So I sent an email to JHM asking for their opinions on their RPK04s since

[jms-4]

they seem to be a good price. It's been a few days and have not heard back anything. I hate it when I email a company I want to buy something from and they don't get back to me. But, that's not what I have issues with. I know they are busy, but I also want to hear from them on the RPK04 since they've likely worked with all sorts of turbos for the B5.

I know many folks are running these RPs with no problems, and there have been some nightmare posts on these things, too. Heck, these were sold out for a while, so I know folks have them.
I was surfing another Audi site and read a post with a bunch of folks having blown their BW K04s, so no turbo is immune to failure, especially if installed incorrectly.

So, where is the community on these? Are these things blowing because of incorrect installation or sub-par quality?

At $1500 they seem like almost worth the risk as opposed to $2500+ for BW K04s.

Thanks,

I was set on K04s until I really saw the price difference.

[AudiSportB5S4]

My good friend just put these in and he's regretted the move since day 1. They are leaking coolant.

Spend the money and get BW K04s, or get K03s and keep your car reliable.

[jms-4]

I specifically asked JHM about the coolant leaking, since that seems to be a problem. I am suspicious that I haven't heard back.

Anyone know these guys? I read they had the RPs on one of their cars for a while, so they have to have some ideas.

[DxC]

hey jms-4 i sent you a PM.

also RPK04s are just chinese k04s. i tried telling everyone on audizine back in the day, but all the audizine kids see a 500 savings and ignore anything else. oh well. there are none so deaf as those who will not listen :/

[omgwtfbbq!]

hey jms-4 i sent you a PM.

also RPK04s are just chinese k04s. i tried telling everyone on audizine back in the day, but all the audizine kids see a 500 savings and ignore anything else. oh well. there are none so deaf as those who will not listen :/

Didnt you build an all Chinese s4 to see how the quality was or am I thinking of someone else?

[DxC]

that was me, and it was fun times. pushed those things to 27psi and they held for a little while ...

i enjoy using chinese knockoffs, its awesome - when you pay the correct prices. i can get chinese turbos for 400 a pair. so when a place like RP sells them for 1500 a pair its quite alarming.

i love that people see some marketing showing the housing glowing red hot - some how that is supposed to prove that is a quality turbo? lol .... i can get my frying pan glowing red hot too.

[S4-ORCE]

I wouldn't reccomend it. PM me if you'd like to discuss further.

BTW, good luck finding BW K04's almost nobody can get them.

[S.Line.Power]

jhm is basically a 2 man show. they have a thread in the norcal forums looking for someone to come work for them to answer calls and emails specifically. they'll get back to you, and if they dont email them again. i know jason and dan, we've gone to the track together and they are stand up guys as far as im concerned.

[ratherb1]

hey dxc looks like you have a bunch of stage 3 s4's i think you might need a virgin A6 2.7 tip in the mix some where, trade? lol

[Rated S]

I hate it when I email a company I want to buy something from and they don't get back to me.

Most of these companies are mechanics and cannot go through every email everyday. When I email VAST, it usually takes a while, but that's because they are busy as shit in house. If I need answers fast, it's always better to call. Emailing is a convenience, not a solid form of communication.

[BlkdoutS4]

I specifically asked JHM about the coolant leaking, since that seems to be a problem. I am suspicious that I haven't heard back.

Anyone know these guys? I read they had the RPs on one of their cars for a while, so they have to have some ideas.

JHM is one of the best shops around. They are super busy and only have a few employees, and they are in the process of moving to a bigger facility at the moment. I would just stick with the BW K04s, too many horror stories with the RPs. Cause if they blow within a few thousand miles, it will end up costing you much more in the end.

[jesters22]

i email'd them aswell last night, hopefully i hear from em soon.. im needing to buy a few parts from em

[jms-4]

Most of these companies are mechanics and cannot go through every email everyday. When I email VAST, it usually takes a while, but that's because they are busy as shit in house. If I need answers fast, it's always better to call. Emailing is a convenience, not a solid form of communication.

I mostly agree, but why then would they have a "contact us" link where I can send my email directly to someone regarding "turbochargers and performance" if they aren't going to get back to me?

I have no doubt they are a great shop, and my original post was not a knock against anyone. I'm more interested in real world RP turbo experiences than JHM's email contact stuff.

I know for a while the RPs were sold out, so there has to be some real world successes. Or so I thought. I was drawn to the idea of the price at JHM and the fact that JHM is regarded as being pretty good. I had read they had tested them and really just wanted to know from their direct experience, what is the cause for the horror stories (namely coolant leaks)? Is it a bad washer or installation mistakes, or turbo design?

Then I read a post i think on QW where a bunch of guys had BW K04s blow on them (not in the good way), so that made me think perhaps there are some folks out there strapping on new turbos that don't know what the F they are doing, leading to bad reporting. And, I would add, that the folks likely to strap a less expensive turbo on their car are also likely to not know the ins and outs of turbo install on the B5. Sooooooo, that's who I want to hear from. Someone who has done turbo swaps, not just one, but more than one, who can tell me if these things are worthy.

Having heard from DxC, it sounds like they aren't worth the trouble.

[jms-4]

JHM is one of the best shops around. They are super busy and only have a few employees, and they are in the process of moving to a bigger facility at the moment. I would just stick with the BW K04s, too many horror stories with the RPs. Cause if they blow within a few thousand miles, it will end up costing you much more in the end.

Suspicious about the coolant leak, not about JHM. My bad.

[jms-4]

i email'd them aswell last night, hopefully i hear from em soon.. im needing to buy a few parts from em

I emailed them a few days ago.

[ThirdStrike]

Nothing against JHM, by any means but, I think contacting a company about the reliability of a product they are selling is (inherently) a mistake...

[P0234]

Nothing against JHM, by any means but, I think contacting a company about the reliability of a product they are selling is (inherently) a mistake...

Exactly. One, you can't expect an honest answer from anyone that sells a product or a competing product. Two, why would they even bother answering? Try sending your question on a $50 bill and see if you get an answer that way. Lastly, I cringe at the though of all this cheap crap thrown on these cars, buy quality, it pays.

[Capt. Obvious]

Didnt you build an all Chinese s4 to see how the quality was or am I thinking of someone else?

that was me, and it was fun times.

You are my hero for doing that. I've always wanted to do a ebay/chinese knock-off project like that just for the giggles. Not on my S4 though. LOL

If there was a Chinese PES knockoff for the 2.8 I'd go nuts on my Passat though!

[TighTT]

Go BW. A second install (dropping the motor again) is enough to negate the savings of the RP's vs. BW's.

[VR6Bomber]

I will admit that I was all about the RP's once JHM started selling them. I definitly gave them the benefit of the doubt and bought a pair that never whent on. Not due directly to the issues they were having, I scraped up more coin for tials.
It looks like the CHRA's and housings on the RP's are holdin up fine, just the little things that it making big problems for these RPk04's, Wastegate hardware, coolant washers..

My current opinion is that if you can affoard to go K04's why not 605's?

[jms-4]

Exactly. One, you can't expect an honest answer from anyone that sells a product or a competing product. Two, why would they even bother answering? Try sending your question on a $50 bill and see if you get an answer that way. Lastly, I cringe at the though of all this cheap crap thrown on these cars, buy quality, it pays.

I'm with you. And, for the record, my email did ask what their testing generally showed and if I could get input from them. Probably not a good question or approach. And I specifically asked about the coolant leak issues since that seems to be the biggest problem that I can tell. Either poorly fitted washers or something else causing the coolant to leak. I really wanted to know what the story is with the coolant leak, if it was fitment, installation, or improper washers and such.

Now, here's my further thought process: they've probably sold a few sets, and probably even installed a few sets, and they still continue to sell them. So, is it too far of a stretch for me to ask for success stories? We all know of the guy who took a decent product and installed it himself improperly, then ranted how the product doesn't work (I remember this with the APR bi-pipe). I wanted to try and weed through some of that to get some direct feedback.

Again, my original post was not meant to condemn anyone, just some insight into what I'm trying to accomplish through asking the question and that is asking a competent shop that has tested a product and carries the product for some feedback.

And, it's threads like the one I posted here VVVV that make me want more info.

http://www.audizine.com/forum/showth...=rp+turbos+jhm

For a while K04s were having similar issues.

[jms-4]

I will admit that I was all about the RP's once JHM started selling them. I definitly gave them the benefit of the doubt and bought a pair that never whent on. Not due directly to the issues they were having, I scraped up more coin for tials.
It looks like the CHRA's and housings on the RP's are holdin up fine, just the little things that it making big problems for these RPk04's, Wastegate hardware, coolant washers..

My current opinion is that if you can affoard to go K04's why not 605's?

In the end, what is the cost difference? Where can I look at the 605 setup? What further is required for fueling and all that?

[<CHILIBISKITS4>]

In the end, what is the cost difference? Where can I look at the 605 setup? What further is required for fueling and all that?

epl sells a kit.

[jms-4]

Alright, let's see if I have this straight:

I'm looking at the 034 T605 kit for $2975. The picture and the install notes I have says the kit includes the inlets, but it is unclear. So let's say they're not included, so add $539 = $3514.

Regular BW K04s are going to be around $2500 if I'm lucky (low end), probably more like $2750 + $350 for inlets + $200 for new oil lines + $50 for install kit = $3100-$3350.

What else is needed with 605s that are not needed on a K04 build? New fuel pump? Anything internal for the motor?

[<CHILIBISKITS4>]

have you looked at epl's site yet like i mentioned above? some questions you may have can be answered there. also, look up some of the build threads on here.. there are a few people tunning 605's...

[drkenan]

My driver's side RP is leaking coolant slowly. I'm pretty sure it's coming from the same place as other complained about. It's very fixable but I just haven't had time to get under the car and drench myself in coolant for such a slow leak. Aside from that, I'm very impressed with the performance. The only time I ever think that I want different turbos is reading threads like these.

That being said, if I were in your shoes, I'd go Tials HANDS DOWN. I don't regret my purchase but knowing how much work I put into it, I'd be very skeptical to buy the RP's again.

[Audi_S4]

I wouldn't reccomend it. PM me if you'd like to discuss further.

BTW, good luck finding BW K04's almost nobody can get them.

Pitty you guys live in US cause out here they are always in stock ...

[fdation]

i have over 10000 miles on my rps and heres my list of problems.Coolant leaked oil leaked and my wastegate actuator broke so i put one from my ko3 on it.washers fixed my leaking problems for everything and the ko3 actuator fixed my other problem.still pull hard at 24 psi and sound fine.My advice would be replace the coolant washers and make sure your oil lines are secure and that about it.Nothing major went wrong to the turbo where i had to replace it and im driving it hard since day one.

[shorterthanrich]

i have over 10000 miles on my rps and heres my list of problems.Coolant leaked oil leaked and my wastegate actuator broke so i put one from my ko3 on it.washers fixed my leaking problems for everything and the ko3 actuator fixed my other problem.still pull hard at 24 psi and sound fine.My advice would be replace the coolant washers and make sure your oil lines are secure and that about it.Nothing major went wrong to the turbo where i had to replace it and im driving it hard since day one.

That sounds like a god damn nightmare.

[cu52]

I have heard the washer to use is part: N-013 814 9

[DonnieDark0]

Alright, let's see if I have this straight:

I'm looking at the 034 T605 kit for $2975. The picture and the install notes I have says the kit includes the inlets, but it is unclear. So let's say they're not included, so add $539 = $3514.

Regular BW K04s are going to be around $2500 if I'm lucky (low end), probably more like $2750 + $350 for inlets + $200 for new oil lines + $50 for install kit = $3100-$3350.

What else is needed with 605s that are not needed on a K04 build? New fuel pump? Anything internal for the motor?

bump^^^^

[JWatson]

Full setup with tune and fueling for $5500??? Count me in!

[jms-4]

have you looked at epl's site yet like i mentioned above? some questions you may have can be answered there. also, look up some of the build threads on here.. there are a few people tunning 605's...

Yes, and a few other sites. Seems fairly straight forward with 605s. 770s are a different story. I emailed the the local Revo specialist to see what my tuning options are. We don't have an EPL anywhere near here.

[jms-4]

i have over 10000 miles on my rps and heres my list of problems.Coolant leaked oil leaked and my wastegate actuator broke so i put one from my ko3 on it.washers fixed my leaking problems for everything and the ko3 actuator fixed my other problem.still pull hard at 24 psi and sound fine.My advice would be replace the coolant washers and make sure your oil lines are secure and that about it.Nothing major went wrong to the turbo where i had to replace it and im driving it hard since day one.

I can replace a washer, but no way I'm messing with actuators. I'm seriously looking at a tame 605 install so as not to require any new internals. Thanks for the input, though.

[fdation]

That sounds like a god damn nightmare.

thats what i thought too i was pissed when i saw the problems but it only took about 45 min with it on a lift and its all good now.it was easy to fix.

[VR6Bomber]

Alright, let's see if I have this straight:

I'm looking at the 034 T605 kit for $2975. The picture and the install notes I have says the kit includes the inlets, but it is unclear. So let's say they're not included, so add $539 = $3514.

Regular BW K04s are going to be around $2500 if I'm lucky (low end), probably more like $2750 + $350 for inlets + $200 for new oil lines + $50 for install kit = $3100-$3350.

What else is needed with 605s that are not needed on a K04 build? New fuel pump? Anything internal for the motor?

You can use k04 inlets or tial inlets for the 605s i believe.
Although there are some advantages to using the tial inlets obviously.
You'll need a fuel pump for the 605s, nothing for the motor internals really, I believe the 605 kit was designed for those with stock blocks.
Quick math on the k04 kit vs 605 kit; only 1000 difference between the two? Not to mention the 605's offer a good amount of power over the k04's.
I think EPL is doing 5600 for the 605's with fueling and tune?
With the tials you are going to install them and not worry about them and that is worth more than anything IMO (VS RP's).
I'm still waiting for my 605's to arrive.

[drkenan]

Did you get a response yet? I just sent an email as well regarding my RP's.

[Tarmac]

They can sometimes take a long time to respond, once I think it took them 3 weeks & by then I went to another supplier. But don’t worry they are a highly regarded supplier with lots of first-class products & I have to say they do eventually respond.

[drkenan]

Just got a call from Dan at JHM - what a stand up guy/company. They offered to fully warranty the turbos due to the coolant/oil leaks I'm experiencing and even offered to perform the installation (but I'm literally all the way on the other side of the country). I'm probably gonna fix them myself but it's amazing to know that they care.

I'm floored by their dedication and have rarely experienced service this good from anyone, much less a motorsports shop.

[jms-4]

Just got a call from Dan at JHM - what a stand up guy/company. They offered to fully warranty the turbos due to the coolant/oil leaks I'm experiencing and even offered to perform the installation (but I'm literally all the way on the other side of the country). I'm probably gonna fix them myself but it's amazing to know that they care.

I'm floored by their dedication and have rarely experienced service this good from anyone, much less a motorsports shop.

That is huge.