Akebono ceramic brake pads.

Hello Everyone,

Has any of you used Akebono ceramic brake pads? Please share your experience. If you know any other good alternatives for OEM please share that too.

Thanks.

They are low dust. Thats the only bright spot. The dealer supplied pads have way better cold bite plus better linear feel. Even the "OEM" stuff you buy on the net is still not like the dealer supplied material. All pads have a unique recipe and the "OEM" stuff is a generic recipe for a vast array of pads for other cars, the dealer supplied pads are still the best for feel.

Thank you Bluskye. My car is now out of warranty and in last service the dealership told me that I will need them changed within 2 months if not right away. The brake pad sensor light hasn't come up and when I asked them about it they said its because of uneven wear on brake pads. They ruled out the wheel imbalance though and tire wear has been normal. The dealership wants to charge me C$895 + tax for pad and rotor replacement. I have contacted a local shop and they will most likely mail me the estimate by evening but in their reply they said they use these pads so I wanted to get a feeling.

How off is the performance from the dealer pads though?

I just purchased Akebono ceramics for my g/f's Acura. Kinda like comparing apples to oranges, but I will let you know if they turn out to be complete crap. I hope to put them on this weekend.

Originally Posted by enamoured

Thank you Bluskye. My car is now out of warranty and in last service the dealership told me that I will need them changed within 2 months if not right away. The brake pad sensor light hasn't come up and when I asked them about it they said its because of uneven wear on brake pads. They ruled out the wheel imbalance though and tire wear has been normal. The dealership wants to charge me C$895 + tax for pad and rotor replacement. I have contacted a local shop and they will most likely mail me the estimate by evening but in their reply they said they use these pads so I wanted to get a feeling.

How off is the performance from the dealer pads though?

Cost of Dealer Supplied Front Pads : USD $102+taxes
Cost of Akebono Euro Ceramics Front Pads via tirerack : USD $74+sh

A USD $28 savings spread over 40k miles of pad life or so.

Math tells you, go with dealer supplied pads if you are really nit picking about the brake feel =). Not other pad will give you better feel. Remeber, if you hate the OEM/Akebono pad material, you will hate them for 40k miles or so =)

Now, if you are just looking for low dust, go with the akebono.

The real savings will be from the independent mechanic's labor rate, not material cost.

Thanks again bluskye. It makes perfect sense.

I totally agree with bluesky. The response and feel of the Dealer supplied pads has no comparisson with any aftermarket, also go with dealer supplied rotors. I once cheaped out on the 325 and bought the Mintex red box pads, never again.

I don't care having to clean my wheels weekly, I enjoy and love BMW brakes.