MarkB_MI
Well-known Member
- Location
- Motown USA
There was a post the other day about ill-fitting brake pads. I think the pads in question were AZ house brand. Yesterday I did a quickie brake job on our 2012 Acadia (pads and rotors, but not calipers) and had a quite different experience.
I used Akebono brake pads. I've heard that Akebono actually makes the OEM pads for many manufacturers. I don't know if the Akebono-branded pads are identical to the GM OEM pads, but I suspect they are pretty close. The Akebono pads snapped right into place and appeared to fit perfectly. I paid 57 for the front pads and 50 for the rear at Rock Auto, plus shipping. By comparison, the cheapest store brand AZ pads are 53 front and 53 rear. Top-of-the line AZ store brand pads are 80 front and 84 rear.
Despite the very Japanese brand name, Akebono brake pads are made in the USA.
I used Bosch QuietCast rotors. I used to only use OEM GM rotors, but I've found the fit and finish of the Bosch rotors to be at least as good as OEM. Like the OEM rotors, they're coated to prevent rust on the non-wearing surfaces. At Rock, the front rotors were 58 and rears were 52, plus shipping. Shipping for all four rotors plus the pads came to 31 dollars. AZ store brand COATED rotors are astonishingly expensive: 147 front and 135 rear!
The Bosch QuietCast rotors are made in China.
Honestly, I'd much rather buy my parts locally. But when the choice is to buy substandard parts from AZ or name brand from Rock for the same price, I'll go with Rock. Or I can buy name brand parts from O'Reilly for double the Rock price for identical parts; it's still no contest.
And yes, the test drive went well and I've had no issues with the new brakes.
I used Akebono brake pads. I've heard that Akebono actually makes the OEM pads for many manufacturers. I don't know if the Akebono-branded pads are identical to the GM OEM pads, but I suspect they are pretty close. The Akebono pads snapped right into place and appeared to fit perfectly. I paid 57 for the front pads and 50 for the rear at Rock Auto, plus shipping. By comparison, the cheapest store brand AZ pads are 53 front and 53 rear. Top-of-the line AZ store brand pads are 80 front and 84 rear.
Despite the very Japanese brand name, Akebono brake pads are made in the USA.
I used Bosch QuietCast rotors. I used to only use OEM GM rotors, but I've found the fit and finish of the Bosch rotors to be at least as good as OEM. Like the OEM rotors, they're coated to prevent rust on the non-wearing surfaces. At Rock, the front rotors were 58 and rears were 52, plus shipping. Shipping for all four rotors plus the pads came to 31 dollars. AZ store brand COATED rotors are astonishingly expensive: 147 front and 135 rear!
The Bosch QuietCast rotors are made in China.
Honestly, I'd much rather buy my parts locally. But when the choice is to buy substandard parts from AZ or name brand from Rock for the same price, I'll go with Rock. Or I can buy name brand parts from O'Reilly for double the Rock price for identical parts; it's still no contest.
And yes, the test drive went well and I've had no issues with the new brakes.
