Brake pads OEM BMW or OEM Mazda

So far I've spent 400€ on brakes, 100€ new battery, 1200€ on axles and other components related to them and maybe 150€ on oil and filters (2 oil changes so far)

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.

M3 stock brakes are better, the GTI gets a little tail-happy under hard braking above 110-130mph.

Seems like there would be room in the market for a slightly detuned S55 base model without the fancy seats, brakes and wheels for about $5-8k less like the M3/M4: M3/M4 Competition.

I really love driving it though, particularly the brakes and the handling.

oem brake pads are ceramic (low noise, low dust, minimal rotor wear, less bite)

My local Bavarian car specialist refuses to install ceramic pads and will only do OEM due to low performance in the cold and increased wear on rotors. I was looking forward to less brake dust, especially on the front, but I live on top of one of the steepest hills in the city. I now have OEM pads.

And jesus christ. $600 for rear pads and rotors? the the parts are like $250 and labor shouldn't be over $200...

The brakes - overheated on several occassions coming down mountain passes. This happened on 2 sets of brakes so it seems like a design issue.