Bill McCandless Ford — Local services in East Lackawannock Township

Urging everyone who gets work done on their vehicle here to get everything in writing first. The people here seem so nice, but actions can be deceiving. I was taking my mustang here to have the airbag recall handled and to have them reset the PAT sensor for me because my remote start stopped working. On the phone Joe spoke with myself and my fiancé. My fiancé explained what was happening (he’s also a mechanic) and Joe agreed that it sounded like it was that sensor (whatever you would call it). Joe said that the airbag recall would be free and that they charge $120 an hour. That to reset the remote start issue it would be a half an hour, $60. He said that if it didn’t fix my issue I would not be charged. He also never denied this. Joe was very nice and also called after I dropped the car off and asked if I wanted them to inspect it since it runs out this month. I politely explained my financial situation and that I couldn’t afford that at this point in time. They had the car for a day and he called to ask if it was okay to keep it over night because their technician was very particular about his work and wasn’t finished with my car I said It was fine and asked Joe to thank his technician for me. The experience was so nice and I felt like I was in good hands. Joe said he would call me right away in the morning when it was back together. So I waited till the next day in the afternoon, finally I called because I was getting worried. Joe then tells me that my remote start needs completely replaced and that his technician has torn it all apart and said the wiring was bad. He said he was sorry that he didn’t realize his technician was going to go that far but that to “make it fair to me and fair to his technician that he would charge me for two hours” for something I didn’t even authorize! You were only suppose to reset the sensor not tear my steering column down! Basically he wanted me to pay $240 and they didn’t even fix anything. I calmly explained that it wasn’t okay and at the most he said it would take an hour and my remote start would be fixed. Keep in mind he also said if it didn’t work I wouldn’t be charged. Joe also said “don’t worry I’m not charging you thousands of dollars”. I just told you I couldn’t afford to inspect it and now you’re adding $240 to my bill? When the car was being taken in for a recall because Ford is constantly sending me mail and emails about my airbag??? Yes I wanted the sensor reset but not for that much money. And it didn’t even fix anything! I told my mom what was going on and she called and I’m assuming she wasn’t as nice as me. Then Joe calls me back and apologizes in a backwards way saying “I’m sorry I wasn’t that clear, I guess I’ll take the blame for that one”. Take the blame, you mean like you should? You either weren’t paying attention to what your technician was doing to my car or you were willingly gonna jack up my bill when I already told you I was facing financial hardships. I then got a call from John the manager. He was very nice and told me that he took good “notes” of the wiring that was messed up and would be charging me $60 for half an hour which is what I originally authorized. He’s correct, I did say that would be fine. Joe also said if it didn’t work I wouldn’t be charged. So technically I’m paying $60 for notes on my wiring. It’s just crazy to me that they both admit they were wrong but still charged me $60 after Joe admitted he said I wouldn’t be charged anything if the sensor wasn’t able to be fixed.

John just was on the phone with me and helped me with another issue. Changing my review from One star to 3. John’s an amazing employee and this dealership should be grateful for his customer...

The absolute worst experience I’ve ever had with any business. I have now had two separate nightmare incidents with McCandless Ford, and after giving them a second chance, I regret it. This is actually the 2nd review that I am making because I deleted the first one a few weeks ago when the service manager apologized and I gave them the opportunity to make it right.

First incident: I took my truck in for a hard shift issue. They said I needed a new or rebuilt transmission. After “fixing” it, I was driving with my wife and daughter when the transmission dumped fluid, overheated, and left us stranded on the side of 279 in heavy traffic. I had to pay $387 for a tow due to their own tech overfilling the transmission. The transmission cover was completely saturated in oil and ended up ripping off when I was driving because it’s a cheap flimsy material. They did not replace that but after the first review I made they did give me a refund for the tow.

Second incident: More recently, I brought my truck in for a low oil pressure sensor. That was June 5th. What should have been a straightforward fix turned into 3 months of them chasing ghosts because they installed the wrong oil pressure sensor. They replaced the oil pressure sensor, a pigtail and connector, a wire in the harness, the entire engine harness, the pcm and key fob, a rear taillight bulb, back and forth for 3 months with ford motor company trying to figure out the problem. Im sure there are other parts that I can’t think of off the top of my head. A Ford field service engineer finally went to the dealership and identified their mistake. The original oil pressure sensor that they replaced was not the correct one for my truck. I’d wasted months without my vehicle. I did get a loaner car that I had to make work but it wasn’t a truck that I use to haul which ruined my entire summer.

When I finally picked up my truck after 3 months, the inside of the door had oily handprints and boot scuffs from them opening the drivers door, oily hand prints on the exterior of the truck, a boot print on the bumper from someone standing on it to work on the engine, and the engine cover was missing. I emailed the service manager with pictures and I actually showed him in person the day I picked the truck up. I had to again drive all the way out there to pick up the engine cover and install it myself. The service manager offered to detail it but I was so mad about the disrespect for my vehicle that I had to get my paperwork and get out of there. That should have been done before I even showed up. Not to mention I don’t want them to touch my truck ever again.

This dealership has shown me zero professionalism, zero responsibility, and zero respect for the customer. If you value your time, your money, or your vehicle, I strongly recommend avoiding McCandless Ford’s service...

Liars, scammers, greedy, soulless. If you’re reading this, stay away from here. That’s my experience with this business. In December 2022, I purchased a 2019 F150 Lariat with 27k miles. The truck I was trading in had a plow, and we talked extensively about how to move the plow from that truck to the one I was purchasing. I was even given the name of a local business that could do that for me. I should mention that I did not plow commercially, I had the plow and I wanted to keep it to plow my own driveway. Then I was talked into buying a $3300 warranty by the finance manager, Edward Harris, even though I was hesitant, he pushed it hard on me, so I bought it. Fast forward to 2025. I started having transmission issues with the truck so I took it in. I was told it needed a new transmission, but the warranty was no good because I had installed the plow! Oh, and the cost would be $14,000! I called another Ford dealer and an independent transmission garage, and they both quoted me $8,000 for the same job. So I have a truck I can’t drive, and a warranty I can’t use, all while paying a premium price for both every month. I went back in and asked Edward Harris for a refund on the warranty. He said the best he could do was cancel it, and send me back the $1800 I didn’t “use” since it was rolled into my monthly payments. What a joke. He’s a joke, and this business is a joke. I’m sure Edward Harris received a nice commission on the warranty, and could not give two licks that I was installing the plow which would ultimately void it. I was also told by other dealers that adding a plow on a warranty can be done, which also adds to the price of it. This was never mentioned or offered. Oh, and when I didn’t see the $1800 back on the loan after a few days I called again, Mr. Harris told me it would take 6-8 weeks. Did I mention what a joke this place is? Time to go...