Mat Armstrong planned to take both of his Bugatti Veyrons back to the place where they were built. His yellow car needed help before it could leave for France: selecting drive made the engine stall, while reverse still worked.
In his YouTube video, Armstrong works through the fault on the yellow Oakley Design Veyron. It had just returned from having paint protection film fitted, ready for the trip, but unloading it turned into another repair job.
With a Monday meeting at Bugatti approaching, the yellow car stayed at the workshop in the U.K. His blue Veyron made the journey, while Armstrong took an Audi RS6 to Molsheim, France.
He also wanted answers about buying parts. After struggling to obtain components for his projects, Armstrong hoped a visit to Bugatti would help him get the service items needed for the yellow car.
Under the Panels
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Before leaving, Armstrong and his team checked the gearbox’s hydraulic pressure. The reading fell quickly, and the pump repeatedly switched back on to build it up. Without an obvious fluid leak underneath, they focused on the pressure accumulators and planned a gearbox service.
Those accumulators store pressure for the transmission to use. Transmission-parts supplier SequParts explains that the Veyron’s two accumulators help supply oil pressure during gear changes and clutch operation. Worn accumulators can cause the hydraulic pump to run more often, among other symptoms.
Reaching the parts meant stripping off bodywork and working behind a side window. By Saturday evening, with the gearbox oil draining and the meeting two days away, the yellow Veyron was staying put.
Through the Gates
At Bugatti, Armstrong asked a representative introduced as Alexis why he could not buy service parts. Alexis explained that an independent workshop could request service items through an official Bugatti dealer using the car’s vehicle identification number, or VIN.
For crash-related or safety-related parts, such as airbags and windscreens, Alexis described a tighter limit. He explained that if an airbag failed to deploy properly in a crash, Bugatti could face liability without knowing whether the part or its installation was at fault.
Armstrong returned with service items and began fitting the gearbox kit. Asked how much it cost, he answered, “Uh no,” followed by laughter.
Back on the Lift
The work went beyond an oil change. Armstrong fitted a new gearbox pump and two new accumulators, replaced seals, and used an ultrasonic cleaner on metal filters he chose to reuse while keeping replacements for the future.
Removing the old pump revealed brittle tape and damaged wire insulation. While the car was apart, he also replaced dirty, deteriorating engine air filters and topped up coolant.
After adding fresh transmission fluid, the team opened a door to trigger the gearbox pump. Armstrong listened as it primed, then they started the engine and tested movement in both directions. This time, the Veyron went forward without stalling and also reversed.
A separate starting fault still needed work. During checks around the starter relay, the team continued to get inconsistent results, and Armstrong considered replacing it. By the end of the video, they had not established why the car sometimes delayed starting.