Mad Doggs/Goodfellas Transmissions

Just wondering, there used to be a guy named "Mad Dog Lou" who was very popular on Ebay and such, he sold alot of transmissions to alot of people and there are sooooooo many different stories about them, package names ranging from "the gangster" to "the punisher" and the highest was his "god father", somewhere along the line he "went out of business"...just wondering how many people on this site have ever bought or knew someone who bought a "Mad Dog" transmission and i wanted to know the experience they had with it, whether it be good or bad. I've recently gotten (as a gift) a transmission from these people who call themselves "GoodFellas Transmissions" and they have a veeeery similar layout in their web page, their package deals, parts, names and prices are very similar, and they're even located in the same city and use the same old caprice test car that "Mad Dogs" used to use, maybe these GoodFellas bought out Mad Dogs old shop or they just changed their name? Anyways...back to the point, im looking for any stories (good or bad) on anyone whos ever came in contact with one of their products, i've provided some page links. thanks alot for everyones time.

http://stores.ebay.com/GoodFellas-Transmissions
http://www.goodfellastransmission.com/

no one has ever heard of or dealt with either of these people?

I had a mad dawg trans(three actually), Broke two of them immediately after starting the car, the last one was ok but it never shifted smoothly into gears under hard acceleration. I finally decided to go back to an M6 again, (car was M6 when I bought it, went A4, back to M6, and now that I have heard about CPT I might think about switching back.) My brother actually has a Mad Dawg trans in his 87 GTA and it works well. Maybe I just had problems with mine but it was very dissapointing. I don't think I would buy another. Have to credit them though they replaced both trannies under warranty and paid the shipping. Oh and the last one I had I sold to a guy and he said it immediately broke when he started the car too. I hope this helps you in some way. But I had no luck with them.

im just lookin for stories on ppl who had them or currently have them...i've unfortunatly heard more bad than good about mad dogs, and idk about goodfellas...we'll find out in time.

Why mess around with these kind of people when we have proven sponsers on this site that build damn good transmissions at damn good prices?

why would i turn down a free transmission? i had been talking to Frank at CPT before this even happened, i was saving up for his Race Rebuild, and then this was given to me as a gift and heres where i am... i looked up the description, warranty, parts claims and talked to the builder, one way or another he's going to take care of it, but i was just looking into this and seeing if anyone else on this site has had a run in with these people, good or bad.

Hey I cant blame you while I ant say anything good o bad about those guys I can say hey if its free I dont blame you I would get it too!You certainly cant beat the price, But Why Free?

why would i turn down a free transmission? i had been talking to Frank at CPT before this even happened, i was saving up for his Race Rebuild, and then this was given to me as a gift and heres where i am... i looked up the description, warranty, parts claims and talked to the builder, one way or another he's going to take care of it, but i was just looking into this and seeing if anyone else on this site has had a run in with these people, good or bad.

a few family members chipped in and bought me one, as far as i know he doesnt give his transmissions away lol sorry i didnt make that clear.

Had a mad dog the godfather in my 88 GTA. Still runs great. (friend bought the car) Apparently they went to crap the last year in business. Mine was great.

So sorry to dig up an old thread but i ordered a trans from goodfellas. I have not got it yet he said it would ship out a week and a half ago and has not shipped it yet. His customer service i horrible. I called him back right after i ordered it to change the shipping adress. I said " hey this is daniel and i just ordered a transmission from you" He said "so"...kind of wierd. Not sure of the quality yet but i am so scared, and then i found this thread and the link to that other guys site and it had the same freaking song...i screwed up massively. it is supposed to leave his shop tomorrow i am not sure what to do i guess it is to late.

Strange coincidence you did dig it up and that I ran across it. I built goodfellas first website. Spent about 40 hours of my professional time. I didn't ask them for anything up front because they were just getting started and a friend ask for my help. I said they could pay me on the back-end. They were my best friends until I sent them a invoice about a year after they opened. They said they have no intention of paying it and I guess I'm not their best friend anymore. I'm not saying they are good or bad, those are just the facts.

I have a transmission from Goodfellas. I was planning on getting a performabuilt trans but they wouldn't take AMEX so I looked around for a different place and found goodfellas. They are in Tarpon Springs, FL, I am in Daytona Beach so if I wanted I could drive to them in a few hours. I paid for one of their fully built "Boss" transmissions and a 3000k converter. The trans arrived promptly. I installed it and had an electrical issue that was blowing fuses. Turns out the connector on the trans got pushed into the case and was shorting out. They offered to pay for return shipping to fix it but I decided to pull the pan and snap the connector back in myself. Problem solved. The converter they sent me did not have a lock-up, they sent me another converter but it was a 12 inch instead of the 9 I had specified before. They then told me they would have to have one made special. About a week later I recieved the new 9 3000k converter w/ lockup. I have to say it is a pretty badass converter. It is a billet case with a antiballoon plate. launches hard. I recieved a few stickers from Goodfellas a couple weeks ago. I am currently planning on calling them to get a build sheet and touch base with the owner. I am not unhappy at all so far with their trans.

Also just to clarify, The guys at Goodfellas are former employees of maddog. Apperently according to them they had a falling out when maddog's trans business wsa going bankrupt. They say the quality control was no longer there and that is why they left. If you search other boards you will find threads about it. The poster JTSIKOURIS above is the owner of goodfellas, I have spoke with him and his brother Pete many times when I got my unit. Maddog is now in another state. I will keep you posted if anythnig happens.

I have their Punisher 700R4. I installed it about 4 months ago. It shifts great. Feels very strong.

Lou has a new web site no longer called Mad Dog. Here it is.

http://www.outlawtransmissions.com/

I recently have aquired a vibration in O/D though. It might just be a trans. mount broken.

WATCH OUT FOR OUTLAW TRANSMISSIONS.. IT IS THE OLD MADDOG TRANSMISSIONS.. IF YOU DON'T KNOW WHO MADDOG LOU IS THEN TYPE IN MADDOG TRANSMISSIONS AND SEE WHAT YOU CAN FIND. HE HAS SCREWED OVER A LOT OF INNOCENT PEOPLE.. BASICALLY TOOK THERE MONEY AND RAN. HE CHANGED HIS NAME TO OUTLAW TRANSMISSIONS. THE WEBSITE IS WWW.OUTLAWTRANSMISSIONS.COM. BEWARE!!!!!!!!!!!

I FOUND THE WEBSITE AND CALLED THE NUMBER AND TALKED TO LOU HIMSELF AND HIS WIFE DIANE./. HE IS TRYING TO GET BACK ON EBAY THE ITEM NUMBER IS 290174925762. HIS WEBSITE IS WWW.OUTLAWTRANSMISSIONS.COM REMEMBER THE SAYING "GET YOUR SHIFT TOGETHER" NOW IT IS "GOT YOUR SHIFT TOGETHER" AND THE OLD SAYING "NECKBRACE NOT INCLUDED" THE PHONE NUMBER IS xxx-xxx-xxxx. HIS EMAIL IS OUTLAWTRANNY@AOL.COM. HE IS IN GEORGIA! HELP ME PASS THIS INFORMATION TO PEOPLE WHO HAVE GOT SCREWED BY HIM. HIS PERSONAL CELL PHONE NUMBER IS xxx-xxx-xxxx. GIVE IT A CALL AND TELL ME IT IS NOT HIM.. YOU CAN HEAR HIS VOICE FOR YOURSELF..

THANKS,

JOHN TSIKOURIS

You were managing the place when everyone got scewed.

This is Mad Dog Lou. For the record I have honored all Mad Dog warrantys and speak with each and every one of my customers both new and old. I'm not hiding from anyone, that's not my style. There is no need to hide from anyone. I've been a buisness man since 1986. My Mad Dog Website...www.maddogtransmissions.com...goes directly to my new website....www.outlawtransmissions.com.

Whoever feels the need to know....The reason the business name change...it was never because of my workmanship...yes, I might have had some problems, but I always back my work up.......................................
.................................................. ..................................................
John Tsikoras, (currenlty of GoodFellas) was my former employee at Mad Dog's and while he was busy mis-managing, and stealing my transmissions and parts, and bringing them over to his new shop (which I had no idea he was opening a shop), once I found out, I called the cops to have him removed from the premises and I terminated him on the spot. Needless to say, he racked up my freight, shipping and parts bills while I traveled out of state.....DON"T BELIEVE EVERTHING YOU READ OR HEAR !!!!

Here is the honest truth about this imposter, John Tsikouras (former shampoo boy...worked at a hair salon before I gave him the chance to work for me) of GoodFellas Transmission.... he walked into my shop 2 and a half years ago begging for the opportunity to work for me. I gave him a chance and took him under my wing. Since he knew a little about computers, I figured I could use him in the office...the boys knows nothing about transmissions, as a matter of fact...when he walked in my shop and tripped over a transmission and then aksed, " what is that?" Need I say more.....

This will be the last time I will waste the forum member's time with this useless topic. I'm sure we have better things to do.

My shop number is 678-965-5338.

You can also e-mail me at outlawtranny@aol.com.

Please feel free to contact me with information regarding my transmissions. I would love to hear from all my old customers.

Well I promised you an update if anything changed. My transmission lasted less than 3000 miles and 3rd is on it's way out. Also looks like the goodfellas screwed me and put ****ty parts in instead of the expensive ones they sold me. In the process of trying to get my $$$ back. :(

I'm done with these "goodfellas" people anyways. I bought their sh*t tranny and it never worked right from day 1! I took it out right after putting it in cuz it slipped pretty bad from 2-3 and when i sent it back and PAID for his mistakes (paid for the damn shipping), stuck it in the 2nd time it was piss poor shifting 1-2 and wouldnt even go into drive!! When i tryed talking to them they told me about how they "tested it", and it couldnt be their tranny, it was my car that was a problem. After some debate that was pretty civilized i guess i started hitting nerves and they owner started swearing violently using "f*ck" frequently and even went as far as calling my car a "piece of "sh*t". They would've had me pay again for their bullsh*t and i gaurentee i still wouldnt have anything. Fet up i got my original tranny fixed at a local shop, i love it and wouldnt trade it for nothing. Long story short, i got screwed out of $1,400.00, wasted time and money in transmission fluid and then forked out another $1375 to fix my old trans. Goodfellas cost me about $4,000.00 for absolutely nothing. I am simply posting this to warn ALL about thier 'way of doing business'. I hope this saves a few unsuspecting people.

oh and for the information, user "JTSIKOURIS" is John Tsikouris, the Owner of Goodfellas and posts the same exact 'warning about maddogs' on many other f-body forums. Google tells all.

Once i have some extra money i will be taking the crap goodfellas trans to the shop, and having them tear it down with a list of the so called "performace" parts supposedly installed in this "enforcer" transmission. I will re-post what i find and if my findings are substantial i may consider further action. Have a nice day :)

Oh and as another update they closed their "ebay store" so no worries about that anymore. I hope this is a sign of them shutting down for good.

vouch for performabuilt.....

my Silverado SS tranny is amazing. I love it!!!

Thanks again guys. Will be ordering something for the 67 soon!!!

Hey guys,

I know this is a semi-old post but i just thought i would share my experience with goodfellas transmission....

I ordered an "enforcer" for my 00 tahoe 4l60e. I installed the first tranny and it started slipping after a single day of driving. I called the owner, John, and had tear it back out of the vehicle and he arranged shipping. John told me he would take care of the cost because of the short time the tranny was in the tahoe. Well, i received a bill in the mail a few days after the tranny was picked up from the my shop. I called John back and he said pretty much "tough luck". Well i didn't pay for the shipping. Instead i called the shipping company and had them forward the bill. I fought with John for a while about getting my money back. He kept saying "sorry thats not out policy"... i guess thier policy is sending out junk trannys. After a couple weeks my tranny showed back up (really didn't want it) i still needed one so i called him and he said the band was burnt up. I said ok i guess things happen. I put it in and it started slipping 2 days after!!!! + torque convertor is junk. Now the low life won't even take my calls....

I took the tranny out and took to to a local shop. Here's what the guy told me so far...

band's burnt up and it was some kind of cheap band, not what they advertise, end play is wrong, it's NOT a corvette servo (spring is chopped instead), the valve body is screwed up, the clutch packs were burnt, there are some other parts that i'm not sure what they are that were damanged from not being installed right. torque convertor was crap (and a very cheap one) Pump had peices of metal in it. Pretty much a POS transmission.

Bottem line... I got screwed out of $1500 and wanted to make sure no one else would even think about buying one from them. My old tranny is being rebuilt locally.

I think his a scam artist and obviously dosen't know how to put together a transmission. In fact, he told me the tranny problems were my fault becasue he checked it in the "test car" I honestly don't think he ever opened it up. The bolts still had paint (no chips) on them when he sent the tranny back to me.

If anyone has any questions my name is Jason Bittenbender feel free to PM

Yeah same story here. I was going to sue them but it's not worth it. Stay very far away from these peices of excriment.