Auto detailer opens in Crown Point

Owner brings decades of expertise to practice

An article published In The Sun, May 18, 2024, written by  Shaundra Bartlett Yaw

CROWN POINT | North Country residents looking to get their automobiles and motorcycles thoroughly detailed and restored to a near off-the-showroom floor appearance need look no further than 142 Sugar Hill Road in Crown Point. The site of the brand new business, R&T Auto and Motorcycle Detailing, owner Richard Hollander is eager to share his passion for immaculate motor vehicles with the community.

“I’m a local guy and my customers will get some really great service- I love to do this, and I feel I am good at it,” said Hollander. “There is a need for this type of service in this area. In my experience, people love their cars but don’t seem to like cleaning them- I’m here to help them with that. ”

Hollander is no stranger to owning a business- he has three already under his belt, and has already owned another vehicle detailing practice 25 years ago outside of New York City. Moving to Vermont, and eventually finding himself settled in Crown Point with his wife, Trina, Hollander saw a need in the area for excellent work performed at a price that people could afford. With his new shop methodized and ready to take on vehicles of all shapes, makes, and sizes, Hollander is ready to hit the ground running.

“A lot of people don't like to travel too far and there isn’t too much in Crown Point as far as services we need, you have to travel to Plattsburgh or Queensbury,” Hollander observed. “When people drop their car or motorcycle off, they will see we have a really friendly and clean, organized setup.”

With that setup, Hollander offers a plethora of exterior and interior services with many different packages customers may select from.

“The Interior is cleaned, vacuumed, and  shampooed,” the owner explained. “I wipe everything down, apply Armor All, clean the rubber mats, clean the windows, all that good stuff. I am using all high-end cleaners that I have used over many, many years that I stick with.”

Customers opting for the complete package will also receive an exterior clean, which is a hand wash that covers windows, tires, rim cleanings, and Maguiar’s Detail Wax will be applied afterwards as the cherry on top.

“The car will be thoroughly treated from the front bumper to the rear bumper. Everything that is dirty will be cleaned,” Hollander assured. “If there are deep scratches I really can't do too much with that, but if there is road tar, bugs, things of that nature, I can usually get 99.9 percent of all that stuff. I am confident when people get their cars back they will be pleasantly shocked with the end result.”

A self-professed neat freak with four vehicles and a motorcycle of his own, Hollander said he receives comments from passersby regularly on the appearance of his own cars, and desires to bring that same level of conscientiousness and care to others.

“I’m not trying to take business away from other people, I’m just looking to add some extra income onto my plate,” he said. “My prices are competitive, and they are reasonable for the amount of work that has to be done. For example, it takes four hours to detail a large Harley, and they aren’t easy to clean. A lot of time and effort goes into making sure everything gets done correctly.”



Hollander, who enjoys chatting and interacting with his customers just as much as he enjoys the physical task of vehicle detailing itself, believes there is no substitute for good old-fashioned customer service and building a business reputation based on high standards, integrity, fairness, and reliability.

“I like to communicate with my customers and when they pick up their vehicle I love to explain the process and point things out to them,” he assured. “I am on top of everything and I know how to run a business; I know people don't like it when they don’t receive a call or an email back. I do the right thing and I follow up- I take care of my customers.”