Brake pads Akebono or GALFER

+1 for Akenbono for 99% street usage.

The issue with the brakes is mainly from the oe brake pads which have no pedal modulation and act like an on/off switch. You can change out the front pads to Akebono Euro pads (fairly inexpensive) and it will provide actual pedal control of the brakes.

Vary rpm, don't max load, don't overheat, motor in gear when decelerating is good for the rings. generally keep rpm below 5500 for the 1st 500 miles or so but the odd move up the tach to there won't hurt anything. I change the oil somewhere before 2k miles to get the build contaminants and more significant wear particles out.

They sent out an email today that they are now stocking Akebono Brake pads, which are probably the best for any VW, very good quality and low dust.

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.

Akebono makes the pedal feel substantially softer. It still stops well, but the initial bite is much weaker than any OE/OEM pad like Textar.