Looking at replacing the front brake bads on a 2006 Toyota Corolla. I've narrowed it down to OEM for $40.32 vs. BrakeBest from O'Reilly for $36.72. Both are ceramic with FF friction. Which one would you recommend & why?
Thanks.
Thanks.
'06 Corolla Front Brake Pads OEM vs BrakeBest
- Thread starter benjamming
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By OEM are you referring to the actual Toyota factory pads, or the OEM brand? They are not the same.
If the OEM from the stealership is only 40 bucks I'd get that. I have an 06 Corolla as well and am glad to see they are only 40 bucks.
I would flip a coin...
bdcardinal,
I mean OEM as in bought from Toyota.
I mean OEM as in bought from Toyota.
If you can get OEM for that, I would do it. I just know theres a brand called OEM that burgles people when they are really aftermarket parts.
+1 to the OEM aftermarket company.. they make tools for AZ too.. and the quality is harbor freight quality..
If you can get toyota pads for $40 it's a no brainer..
If you can get toyota pads for $40 it's a no brainer..
I see way too many low quality aftermarket pads that are noisy and don't grab very well. When I bought the RSX it had aftermarket pads on all 4 corners, finally got em replaced with Honda pads, much better stopping.
Point being, the aftermarkets might be good, they might not. It's a gamble. The Toyota pads will very likely be good.
Point being, the aftermarkets might be good, they might not. It's a gamble. The Toyota pads will very likely be good.
For that price, I'd go OEM. Unless you didn't like the stock pads. But if the OE performed well, then stick with them.
Toyota now has two lines of Genuine Brake pads-- the OE ones and the "TCMC" or Toyota Complete Maintenance Care ones.
The TCMC pads are designed to compete with the aftermarket and are probably tailored towards price-sensitive customers. The TCMC brake pads come with a complete shim kit, while the OE ones do not. From what I've been told, the TCMC pads have been luck of the draw and are of a much less quality than the OE pads. Some dealers refuse to stock the TCMC because of so many noise problems.
If you go with the Toyota pads, make sure they are the real Toyota pads and not the "TCMC" stuff.
Bulletin:
http://dealerportal.toyotapartsandservice.com/pdf/PANTBulletins/KEY 08-02 MVP Brake Pad.pdf
The TCMC pads are designed to compete with the aftermarket and are probably tailored towards price-sensitive customers. The TCMC brake pads come with a complete shim kit, while the OE ones do not. From what I've been told, the TCMC pads have been luck of the draw and are of a much less quality than the OE pads. Some dealers refuse to stock the TCMC because of so many noise problems.
If you go with the Toyota pads, make sure they are the real Toyota pads and not the "TCMC" stuff.
Bulletin:
http://dealerportal.toyotapartsandservice.com/pdf/PANTBulletins/KEY 08-02 MVP Brake Pad.pdf
In my 2003 corolla, the OEM (factory) pads lasted ~30,000 miles. I replaced them with cheapest AZ Duralast and still some good life left 50,000 miles later. Slightly more noisy but grip is very similar. Now, the OEM pads in my RAV4 are ceramic and will last long time.
Just for fun, I looked up 2006 Toyota Corola LE on RockAuto website.
They have pads from around $10 to just under $48.
I am not going to say that the most expensive is always the best, however, the price range should give one an idea that the quality will vary greatly between different brands / models of brake pads.
So you can see where aftermarket can be good or not so good.
The other thing to consider, which is why when going aftermarket I stick with reputable brands......a great part can be a poor choice if it is not the correct fit for the application.
I have looked at TOYOTA vs aftermarket in a number of parts and have found that Genuine TOYOTA is usually competitive in price and better in quality than MOST aftermarket parts.
In the listing of MANY different pads, the Akebono listing states that Akebono is the Original Equipment Manufacturer for this vehicle.
One reason that I like to do my own brakes is that I KNOW what I am getting (at least I hope I know).
A place that advertises a $29.95 brake job is not using $40 pads.
Of course, they are figuring that most people will need more than just a set of pads, but in a price sensitive market, they are not going to put $40 pads on when they can put $20 pads on and almost all their customers will be just as happy.
They have pads from around $10 to just under $48.
I am not going to say that the most expensive is always the best, however, the price range should give one an idea that the quality will vary greatly between different brands / models of brake pads.
So you can see where aftermarket can be good or not so good.
The other thing to consider, which is why when going aftermarket I stick with reputable brands......a great part can be a poor choice if it is not the correct fit for the application.
I have looked at TOYOTA vs aftermarket in a number of parts and have found that Genuine TOYOTA is usually competitive in price and better in quality than MOST aftermarket parts.
In the listing of MANY different pads, the Akebono listing states that Akebono is the Original Equipment Manufacturer for this vehicle.
One reason that I like to do my own brakes is that I KNOW what I am getting (at least I hope I know).
A place that advertises a $29.95 brake job is not using $40 pads.
Of course, they are figuring that most people will need more than just a set of pads, but in a price sensitive market, they are not going to put $40 pads on when they can put $20 pads on and almost all their customers will be just as happy.
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