"Arm, Leg, First Born."

No gas prices, just those three words - "Arm, Leg, First Born."

Several years ago, when gas prices soared, Rico Padilla, former owner of the Mobil Gas station located on the northeast corner of Walnut Hill and Audelia, fought back by replacing the astronomical gas price signs with this tongue-in-cheek phrase.

While funny to most people, Rico actually wasn’t laughing.

He was serious about the issues he began facing when gas prices soared.

"Selling gas just wasn’t fun, especially when the gas prices went to the moon," says Rico. "I wanted out of the business and made the decision to sell the property to Walgreens."

"My passion is fixing cars," he explains. "If I had nothing else but a tool box and a broken car, I’d be happy."

Fast forward a few years and Rico is now back at it, along with his new partner and Lake Highlands resident, Jeff Chapman.

Their friendship started on the race track, each having a passion for drag racing. Between the two of them, they own three classic dragsters.

"Two years ago, we met out at Redline Race Track and before we knew it, we were talking about opening our own shop in Lake Highlands," says Chapman.

Wildcat Automotive, located in the Lake Ridge Shopping Center, was the result and opened its doors just a few weeks ago.

"Our core values are to treat people with respect and produce good work with competitive pricing," says Padilla.

With 67 years of combined experience, you can rest easy when you leave your car with Jeff and Rico – there isn’t a fix-it job they haven’t seen before.

Besides the wealth of experience, both Jeff and Rico have the credentials as well.

Both are ASE Certified Master Technicians, with Rico being one of only a handful of mechanics in the country who has held the title over 30 years.

While the knowledge and ability to fix cars is important for any good mechanic, just as important is quality service. Of Jeff’s 26 years of total experience, half of those years having been strictly focused on the customer service aspect of the business.

"I was the Service Manager at Ewing GMC for the past 7 years and have been a Certified GM Service Manager for over 13," says Chapman.

"Being a good mechanic is important, but just as important is the ability to be professional in your approach. Quality service is critical to the success of our business, and we take it very seriously."

So the next time you need a good mechanic, drop in and see Rico and Jeff at Wildcat Automotive.

"With the exception of major transmission overhauls, we can handle any general automotive repair," says Rico.

Wildcat Automotive is located at 9660 Audelia Rd in the Lake Ridge Shopping center.

They're tucked just behind Wendy's on the southeast corner. Shop hours are Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m.

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