Brake pads Akebono or OEM BMW

I have used Akebonos on Jeeps, Toyotas, Ford's, Land rovers and now my BMW and honestly have never had a single issue. The biggest benefit is low break dust. They have always been noise free as well.

i have a 2014 Camry with 120k miles and my brake pads still have 50% life, you still have a bunch of mikes left to drive if you don’t brake aggressively. i would get akebono brake pads and oem rotors unless you plan on taking the car to the track

Neither, I installed the Zimmerman/Akebono kit this summer and am pleased with the performance.

Akebono pads are a bit pricey compared to some of the cheaper stuff you can get at your local autoparts store, but they are worth it if you just want your brakes to work well and be quiet. It's what Honda uses from the factory.

I would encourage you to pick up some basic tools, two jack stands , and a jack since you can save a lot of money down the road doing your own brake pads and rotors. Don’t cheap out on Brake pads and rotors since the very low quality rotors can warp very fast. I recommend getting akebono Brake pads and a decent set of rotors that’s mid range like centric. Brake pads are very easy to do and don’t forget to get blue threadlocker and to get a torque wrench and a breaker bar. As others have mentioned maybe in some auto parts stores in the Australia you might be about to rent certain tools. And there are tons of YT videos. Be sure to look for torque specs for your car. Also don’t forget to apply silicone brake grease to your caliper guide pins which is safe for rubber boots.

My local dealer has the “value service” pricing on BMW USA’s website, front rotors/pads/sensors on an 18 330 x drive for $419.95 front and $435.95 rear.

I installed R56 front brakes.

My go to pad and rotor combo has always been Akebono ASP pads which are GG rated paired with Centric blank rotors. It handles high heat very well.

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.

I just put on Akebono ceramics and Zimmerman coated rotors and I hated them for the first few hundred miles. They took a very long time to break in, and this was after a) paying attention to the instructions that say no break-in is needed and b) ignoring that advice when the stopping distances were so bad initially that I bedded them in... and yet the pedal effort was so high that I could barely engage the ABS in the dry. So I'd recommend staying away from that combination.