Servicing
What an Annual Supercar Service Actually Contains
On a Ferrari the scheduled service costs nothing for seven years, because it is already paid for. What that programme does not cover is where the annual bill actually comes from.
Almost every published figure for what a supercar costs to service annually is answering a question the owner of a recent car does not have. On a Ferrari, scheduled maintenance is included for seven years: labour, original parts, lubricants, engine oil and brake fluid, with no charge at the service desk. The annual bill in those years is made entirely of items the programme does not touch.
What the programme covers
Ferrari's Genuine Maintenance programme comes as standard on new cars and covers all regular maintenance for the first seven years of the car's life. Official retailers describe the content as labour, original replacement parts, lubricants, engine oil and brake fluid, carried out at scheduled inspections and recorded in the manufacturer's database.
Three details decide how much it is worth:
- The interval is time first. Inspections are scheduled once a year, or a maximum of every 20,000 km, which official material also expresses as about 12,500 miles. The exact conversion of 12,500 miles is 20,116.8 km, so the two published forms of the same interval differ by roughly 117 km.
- There is no total mileage cap. The interval repeats, and a car covering high distances reaches it more often rather than exhausting an allowance.
- It follows the car. The remaining years pass to the next owner on sale, and qualifying pre owned cars bought from an official dealer are covered too.
That last point has a resale consequence that is rarely priced. A four year old car still carries three years of scheduled maintenance for its next owner. That is a transferable asset attached to the vehicle identification number, and it is worth more than the equivalent gap in a service history costs.
Where the annual bill comes from anyway
A covered car is not a free car. Everything that wears rather than being scheduled is outside the programme, and on this class of machine those items are not small. Figures published by an official retailer for work after the programme ends give the order of magnitude:
| Item | Typical range, USD | Scheduled or wear |
|---|---|---|
| Annual service | 1,200 to 2,000 | scheduled, covered for 7 years |
| Oil service | 800 to 1,500 | scheduled, covered for 7 years |
| Brake pads | 2,000 to 5,000 | wear |
| Brake discs | 5,000 to 12,000 | wear |
| Tyres, set of four | 2,500 to 4,500 | wear |
| Clutch, older models | 6,000 to 12,000 | wear |
Add the wear lines at their midpoints and a single year that happens to need pads, discs and tyres runs to about 15,500 USD on a car whose scheduled servicing cost nothing. The two facts sit together without contradicting each other, and quoting either one alone produces a misleading answer.
What changes in year eight
When the programme ends, the scheduled work moves onto the owner's account at the retailer figures above, roughly 1,200 to 2,000 USD a year for the annual service. That is a real step, and it is smaller than most owners expect because it sits alongside wear costs that were already being paid.
On a car reaching that point at eight years old, three costs tend to arrive within a short period: the first uncovered service, a set of age dated tyres, and brake work. At the midpoints of the published ranges that is 1,600 plus 3,500 plus 3,500, so 8,600 USD in a year where nothing has gone wrong. Add discs at their 8,500 midpoint and the same uneventful year reaches 17,100 USD.
What to ask before booking
The questions that change the invoice are narrow and worth asking in this order.
- Is this car still inside its programme, and how many years remain? On a used purchase this is checkable against the vehicle identification number rather than the book.
- Which items on the quote are scheduled and which are wear? The split is the whole invoice on a covered car.
- Is the brake fluid due on the calendar? It ages chemically and its interval is stated in years, so a car that has barely moved still reaches it.
- What has been deferred? Work identified and not carried out is the difference between this year's bill and next year's.
Questions readers ask
What does an annual supercar service cost?
On a Ferrari inside its Genuine Maintenance programme, the scheduled service costs nothing for the first seven years. Official retailer figures put the annual service at roughly 1,200 to 2,000 USD once the programme ends, with an oil service at 800 to 1,500 USD.
What is included in the seven year programme?
Labour, original replacement parts, lubricants, engine oil and brake fluid at the scheduled inspections, recorded in the manufacturer's database. Wear items such as tyres, brake pads, discs and clutches are not included.
How often is the service due?
Once a year, or a maximum of every 20,000 km, whichever comes first. Official material also expresses that as about 12,500 miles, which converts to 20,116.8 km, a difference of roughly 117 km between the two published forms.
Does the cover pass to a new owner?
Yes. The remaining years follow the car rather than the buyer, and qualifying pre owned cars from an official dealer carry it as well. A four year old car still has three years of scheduled maintenance attached to it.
Is there a mileage limit on the programme?
There is no total mileage cap. The interval simply repeats, so a car covering long distances reaches its scheduled inspections more often rather than running out of an allowance.
What does the first year after the programme cost?
Scheduled work returns at roughly 1,200 to 2,000 USD, and it often coincides with age dated tyres and brake work. At the midpoints of the published ranges, service plus tyres plus pads is about 8,600 USD in a year where nothing has broken, and about 17,100 USD if discs are due as well.
Sources
- Ferrari of Houston, seven year maintenance, for the programme content, the once a year or maximum 20,000 km interval and the transfer to a new owner.
- Ferrari of Fort Lauderdale, maintenance guide, for the 12,500 mile or annual interval and the published ranges for annual service, oil service, brakes, tyres and clutch.