Brake pads Akebono or ATE

On my heavier vehicles I've used Akebono ProACT pads and gotten better than OEM life out of them.

I highly recommend akebono euro brake pads, especially on DSG cars to remove the grabbiness at low speed. Great cheap upgrade for new car.

I ran Akebono pads on my ZHP coupe and they were great. Slightly less initial bite than stock, requiring a slightly firmer foot on the pedal, and also need to warm up a bit for full grip - but beyond that, clean as a whistle and they wear forever.

Centric rotors are typically good quality. A few years back I started using Akebono pads (after trying brands such as EBC & Hawk). I don’t think I’ll ever buy anything other than Akebono pads anymore, they stop amazingly well and have less dust than previously mentioned pads.

I had an issue with the inner pads sticking on my Golf (same as A3 platform), but when I took apart the caliper and cleaned/regreased all the caliper pins the problem went away. If you've already done that, I really have no idea what it could be. It's definitely not normal though. What pads/rotors are you using? I've been using the Akebono's and they are great. Very little wear and dust.

I'm running Redstuff as well - they are OEM compatible.

I run them on my 03 325xi. So much better on break dust. They don't have as much bite as the OEM pads, but I think they're super close.

I run them, they’re amazing to me. Good stopping power, no dust.

I love the way Akebonos keep my wheels clean

I replaced the original textar brake pads last fall with Akebono ceramic pads and things work fine. But with the good weather I have the window down and can hear a clicking sound only when braking. It’s not a CV joint click and it only clicks under braking load when the pads are warm.