout Assistance
The majority of new cars sold in the last decade came with a sealant kit instead of a spare wheel, which is fine for a nail in the tread and completely useless for a split sidewall or a shredded tyre. Tell us which you have and we'll know before we leave whether this is a wheel change or a recovery.
What you're likely seeing
- Sudden bang followed by heavy vibration and a pull to one side — blowout
- Slow deflation noticed on the TPMS warning over several days
- Sidewall bulge or split after hitting a kerb or pothole
- Sealant kit used but the tyre keeps going down
- Locking wheel nut key missing — a surprisingly common reason people can't change their own wheel
Do this before anything else
- 1Never change a wheel on a motorway hard shoulder or in a live lane. Get behind the barrier and call 999 for Highways.
- 2Don't drive on a flat tyre to 'get somewhere better'. A few hundred metres will destroy the wheel as well as the tyre.
- 3A bulged sidewall is an MOT failure and a blowout risk even if it's holding air. Don't drive on it.
On a motorway or dual carriageway, ring 999 and ask for National Highways before you call any recovery company. Motorway breakdown advice →
How we move the vehicle
If you have a serviceable spare or space-saver, our driver fits it at the roadside with a torque wrench so the nuts are done to the manufacturer's figure rather than guessed. If you have no spare, a damaged wheel, or two flats, we flatbed the vehicle to a tyre fitter of your choice — or your home if it's the middle of the night and nothing is open.
What it costs
A roadside wheel change is charged as an attendance. A recovery to a fitter is charged as a local recovery. We don't add a premium for weekends or nights on either.
Full recovery cost guideQuestions we get asked
The service you probably need
Other problems we're called to
Tell us what the car is doing
Describe the fault on the phone and we'll tell you honestly whether this is a roadside fix or a recovery — and what it will cost — before a driver leaves.