When your car will not move, and what to do next
Cars stop at the worst possible moment, and the decisions made in the first half hour tend to be the ones that cost money afterwards. This page is about that half hour: making yourself safe, working out whether you need a truck or a jump lead, and avoiding the choices that turn an awkward evening into a bigger bill. Detail on the service itself, the loading equipment and how a vehicle is secured sits on the vehicle recovery page. If you are stranded as you read this, ring 020 4629 9469 and you will get advice on the call, not just an arrival time.
- ★★★★★ 4.9/5 from 193 Google reviews
- Written quote before any work
- Mon–Fri 8am–8pm · Sat 8am–5pm
Recovery here is not a separate outfit bolted onto a garage. The truck belongs to the same workshop that will diagnose and repair the vehicle, which changes what happens after it is loaded, because the car arrives somewhere it can be put on a ramp rather than at a storage yard waiting on the next decision. We move breakdowns and non-runners, accident-damaged cars, vehicles with a seized engine or gearbox, cars bought at auction, project vehicles that have not turned a wheel in years, and vehicles that simply need shifting from one address to another. We are a local garage with a truck rather than a national network selling a response time, and we work across South London and the roads immediately around it.
When you ring, the questions are about the situation rather than the car. Exactly where is it sitting, is it in a live lane, is anybody hurt, can it be pushed clear. On a motorway or a fast dual carriageway the answer is always the same: get out on the nearside, stand behind the barrier and dial 999 before anything else, because that scene belongs to the police until the lane is closed. Anywhere else, hazards on, stay out of the carriageway, and stop cranking the starter, which flattens the battery and on some faults makes the diagnosis harder. Once we know what we are coming to, you get a time we can realistically keep and a figure you agree to before we set off.
What a move costs is a list you can read rather than a figure you wait for. Measured in road miles from the workshop and including VAT, a vehicle that cannot be driven goes on the truck for £144 within 3 miles, £132 within 5, £180 within 7 and £216 within 10. If the car is still fit to drive and one of our staff takes the wheel instead, those same four distances are £36, £54, £72 and £90. Beyond ten miles, or to any destination other than our own unit, you get the figure on the phone, and help at the roadside such as a jump start or a wheel change is quoted when you ring, since it turns on what the car actually needs where it stands. If the vehicle comes back to us, the move and repair stay separate: the fault is investigated, a written quote follows, and nothing obliges you to have the work done here. Should you want it taken to a dealer, another garage or simply home, that is the job we will do. A hire vehicle from £36 a day inc VAT is available if you need to keep driving.
What we do
Recovery and replacement transport
Getting the vehicle moved, and getting you something to drive while it is off the road.
Faults that stop a car dead
The failures that most often end with a car on the back of a truck rather than limping home.
Finding out what happened
Once the vehicle is back at the workshop, the diagnosis and the jobs a no-start most commonly turns into.
After an accident or collision
Where a recovered car goes next when the damage is to the body rather than the mechanicals.
Why drivers choose us for this
The garage recovering it repairs it
The vehicle lands with people who can investigate it, not in a holding yard. That usually removes a day and a second transport charge from the process.
Advice while you are waiting
On the call you are told where to stand, what to stop trying and what to have ready. That matters more than the arrival time when you are on a verge in the dark.
Taken wherever you want it
Home, a dealer, a specialist or another garage entirely. We will quote that destination just as readily as bringing the car to Hackbridge.
A way home, and a way on
Hire vehicles go out from £36 a day inc VAT, and whether a courtesy car can be freed up depends on the week. Raise it on the call rather than once the truck has gone.
Get a price now
Enter your reg and pick the work. You get a real range from our own rate card before you commit to anything.
- Free, about 30 seconds, no sign-up
- Parts, labour and VAT included
- 3-month workmanship warranty
- Collection across South London
“It’s rare to find a garage you can truly trust. Fair price, brilliant customer service.”Thinushan K. · ★★★★★ Google
Prefer to talk? Call 020 4629 9469 or WhatsApp us.
Common questions
My car will not start. Is that automatically a recovery job?
Often it is not. A car that turns over slowly and clicks is usually a flat battery, and that can be tested and sometimes sorted where it stands. A car that cranks normally but never fires, or that will not turn over at all with a known-good battery, generally needs to come in. Describe what you can hear when you ring and we will tell you which of the two it sounds like.
I have put the wrong fuel in. What should I do?
Do not start the engine, and if you have not already, do not even switch the ignition on, because on most modern cars that runs the fuel pump. If the engine has not been started the fix is usually draining and flushing the system. If it has been run, the damage can extend to the pump, injectors and lines, which is a much bigger job on a diesel than a petrol. Either way the car needs moving rather than driving.
The car is drivable after an accident. Should I still have it recovered?
Judge it on three things: whether the lights, brakes and steering all work properly, whether anything is rubbing on a tyre, and whether fluid is dripping underneath. Damage near a wheel arch or a suspension mounting is the usual reason a car that feels fine should not be driven. If any airbag has gone off, the vehicle should be transported.
Can you move a car with no MOT, no tax or no keys?
A vehicle carried on the back of a truck does not need to be taxed, tested or insured to be moved, which is why barn finds and auction cars are routine work for us. No keys is workable but changes how the car is winched and secured, and an automatic that cannot be shifted out of park needs skates. Tell us on the call so the right equipment comes out first time.