From Passion to Precision:
The Journey Behind Slick Rick’s Auto Works

It all started with a spark—a quiet passion I didn’t even know I had. During my junior year of high school, I picked up a book on body repair at the library. One picture caught my eye: a man on his knees, covered in grease, installing a bumper. I told myself, “I’ll never do that.” Funny how life works, though, because that picture planted a seed. I joined a high school program called BOCES in New York, and by the time I graduated, I was hooked. I had found my calling.

Two years later, I followed that passion all the way to Houston, Texas, where I enrolled at Universal Technical Institute (UTI). There, I dove headfirst into collision repair, learning every detail of the craft and honing my skills.

Over the years, I worked in about 12 different body shops between New York and North Carolina, gaining experience and perfecting my trade. But what truly fueled my dream wasn’t the shop floors—it was the side work I did in my free time. Seeing a customer’s reaction to the transformation I created was like nothing else. Their excitement and gratitude lit a fire in me. That’s when I knew: I didn’t just want to fix cars; I wanted to build something of my own.

And so, Slick Rick’s Auto Works was born. The name? It’s a nod to my early days detailing cars back in high school, where I first earned the nickname “Slick.”

Slick Rick’s is more than a business to me—it’s a labor of love. It’s about taking something broken and bringing it back to life. It’s about creating art out of hard work and making customers fall in love with their cars all over again. That’s why every five-star review means so much. It’s not just feedback; it’s a reminder that I’m living my dream, one car at a time.

— Ricardo A. Fernandez. President, Slick Rick’s Auto Works