A Quality Oil Filter is Important

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A Quality Oil Filter is Important

At Meister Werks, we only use the highest quality oil filter on your vehicle. In this demonstration you can see the difference between high quality and low quality oil filters.

Both filters were removed from the same car, using the same oil. However the interval was drastically different. The one on the top left is a quality oil filter manufactured by Mann, a German company. The other filter pictured has clearly collapsed, which makes it much less effective at filtering oil. These lower quality oil filters can also start disintegrating and get in your oil system, which creating larger problems down the road. The bottom right filter was only used for 1,000 miles, while the other one was used for over 5,000 miles.

Despite what the dealer or manufacturer recommends, we suggest changing your oil and filter at 5,000 miles on all your vehicles. Some manufacturers recommend changing the oil and filter every 10,000 miles, this is a national average and does not take into account our local climate, the driver’s driving style, or the manner in which the vehicle is used. For example, a vehicle that is used mostly for short trips in stop and go traffic means you may need your oil changed more frequently, such as 3,000 miles. Some people who do a lot of long distance freeway driving might be able to go longer than 5,000 miles. Our standard recommendation is 5,000.

At Meister Werks, we help you keep track of your vehicle’s oil service intervals and make sure your vehicle is in tip top shape with our courtesy 30 point inspection. We also use the highest quality oil and filters on the market for your European or import vehicle. Sometimes a quick change oil service company seems convenient, however they might not use quality parts or proper oil which can result in damage or breakdowns and they may not perform inspections which could uncover additional maintenance and repairs your vehicle needs.

Contact us today and get your oil and filter service appointment. To make an appointment, call 425-254-0627 or email us. Meister Werks European & Import is located one block south from The Renton Landing in Renton, WA.

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Open Saturdays

Meister Werks Open Saturdays

Our shop, open Saturdays

Did you know that Meister Werks is open Saturdays?

We know your work schedule may make it difficult to get your vehicle in to get serviced during standard business hours. This is why we are open until 6pm on weekdays, and on Saturdays from 10am – 3pm! We also have a key drop box to make it convenient to drop of your vehicle any time, before or after work.

Need a loaner? We have you covered, no extra charge! When scheduling your appointment, just mention that you would like to reserve courtesy our loaner car.

To make an appointment, call 425-254-0627 or email us. Meister Werks European & Import is located one block south from The Renton Landing in Renton, WA.

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2018 Mini Cooper Edition 7 – H&R Lowering Springs Install

2018 Mini Cooper H&R Lower Springs Install

Yesterday we completed an H&R lowering spring install on a 2018 Mini Cooper S Edition 7. This car comes from the factory with a sporty suspension, but not everybody likes the softer feel of it. The H&R lowering springs will change that spring rate to a slightly stiffer one while maintaining a comfortable ride. These lowering springs will lower the car approximately 1.1″ in the front and back.

Lowering springs and alignment.

Before, on the day of purchase.

Since this is such a new platform, there is little information available. However, the F56 platform is the same throughout all 2014-2018 Mini Cooper S models.

After removing the stock suspension and installing the lowering springs, we put the car up on the alignment rack to get everything straighten out. The camber was set a little in at 1.75º, this gives the car a little better handling characteristics in the corners. Tire wear should be minimal with this camber setting.

Over all, these springs give a much better ride quality and improved drivability. They perform much better than OEM springs and make the driving experience very fun.

Stock Suspension
H&R Springs
H&R Springs
H&R Springs
H&R Springs
H&R Springs

If you want lowering springs on your car, call 425-254-0627 or email us to make your appointment. Meister Werks European & Import is located one block south from The Renton Landing in Renton, WA.

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1988 VW GTI 16v Wheel Spacers

1988 VW GTI 16v Wheel Spacers

On Saturday our customer David came in for some wheel spacers on his ’88 VW GTI 16v. When he came in, he didn’t know which spacers he needed. After we discussed his options, he decided to have us test fit multiple sizes for him. We removed the wheels, installed 5, 10, 15 and 20mm spacers and showed him where the wheel would sit.

On this GTI 16v, the hubs are different than most VWs with a 4×100 bolt pattern. When we tried installing the 5 mm spacers, they fit fine but were not quite what he was looking for. Then we went on to the 10mm and 15mm spacers. The hub centric section that centers the wheel and spacer has very little room to mount it flush. This is due to the extended hub on this model. It is difficult to get the spacer to fit correctly with these sized hubs. Some cars, such as Mk3 platform VWs do not have this problem. Also vehicles with rear disk brake also typically do not have this problem.

Animated .gif of before and after the 20mm spacer installed. (click on photo to watch)

After trying those sizes, we went to the 20mm spacer. These fit perfectly, and the fitment and spacing were on point. Although the rear looks great, the front also needs some spacers. David decided to wait on the fronts, however they could used some 10mm or 15mm spacers too.

Side note: When the job was complete I jokingly asked, “How much are you selling the car for?” To my surprise, he said “I’ll sell it, do you want to buy it?” Apparently this SUPER CLEAN mk2 GTI is for sale for the right price. If you are interested in it, give us a call and we’ll put you in contact with the owner.

If you need some custom fitment for your European car, call us 425-254-0627 or email us to make your appointment. Meister Werks European & Import is located one block south from The Renton Landing in Renton, WA.

 

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Air ride custom trunk

Custom Trunk for Air Ride

This morning we delivered Dominick’s custom trunk air ride set up. Dom brought his car in for some air ride maintenance. After doing an inspection on the entire system he decided to have everything redone.

We started by rerunning all the airlines and made sure everything was secure and in the right places. We also pulled the Airlift Performance 3P harness out and rewired that. Afterwards we built a entirely new custom trunk setup with hardwood floors. We anchored the tank, manifold and compressor onto the hardwood and rewired the trunk harness for easy accessibility. After that we put a fresh coat of bronze chrome powder from Prismatic Powders and a thick coat of Clear Vision clear-coat. Lastly we re-plumbed all the air lines into the tank and compressor so everything was nice and clean.

After all was said and done, this custom trunk turned out very nice! Thanks to our installers, Keenan and Luke for turning this out so quickly for Dom.

For more info for your custom trunk, call 425-254-0627 or email us to make your appointment. Meister Werks European & Import is located one block south from The Renton Landing in Renton, WA.

 

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Black Friday to Cyber Monday Sale

Radi8 Black Friday 2017Radi8 Wheels USA Black Friday Sale for all models. Buy three wheels get one  FREE!! Please contact us for more information. Come in or call Monday to reserve yours!

These wheels are the biggest upcoming wheel on the market. Come in and see their line up in our show room. These unique designs will set your car apart. These wheels come in many different sizes and offsets for your European or Japanese vehicle.

Radi8 is a brand manufacture thrive to develop unique wheel designs and always continue to innovate new ideas. The passion of pursuing perfection and capability based on our many years of R&D experiences that lead us to make many breakthroughs on wheel design.

Just read some of the reviews they have on their facebook page,

“Radi8 is top notch! They have some of the best customer service in the world. They have the dopest wheels around. They don’t charge a fortune for they’re wheels. And they are innovators in the wheels game.” – Brett

“When I first saw their wheels I immediately fell in love. They are so different than anything else on the market. Bryan has been super responsive and had no problem answering any of my obviously noob questions. I cannot recommend this company enough. If you’re looking for a unique set of wheels this is definitely the company to go with, trust me. I just got a set of r8a10’s and the dark mist in person will blow your mind. I have never been more happy with a set of wheels than I am with these.” – Justin

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Mk1 VW Scirocco Custom Wheels

Mk1 VW Scirocco Custom Wheels

Meister Werks has an special way to convert a OEM wheel into a 3 piece custom wheel. These VW Scirocco wheels have been machined to accept BBS Motorsport racing lips. We machine these wheels from a 13″ and upsize them to a 15″ using this technique. We can  bolt directly on to this pattern 15″,16″ and 17″ lips and barrels.

After we converted these 3 piece VW wheels, we powder coated them with a base coat of gold and a top coat of candy lollypop red. Masking the flanges and back side was necessary since we have to seal the back barrel with silicone. The front side uses a gasket also made by BBS. Since these are both flat lip and barrels, there is no way to mount the tires. The wheel must be assembled inside the tires. On 16″ and 17″ BBS Motorsport lips, this is not a problem since they are not flat lips. The 16″ & 17″ barrels have a drop that allows the tire mount with a regular tire machine and does not require a gasket.

Pricing to convert these VW wheels to a 3 piece wheel starts at $3000 and goes up, depending on machining times, materials and hardware.

Custom Scirocco Wheels 2

Custom Scirocco Wheels 1

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BMW 325i E30 Day at Meister Werks

BMW 325i E30 Day at Meister Werks

One day last week was BMW 325i day at Meister Werks European and Import in Renton, WA 1 block south from The Renton Landing.

It’s a strange phenomenon how we always see vehicles come in twos. Some weeks it’s twin black Mercedes SL500, other weeks is two BMW X5s. Last week we had two E30 platform, BMW325i in the shop. The white vehicle was in for a new rebuild transmission. We sent the transmission out to get rebuilt and it came back absolutely beautiful. Not only did they bead blast the case, they completely removed all the internals and valve body, then replaced everything with fresh, new parts.

BMW E30

BMW 3 Series E30 325i

BMW E30s are known by BMW enthusiasts as the go to for BMW performance, modifications and tuning. The BMW on the right is a daily driver for a student, while the one on the right is our employee Luke’s car. Both were having problems that we diagnosed with in a hour.

As it states above, the white convertable needed a transmission. We installed a used transmission for the customer hoping to save them money. However the transmission we received from our parts supplier was also faulty. The 325i E30 automatic transmissions are known to have many faults and issues though out the twelve year production of the vehicle (1982-1994)

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