f you haven’t heard the name Ryan Friedlinghaus, you obviously are not a car fan, because this is the dude behind the crazy success of West Coast Customs and its cool builds. He was also the man behind the dubious success of Pimp My Ride, with many of the cars being trolled by the audience as being way too fake, unreal, and impossible to maintain off the camera.
After four years of Pimp My Ride, WCC broke up with MTV, and in 2011, debuted a new show called Inside West Coast Customs, and it ran all way till 2018, changing networks and finally landing on Discovery’s Motor Trend. The show’s claim to fame was Friedlinghaus, of course, and also the various celebrities who came on his show.
Some of them are Justin Bieber, Post Malone, Shaquille O’Neal, the Jonas brothers, Travis Scott, Kid Rock, Chris Brown, Mark Wahlberg, and will.I.am. While there is little to no information on Ryan's current whereabouts as he seems to be very private on social media.
But we do see him on Instagram posting on the latest builds from WCC. So, it is very much likely that he has taken a back seat at the custom house. And being a family man, Ryan is dedicating more of his time to family; and helping his children flourish in their businesses.
Updated August 2022: Ryan has single-handedly managed to make WCC a worldwide phenomenon, but his legacy is a stained one. We have updated this article with the latest information on Ryan Friedlinghaus From West Coast Customs and what is currently up to.
Since the show’s end, there has been little on TV about Ryan Friedlinghaus, and his current chemistry with West Coast Customs.
The Trials and Tribulations Of Being Ryan Friedlinghaus
There has been plenty of controversy surrounding Ryan Friedlinghaus and West Coast Customs to last him a lifetime. From allegations that the various vehicles of Pimp My Ride were pimped-up only cosmetically, to West Coast Customs getting into trouble because of overworked and underpaid employees, things have not only been easy for all those involved with WCC.
In fact, Ryan Friedlinghaus had to pay a fine, to the tune of $150,000 that was categorized as back-pay, since the U.S labor department’s investigation concluded that WCC has been paying weekly fixed salaries instead of the hourly basis, they should have been paying by.
They were also not paying overtime to their workers, all of which was then righted by the company which now claims to do everything by the book, according to all government norms. If that weren’t enough, there have been plenty of disgruntled customers as well, when WCC missed deadlines or delivered the end product to the dissatisfaction of their clientele.
But WCC and Ryan Friedlinghaus have persevered, and a lot of it is because of Friedlinghaus’s closeness with various celebrities. In fact, his entire jump into the business happened because of Shaquille O’Neal who not only got WCC to customize his rides but later recommended him to other celebrities and biggies.
Ryan Jr. In West Coast Customs
In Season 5, Episode 3, we saw WCC build a custom 2013 Scion FR-S for Ryan Jr. This was the first encounter with Ryan's son on the show. Since that episode, we presume that Ryan Jr. was active behind the camera, and he inculcated an affinity for cars and customization. By the end of 2021, we got news of Ryan Jr. helping his dad out in the car business.
But Ryan Jr. happens to have taken his own path to freedom with his own business venture of a clothing line. He has launched a clothing line, Pas De Faux. But the Facebook page of this clothing line hasn't been updated since 2015! His second son Dylan is a singer and is quite popular on YouTube on his channel - Dynamite Dylan. In January 2020, he released his first single, “Outcast” and even before that, he had released a song in collaboration with Post Malone, “You” in 2018.
And now, on Ryan’s social media account, there’s a new song by Dylan, “Neptune”, featuring a DMC DeLorean done up in grungy-silver, and very up West Coast Customs alley. It seems the mantle of being famous is now being shared by Ryan’s kids. Although, doesn't the song not sound just a bit like “Blinding Lights” by The Weeknd?
Dylan Friedlinghaus Is More Invested In Family Now
Ryan Friedlinghaus, by all reports, is a happily married man to his wife Meaghan, and the couple has three children: sons Dylan and Ryan Jr and daughter Briana. Contrary to all the speculations, Ryan Friedlinghaus is very much part of West Coast Customs.
But unlike the early years, he has cooled down a bit and taken the back seat. The company has made quite the reputation of coolness, that it runs on its own fame now. As for Ryan, he is more invested in his family and supports both his kids' ventures. He can be seen putting up music videos and clothing apparel posts on his social media accounts and helping his children rise and shine.
Sources: YouTube, Instagram, BossHunting, Press-Enterprise