Bugatti has always been notorious for high servicing and maintenance costs, which is logical considering the asking price for their cheapest model is over $2.5 million. The company is offering a dedicated global service program for the Chiron and Veyron, but what is the real cost of ownership?
Muhammad Al Qawi Zamani, a Bugatti enthusiast from Malaysia who lives in Singapore, visited Bugatti’s newly established Singapore showroom and got detailed information on the maintenance of the Chiron Pur Sport. His goal was to calculate how much it would cost to maintain the $3-million limited-edition hypercar in a period of four years.
All the costs you are going to read are converted from Singapore Dollars to Malaysian Ringgits and then back to US Dollars / Euro, so take them as indicative figures. They also don’t include any taxes, labor fees, transport, and travel costs.
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If you select Bugatti’s service program, a team of 10 highly-trained Bugatti technicians will travel all around the world to service your Chiron or Veyron in the best possible way, and they are available to talk to 24/7.
The first service is due on 14 months/16,000 km (~10k miles). The technicians will start by replacing the engine oil using Castrol Edge Fluid Titanium Technology SAE 10W-60, the oil filter, coolant, and sixteen drainage plugs for RM 104,613 ($24,979 / €21,271). If you think that is expensive, wait until you read the rest of the list.
Replacing the front carbon ceramic rotor discs and the 3D-printed calipers with titanium brake pad plates cost RM246,891 ($58,952 / €50,318), while replacing brake fluids, cables, and cleaning brake components will add another RM246,886 ($58,951 / €50,316). Every 14-16 months/16,000km you will also need to replace your lightweight rims which cost RM209,225 ($49,958 / €42,641) for the whole set.
Then we move on to the tires which must be changed every 16 and 18 months. The good thing here is that you have options but in any case, nothing comes cheap. If you prioritize comfort, Bugatti will sell you a set of Pirelli Winter Sottozero 3, Michelin Pilot Sport PAX, or Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 XL, for RM33,476 ($7,993 / €6,822).
On the other hand, if you want maximum traction you should get the Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2R tires developed for the Chiron Pur Sport, sized 285/30 R20 at the front and 355/25 R21 at the rear. Naturally, those are more expensive selling for RM175,749 ($41,965 / €35,735) a set, but they also provide better handling on the track.
At 42 to 48 months of ownership, you will need to replace Garrett’s quad turbochargers for RM108,797 ($25,978 / €22,170), since this is their maximum lifespan. While you are at it, add a set of air duct coolers for RM92,059 ($21,982 / €18,718). At this point, you will also need a new fuel tank which costs RM184,118 ($43,963 / €37,437) since it is made of vulcanized rubber, multiple layers of reinforced fabrics, and Kevlar. Finally, add another RM119,677 ($28,576 / €24,391) for engine tuning and calibration in order to extract all of the 1,479 hp (1,103 kW / 1,500 PS) from the 8.0-liter, quad-turbo W16.
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A windscreen replacement costs RM251,070 ($59,949 / €51,169), and even wiper blades are selling for RM15,902 ($3,797 / €3,240). Another critical issue is the paint of the Chiron Pur Sport which costs RM230,963 ($55,148 / €47,071). Thus, the company suggests you should never jet wash the car, and only hand-clean it using the special equipment.
Adding it all up, in four years’ time (48 months) you will need at least three oil changes, two rim/tire changes, a set of brakes (discs/calipers), engine tuning plus a single replacement for the quad turbos, the air duct coolers, and the fuel tank. This means the total cost is roughly RM2,000,000, which equals $477,498 / €407,577 – and that’s excluding taxes, labor fees, transport, and travel costs. [Muhammad calculated the four-year-cost at a more sensible RM1,612,000 ($384,909 / €327,768).]
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For owners that don’t intend to drive their Bugatti and only see it as an investment, maintenance will be a lot cheaper. According to Muhammad, they need to pay only RM439,373 ($104,912 / €89,337) every 14 months in order to keep their supercar in top shape – given that they don’t add any miles and they store the car in a specific location.
Muhammad suggests that a Buggati owner could get a discount of up to 30% on service charges, depending on his history with the dealership. A wise choice is to get the unlimited mileage 4-year warranty, or even extend it up to 12 years. As for the insurance, the cost will highly depend on the options of each car, location, and storage. In any case, while these costs sound exorbitant to us mere mortals, we think they wouldn’t dissuade anyone who can splurge 3 million bucks or more on a car from getting one of Molsheim’s finest.