1. Catch the fault before the car moves
At 6:40pm on a wet Tuesday, a supermarket car-park tyre check often starts with one corner sitting lower than the rest. A soft tyre is usually a slow puncture, a leaking valve, or a damaged bead; a sidewall bulge or cut is different and should stop the car from moving. Photograph the sidewall, tread, and valve before touching anything, because that record helps the fitter decide whether the job is a repair or a replacement.
2. Give the callout the details that change the job
The common problem is incomplete booking information: “one tyre, please” rarely covers the tyre size, load rating, locking wheel-nut key, run-flat construction, or TPMS sensor. Those details decide which stock the van carries and whether the wheel can be removed safely. Write them from the tyre sidewall and keep the locking key in the car. If the tyre is a run-flat, say so at booking; many mobile vans cannot sidewall-repair them on site. If you are arranging cover through spinboss, confirm the postcode, the bay access, and the time window before you clear your schedule; a spinboss callout in a busy retail park needs working space, not a red route.
3. Build a safe bay, not a roadside gamble
Car parks are designed for cars, not service vans, so passing traffic and low light cause most avoidable delays. Choose a quiet corner away from trolley bays, switch on hazard lights, chock the opposite wheel, and keep passengers behind a barrier. Park nose-out if possible so the van can reverse close to the wheel. Do not loosen the wheel nuts yourself; the fitter needs the wheel stable while the van’s equipment is set up.
4. Agree repair or replacement on evidence
A puncture in the central tread, clear of the shoulder and at least 25mm from the sidewall, may be repairable with a proper patch-plug. Shoulder damage, sidewall cuts, and run-flats driven flat are replacement jobs. Ask the fitter to show you the injury and the tread depth before the wheel goes back on; that avoids paying for a repair that will not hold.
5. Check the handover before you drive away
Confirm the tyre pressure, wheel-nut torque, and that the locking key is back in the car. Recheck torque after about 30 miles, when the wheel has settled. The test is simple: the car should track straight, the valve cap should be fitted, and the invoice should match the tyre size on the sidewall. Keep the invoice and sidewall photo together for warranty records.