The cost of keeping a supercar on the road has always been high, but one Bugatti Veyron owner recently proved that it doesn’t always have to be astronomical—if you’re smart, well-connected, and a little bit lucky.
Carl Hartley, director of a high-end supercar showroom in the UK, shared a cautionary yet amusing tale from the world of hypercar ownership. His Bugatti Veyron—an icon in modern automotive history and the first production car to break the 1,000-horsepower barrier—developed a minor issue: the adjustment wheel on the exterior mirror became loose.
A trivial problem by everyday car standards, but not when you own a Veyron.
Upon visiting an authorized Bugatti service center, Hartley was quoted an eye-watering £9,500 plus VAT—roughly €13,300—for the repair. The reason? The official fix reportedly required a full replacement of the door trim, mirror motor, and wiring harness, all due to a single small switch.
But rather than hand over the sum, Hartley decided to challenge the system.
Leveraging connections in the motorsport world, including a friend with Formula 1 experience, he discovered a far simpler—and significantly cheaper—solution. With Bugatti being part of the Volkswagen Group, many of its components are shared with less exotic models. A replacement wheel sourced from a genuine Volkswagen parts kit cost just over €1. The fix took 20 minutes. The bill? Nothing—his friend refused to charge for the job.
“It’s ridiculous when you think about it,” Hartley remarked. “They were quoting me more than thirteen grand for something we solved with a one-euro part and a bit of time.”
His story underscores a broader issue facing owners of aging hypercars. While the upfront cost of owning a Veyron easily exceeds one million euros, the long-term maintenance costs can be even more daunting. Between specialized service, rare parts, insurance, and sky-high fuel consumption (at top speed, the Veyron drains its tank in just 12 minutes), the expenses can exceed €250,000 over the car’s lifetime.
For many, it’s the price of admission into an elite club of automotive aficionados. But as Hartley’s experience shows, even the world’s most exclusive machines are not immune to absurd repair costs—and sometimes, common sense and a few connections can trump the official route.
So next time your mirror adjustment wheel acts up, maybe skip the dealer—unless you’re okay with trading a one-euro fix for a five-figure bill.
Source: Carscoops
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