What does an average oil change cost these days? $40-50? On some European imports, it can go up to something around the $75-100 range because of specialty filters and the upcharge going to a dealership. This upcharge of $50 for an oil change is pretty frustrating; imagine what the service on something like, oh, I don’t, a $3 million Bugatti Veyron might be like. 

How about $20,000 for an oil change for your Bugatti Veyron?

I did not make a typo. I didn’t fat finger the “0” key and throw a bunch of extras on there; Bugatti did that. Bugatti will stick you with a $20,000 bill if you need a fresh couple of quarts of oil. As seen on The Drive, Houston Crosta decided to do his own oil change on his Bugatti Veyron and pocket the $20k. Crosta’s supercar rental company Royalty Exotic Car in Las Vegas decided they could handle the maintenance themselves. 

What makes the oil change on the Veyron so expensive? 

Apparently, this is not just a rich person trap. The oil change process for a Bugatti Veyron is not for the faint of heart. Not unlike any other maintenance for a Veyron, it is expensive because it is extremely complex. As Crosta says in the video, the oil change takes an unbelievable 27 hrs. The sheer amount of panels and other pieces that have to come off to access the 16 oil drains is enough to see where the time goes, but I have a feeling we ain’t seen nothing yet. 

If the 16 drains weren’t enough of a pain, the Bugatti Veyron also takes 60w oil which is super thick making it take a long time to drain. 

The Bugatti Veyron has to be mostly taken apart to change the oil

The further you get into the Veyron DIY oil change video the more you may find yourself more and more astounded at the extent to which they have to deconstruct the car. It’s hard to find much sympathy for Bugatti owners, but the money here is astounding. When you buy a $3 million dollar hypercar, you might expect maintenance fees like this. 

But what makes the Bugatti so complex?

This isn’t your Hyundai Elantra, the Bugatti Veyron has an 8-liter quad-turbocharged W16 engine making 1,200 hp and a little over 1,100 lb-ft of torque. The Veyron comes with a 7-speed DSG automated manual transmission. Are you starting to see the trend of complex mechanics here?

The Bugatti Veyron was, at one point, the fastest car in the world. I’m talking about 0-60 mph in 2.5 seconds and 0-100 mph in 4.9 seconds. The top speed for a Bugatti Veyron is electronically limited to 257 miles per hour. This is, of course, old news, but it is still astounding. 

No matter what the future of cars holds, The Bugatti Veyron will always be an icon

As massive gas-powered engines getting 5 miles per gallon continue to die off, the Bugatti will remain the king of dramatic, obscenely expensive, and face tearingly fast. The $20,000 and up maintenance bills are only fitting for a car so painfully over the top.