Academy Ford

Waiting for over a week for the dealer to have a loaner car available to address 3 recalls. Car breaks down so we have it towed in and service department won’t take my call because they also have customers in the lobby? What a joke. I just need a loaner car because my 2014 car is having issues driving with abs and screens blacking out?! Get it together Ford, your fading fast. New Tesla will be replacing this pos very soon

After our last visit I was not happy with Academy Ford. I made this clear to as much of the planet as I could. Just over a week later I received a phone call from Tom Woods the General Manager and we spoke for a very long time.
The gist of the conversation is that we understood each other and I was going to let him try to find the car I wanted. After some thought I gave him my list of wants and wishes. A little over a week later he called and asked if my wife and I could come in and see this vehicle. I think at this point my wife had lost all faith in Academy Ford and really didn’t want to go.
We arrived a little late on Monday evening and Tom had waited on us. He showed us the car, my wife drove it. We looked at the price which was a fair price for the what he brought us. It was missing one item that I realized I really wanted and honestly needed on the vehicle; a tow package. Tom was not sure if he could get it but said he would let us know. He called me the following morning and told me that he could have it installed and how much it would cost.
I conferred with my wife and we decided that this was the best vehicle to meet our needs right now. By now the polite and upfront treatment we received from not only Tom, but every one (including the manager involved in the earlier deal) had swung her back in favor of Academy Ford. They continued to treat us really politely throughout the entire process. Even after the sale and we had gone home, I realized I had left all of my CD’s in the truck I traded in.
They found the truck for me and had my CD’s in hand the next day for me to come and pick up. That was the above and beyond moment for me. They easily could have told me sorry we can’t help you, but they didn’t. This is the dealership I grew up trusting buying from.
Go see Scott, Tom or Malcolm, but no matter have Fatima as your sales person. Fatima is young and bubbly and not too high pressured.
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Bought my car here over a year ago, had a great experience, continue to love my car. This review is for the service department too. They are awesome. I drive 45 minutes to use them for my preventive maintenance needs. They never try to up sell anything, do what you ask, give a thorough check of the vehicle, and send you on your way. And their prices are as good or better than anywhere around. I can’t emphasize enough how important it is to find a quality location for trustworthy service. Academy Ford is it.

We drove two hours to purchase our car from Academy Ford and it was our best car buying experience yet. Alex, Malcolm, and Jeff were exceptional! Caroline assisted us via email to start the process when we found the vehicle online that we wanted. Then Malcolm worked with me over the phone for the few days before we could get there. When we arrived, the car was immaculate and ready for our test drive. All the staff were very professional and easy to work with. Alex went out of his way to ensure we were having an A++ experience, and Jeff worked with us to help us find the right financing option we needed. We’re very happy with our purchase and would absolutely return to purchase a vehicle from them again. I wish more dealers were like them!

I cannot say enough about the Service Dept! They are professional, courteous and always have an availability for walk-​ins. You are in and out quickly and they always explain what they are doing to you vehicle, and why.

This review is for the new vehicle sales department. This is our 2^nd (brand new) F150, the first being in 2001 — the recent being a 2015. Because we had a great experience at Academy Ford in 2001, we decided to go back. Well, 14 years later and they’re even better than before. We can’t say enough good about them. Our salesman was Eric Lopez. This is our 4^th brand new vehicle and Eric was the best ever. Gentle, no pressure and respectful. Ask for him. As for the truck, well, I am blown away. I’m a V8-​only car guy. My daily driver is an ’05 Dodge Magnum with a Hemi, my dream car. Our F150 has the 3.5 Ecoboost V6. I think our truck is more fun to drive. The Magnum does 0 – 60 in 5.8 and according to Car & Drive, our Platinum SuperCrew does it in 5.7. I believe a 5700 lb truck can kick a Hemi’s butt. Go see Eric now…

First I must say over the past decade I have bought many used cars through this dealership; escort, 2 focus, cargo van, fusion, explorer, and villager van used. It was my go to ford dealership. NOT ANY MORE. This group of sales staff and manager can not compare to the staff in the past. I started with Miles who had been with Academy only 4 months. I came in to look at 2 cars I’d pulled off the internet. He first got us interested in the wrong car. Then discovered the 2 cars I wanted to see were not on the lot, since managers took them home and did not bring them back on a Saturday. Even after Jackie called me to say both cars were there and come on in. Then when we asked him to explain some features of other cars he didn’t know the answers. Needless to say it was a waste of time. We went back Monday and were greeted by the Sales Manager of the used car department, Brent, who had specically hand picked Alex, who Brent trained himself, to work with us. We decided to buy the black SE escape but it needed a front wheel alignment. No problem Brent told us it only takes 15 minutes. Brent told us the car would be ready on Tuesday. Tuesday came and no call from Academy until 3:00. Alex asked why I hadn’t come to pick up the car. I asked if it was ready. He didn’t remember the conversation from the night before. He had to check, no the car wasn’t ready but it would be on Wednesday 9:00. Ok. I went to pick up the car at 1:30 Wednesdayfour hours later. Alex was no where around. Brent went to check on the car. It’s not ready, didn’t Alex call you and explain the situation?. Now it seems that if a car exceeds 1,000 miles after its first inspection it needs to be inspected again. Since a manager had the car it had 3,000 miles over the first inspection. Now it needs a new front light. Academy doesn’t have the light in stock. WHY DIDN’T BRENT THE MANAGER OF ALL USED CARS KNOW THAT. HE HAS BEEN WITH ACADEMY FOR 5 YEARS. A communication problem he tells me, they will work on that. As a courtesy, Brent offered me a loaner car to be returned tomorrow when I pick up my car. I told him no. I had been to the dealership 3 times. The car would be delivered to me at my home. HE SAID OK. Wednesday night Alex calls and tells me he is bringing the car over. I tell him no the car is being delivered tomorrow I won’t be home tonight. He said it’s his day off but call his cell and he would work it out. Thursday I call Alex at 1:45 and say I will be home until 5:00. He doesn’t remember our conversation the night before. I should go pick up the car. Brent calls me 45 minutes later and says it’s my fault for not taking the car the night before, even though I wasn’t home. He doesn’t remember the previous conversation either. A communication problem again he tells me. Regardless, a driver did bring the car to my home. That driver is the only employee at Academy Ford I would recommend. He was polite, courteous, and friendly. A retired gentlemen whose trade was in journalism and now drives for Academy.
PLEASE READ THIS POSTING SO IF YOU GO TO ACADEMY FORD IN LAUREL YOU WILL ASK FOR A SALES CONSULTANT THAT HAS BEEN THERE FOR MANY YEARS. THOSE ASSOCIATES MAY KNOW HOW TO WORK WITH A CUSTOMER AND PROVIDE SUPPORT, COMMUNICATION AND KNOWLEDGE THROUGH OUT THE TRANSACTION,
DO NOT USE ALEX OR BRENT. TOM WOODS SHOULD BE AWARE OF HIS CURRENT SALES ASSOCIATES LACK OF TRAINING.
One last communication with Academy Ford dealership. My 2013 Escape was delivered to me at my home on Thursday, December 17. On Saturday, December 19 Alex Jackson called me, from the dealership, to inquire whether I had taken position of my car. Alex was supposedly my sales associate yet he didn’t know the transaction had taken place two days earlier. I said yes dumbfounded and hung up. I believe this confirms my previous review.

Recently I visited this dealership as I have done for years first I have dealt with their service advisor Mr D been there for awhile, to me he is the most honest Service advisor that you can meet so I have never had a need to call or talk to Service Director because everything was always done fair and correct but recently I had some major work done and developed a costly problem. But after talking to the Service Director and explaining situation He was fair kept his promise got truck fixed He is a decision maker and he see much further down road than most Service Director Academy’s is very fortunate to have the fine people in their employ.
Larry Lee
Maryland

I’ve been a loyal Academy Ford (car and service department) user for years. They have found and addressed problems that other well-​reviewed local garages have not been able to detect. I have always had quick, relatively painless experiences there. Most importantly-​they do a great job and stand by it, including fixing the issue when they made an error. The only time in 7 years they haven’t completely delivered, I brought the car back right away and they fixed the issue free of charge. I recommend Academy Ford to everyone I know!

This review is for the service department.
When I got a recall notice for my new Escape, I decided to audition a different dealer because Lindsey, where I bought it, had earned my distrust. Things got off to a good start with courteous treatment and not long to the appointment. The waiting room was reasonable, with free WiFi, and the work was completed well within the stated time. When I got in to drive home, it got ugly.
First, the driver’s seat needed to be completely readjusted. I get that they need to do a test drive, but they really should put it back to where I left it.
Then, I noticed that the computer reprogramming I brought it in for had cleared the date and time on the dash. Again, pure laziness.
But what really burned the possibility of a third star was that when I was ready to put it in Drive and head out, the brake pedal sank to the floor. There is no way a safety issue like that should have gone out the garage door. I went back inside, and they took it back in and fixed it. But it’s going to take more than that to budge my expectations for dealers’ competency. I’ll be trying another dealer when the time comes for the first oil change. After all, one reason I chose the Ford brand is that there are lots and lots of places to get it serviced.

Took my 13′ Flex in today due to a «small evap leak» causing my check engine light to come on. Since I was there I pointed out an issue with the trim on my vehicle not sitting flush against the window. My vehicle was under warranty and the representative Kevin I dealt with handled both of the issues without question. I had an appt. for 8a.m. and my vehicle was repaired by 11:00am. Replacement trim was ordered and I’ll need to bring my Flex back next week but I was impressed with the friendly gentleman named Kevin and the shuttle driver who gave me a courtesy ride to my work about 6 miles away when I dropped off my vehicle. So far I’ve had great service at this location. I hope all my experiences will be this painless.

Ordered tires from their parts dept. and tried for days to get a hold of service to get them put on and the receptionist said they were busy and would call back to schedule. finally got a hold of them and they told me to bring in my truck I asked them to make sure my tires were there before I left and again no call so I went in and of course they never ordered them. I would give them zero stars if I could

I have bought 2 cars from here and get service done here exclusively. The service team is just awesome. They are honest about what needs to be done and what might be able to wait until the next time. I have a tendency to ask lots of questions and they take the time to make sure I have all my answers before sending me on my way. All in all a great family run business that I am happy to support!

Since purchasing my Escape back in May 2012 here I figure this will be my go to place for oil changes. The first time I went here my oil change was free. The next couple times I’ve had to pay. The last time it was free so I am not sure how the cost is decided. But hey, why complain for getting anything for free?!
Came in on a Monday around 3 since the last service time is 4 and they do walk ins which is great. Generally with no line you’re waiting for about 45 min which isn’t too bad since there’s a tv in the waiting room and they so give you the wifi password while you wait.
Overall I haven’t had any issues with coming here and since I’m only there every few months it doesn’t bother me to sit and wait as long as my iPhone is charged.

The mark up on parts is insanely high. It’s probably better to go to a non-​dealer mechanic unless you have a Ford specific problem (like ECU). The staff were friendly most of the time, but the prices are absolutely unreasonable. Lindsay Ford might be more reasonable, but even they are still high. I will not be using this dealership for anything in the future.

I’m fairly cautious about taking my car to a dealer because I’ve not had great experiences dealing with them (ahem Hyundai in Laurel). I have to say that Kevin (service guy I dealt with) was nothing but friendly and polite. I was afraid that like every other time I take a car to a dealer they wouldn’t call me and tell me what work they were doing and I would end up with a huge bill by the end of it. Turns out it was exactly what they stated. They called me and told me what they recommended for my car based on the inspection and didn’t give me any grief when I declined certain parts of that recommendation. Also the service was very fast! My car is purring like a kitten now :) Good job!

We have nothing to say other than postive things about our experience at Academy Ford! We arrived late in the evening due to traffic only looking to schedule a test drive for a Certified 2011 Ford Edge SEL we seen online for a good price! We were helped by a very honest, helpful, kind, understanding man who thought realistically the whole time we did business with him, unlike other car dealerships we have been to that harass you and pressure you into buying a vehicle you simply can’t afford for their price.
That evening we had no intentions on actually driving out of there with the SUV. We have gone to CarMax just a day before and had an appraisail done on our Mazda and planned to sell to them then purchase elsewhere. To our surprise they kindly matched the price and SUV was such an amazing offer we could not pass up! The whole transaction of the trade n was quick and smooth, and we could not have asked for a better dealership! Thank you Academy Ford! A big thanks to Brent and (Benardo)? My apologies I can not recall his name. You guys rock! Especially for staying a bit later past closing to close the deal!

Purchase:
Even though I’m not a fan of your average American cars. I purchased a Focus here recently becuase of company discount and such. The service here was great. Nice folks and they seems to try to win your business. As opposed to Apple Ford in/​near Columbia which the guy that helped us was a douche who said he was gonna go ask his boss or whoever question and instead was chit chatting and laughing next to the copy machine and wouldnt try to play the game and be helpful but thats a different review haha.
Young man named David help me out and even though he’s very new him and the rest of the team there made it a good experience and I feel really worked to help me purchase this vehicle.
So if your looking to buy a Ford dont go to Apple go to Academy Ford. They are friendly, family owned and operated.
Service:
So far my experience with their Service dept is mixed. My motor blower for the A/​C broke so they had to order the part and since they didnt have any loaners for me I had to wait till the end of the week to get it serviced. And I dont know if they were being lazy or not but when i called on Friday to see if can still bring it in. They guy on the phone said they couldnt fix my car because the guy who ordered the part wasnt going to be in that day. Which even if he was i think is BS cause it was a holiday weekend. And yea you could say im dumb for trying to get my car fixed on a 3 day weekend but hey thats their job i work holiday weekends too sometimes. So fast forward to a week later finally got a loaner. and instead of taking 2 days to fix it took 3 – 4 because they had to order another part. But hey at least that was a weeks worth of commute miles that arent on my new car.

I brought my vehicle in on a Saturday morning because the Sync system crashed. Since I had an appointment, I planned to wait while the service was performed but was told that it would be quite a while as they were very busy. I inquired about shuttle service and was told it was not available that day. No worries, I had a friend to pick me up. It was determined that my APIM module was defective and needed to be replaced. Daniel informed me that this is a known Ford issue. He said that a new part would need to be ordered and could take up to three days to come. Because the Edge is my only mode of transportation, I could not leave it with him for three days. He suggested that I pick the car up, he would order the part on Monday, and give me a call when he received the part so that we could schedule a new appointment.
Daniel called me on Tuesday to let me know that he would need the car so that he could disassemble the defective part and provide information from it to the supplier. He went on to say that he would need to keep the car until the new part arrived. My first issue is that I was told the part would be ordered on Monday. Apparently it was not until Tuesday that he attempted to order it. The second issue is that when I inquired about a loaner car, I was told that they didn’t provide loaner cars but there was an Enterprise rental car agency across the street from them. I can’t understand why I should be so greatly inconvenienced by a «known Ford issue». I called another dealership and was provided with a loaner car, efficient service reps and great service overall. Although Academy Ford is the nearest Ford dealer to me, I will never return again.

WARNING — Academy Ford is UNORGANIZED and DISHONEST.
I took my car here for an appraisal when I was planning to sell it. The first time I went (10÷7÷2012) I was given a relatively fair offer for my car. I asked the salesman (who was EXTREMELY rude) how long the offer would stand for — he told me it was good for at least a week so long as I didn’t add thousands of miles.
I return six days later to sell my car… and Academy Ford managers were singing a completely different tune. First, the salesmen I worked with last time did not greet me at all, not even so much as a wave of the hand or a head nod (again, extremely RUDE). Second, the manager looked at the car and asked me «What happened to the driver’s side of the car?» I asked him what he was talking about (because absolutely NOTHING had been altered or damaged to the car since my first appraisal the week before.) He points out some white scuff marks — THAT WERE THERE THE PREVIOUS WEEK. Then he asks me if I took it to Carmax and when I said yes, he asked me how much they offered me for it. I replied and told him that I wasn’t going to tell him because that is not his concern. He asks me to sit down while he calls the owner — and about fifteen minutes later he comes back to apologize that the owner is no longer able to accept the original offer they made.
As if this isn’t bad enough, he gives me an offer $ 1,300 LESS than the original (and FAR LESS than what Carmax offered). Of course, I refused. He tries to explain that the seasons change and a car’s value can change dramatically overnight. Perhaps there is some truth in this statement. But I refuse to believe that my car devalued at a rate of $ 1,300 in six days.
The management is unprofessional and extremely disorganized — they had no record of my prior appraisal or visit.
I wasn’t born yesterday. I’m not sure what kind of idiots these people take you for, but I will never step foot in Academy Ford ever again and I have already warned all my friends in the DMV area — you can find honesty and better customer service at almost EVERY other car dealership.