You’re broken down on the side of the road. The engine’s silent, your hazard lights are flashing, and your phone battery is draining fast. Now what?
You can either pop the bonnet and have a go, or you can call in the professionals. Knowing when to call a recovery service can save you time, money, and even keep you safe. In this guide, we’ll walk you through common scenarios and help you decide whether it’s a simple DIY fix… or a situation best left to Red’s Recovery.
Quick fixes you can try yourself
There are a few minor issues that most people should be able to fix themselves. If you have the know-how and aren’t afraid to get your hands dirty, you can save yourself the cost of recovery and repair. Some easy DIY jobs include:
Flat tyre – Providing you have a spare tyre, wheel wrench, and jack, you can change and replace any of your own tyres. First, make sure you’ve pulled over in a safe location. After jacking your car up, it’s as simple as undoing the wheel nuts, replacing the wheel, and tightening them back up.
Dead battery – If you have jump cables and a helper, you should be able to get your car started long enough to get home or to the nearest garage. If no one is available and you happen to have a manual car, you could try bump-starting it. This can be risky on your own, and I wouldn’t recommend it if you’ve never done it before.
Situations where you should call a recovery service
Not everything can be fixed with a quick DIY job, and sometimes trying to do it yourself can actually make things worse. There are certain situations where it’s just not worth the risk or hassle. If you’re unsure, out of your depth, or in an unsafe spot, it’s time to call in the professionals.
Here’s when you should pick up the phone:
You’re on a motorway or dual carriageway –
These roads are dangerous places to be broken down, especially with cars flying past at 70mph. Don’t risk your safety messing about with tools near fast-moving traffic. Get yourself to a safe spot behind the barrier and call recovery straight away.
You can’t figure out what’s wrong –
If your broken down on the side of the road or car just won’t start and you have no clue why, it’s better to leave it alone. Fiddling around might do more harm than good and can turn a small issue into a big (and expensive) one.
There’s smoke, a burning smell or strange noises –
All signs that something could be seriously wrong. This is where you need a trained eye. Carrying on driving or trying to patch it up yourself can lead to more damage—or even fire.
You feel unsafe or you’re alone at night –
Your safety comes first. If you’re broken down in an unfamiliar area, or it’s dark and isolated, it’s always better to wait for a professional recovery driver to get you back on the road safely.
Common mistakes people make trying to fix it themselves
We’ve seen it all, and sometimes the biggest problems come from people trying to be heroes with no experience. Here are a few things to avoid if you’re thinking about giving it a go:
Making things worse –
Jump-starting a modern car without knowing what you’re doing can damage the electronics. The same goes for poking around under the bonnet when you’re not 100% sure what’s wrong.
Trying to change a tyre in a bad spot –
We get it—you want to sort it yourself. But changing a tyre on a blind bend or on the hard shoulder isn’t worth the risk. Always think about your safety first.
Using the wrong tools or parts –
Not all fixes are as easy as they seem. Using the wrong size spanner or placing the jack in the wrong spot can cause serious damage.
Guessing the problem and wasting time –
We often get called out to jobs where someone’s tried three or four things before giving up. Save yourself the stress—if it’s not something you know you can fix safely, don’t push it.
While our egos may want us to fix our issues on our own, there’s no shame in calling for recovery—especially at Red’s, where our local, friendly recovery team is working day and night to help. We offer fair-priced recovery, nationwide, 24/7.
Save our number now before you need it to save you time and hassle so next time you’re broken down on the side of the road: 01634 926801