The 6.2- and 6.5-litre V12 engines used in the Murcielago are very strong and the mechanical components are very reliable. An annual service will be around £1,100 from an independent specialist, but this can rise to around £3,500 for a major garage stop.
So it's 580, 640, 650 or 670hp, OK?
A regular check is required every 7,500 miles or 12 months, so that will be once a year for most owners. Expect a Murcielago to use around a litre of oil every 1,000 miles in normal use. When checking the service records of any prospective purchase built up to 2004, make sure there's a note to say that the spark plug's sealing boot fix was carried out to eliminate water getting into the plugs and causing rough running.
A more likely cause of lumpy running and an uneven idle is due to the throttle bodies going out of tune. It's sorted by updating the LDAS software, while cleaning the throttle bodies is also good practice at the same time.
Clutches take a lot of the strain from the V12 and four-wheel drive system. Manuals are less harsh on the clutch but can still chew through one in less than 10,000 miles easily if you indulge in regular full-bore standing starts. Driven with some care, the clutch in a manual should last up to 20,000 miles and an aftermarket Kevlar clutch is available from the USA for around £4,000 that is suited to track day use.
Clutches are pricey, but the V12 itself is tough
The worst offender though is the E-gear transmission, especially on cars subjected to a lot of urban driving. This 'box will wear a clutch more quickly than a manual, but this is often due to the driver using left-foot braking while applying the throttle or balancing the car on a hill using a whiff of throttle rather than the handbrake. However, the E-gear set-up is much better than its reputation suggests. The key to getting the best from it is to learn when to come off the throttle to ease shifts whether using the paddles or leaving it in auto mode to give the transmission a longer life. Improvements to the E-gear system with the launch of the LP640 in 2006 helped, including a larger, more robust rear differential. However, it wasn't until 2009 that Lamborghini seemed to get on top of this transmission's weaknesses with updated software.
Fuel is a big cost as the car has an official average economy of 13.1mpg. That doesn't stop many owners fitting an aftermarket exhaust to make even more of the V12's sound though! One of the most common is the Larini set-up, which will cost you from £1,500 for the back box and pipes.
PHer's view:
"I never had any major mechanical breakdowns to date (touch wood). The bulk of the money is to fill up the car with Shell Optimax."
Al See