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Brake caliper Akebono or OEM Volkswagen
Reviews
Okay actually got some stuff done this weekend. Got the new rear spindles, refurbished backing plates, rotors, metal lines and soft lines, re conditioned original calipers…sure I’ll be revisiting these lol.
Vehicle:
Volkswagen
Added more desirable Akebono calipers to an old Jeep WJ
Pros: more desirable
Vehicle:
Jeep Grand Cherokee
The little non sport Akebono calipers on q50’s are know for warping the OEM rotors. I went through 2 sets of OEM and kept getting the vibration when braking from highway speed before eventually buying some shtty Chinese “drilled and slotted” aftermarket’s. Never had the issue since.
Pros: no vibration when braking
Cons: warping OEM rotors
Vehicle:
Infiniti Q50
Brake pedal drops a bit lower before it begins to stop but it is not spongy. They grab really good, shorter stoping distance, and I can make my ABS actually activate. With the original calipers it was pretty hard to activate for some reason, running the same Akebono Euros as this setup so must be the bigger calipers. Great Upgrade
Pros: shorter stopping distance, good grab
Cons: pedal drops lower
So if you don't want to spend all that money on the full setup, a Mk7 Golf R caliper is direct bolt on fit to the Arteon. I spent $200 for calipers on EBay, $100 for a rebuild kit, $80 for new OE pads and $40 to reline the discs. Bolted right up.
Pros: direct bolt on fit
Vehicle:
Volkswagen
I went with Akebonos with two-piece rotors. No complaints here.
Pros: no complaints
Took it in to a shop today. They said calliper needs replacing. Rear driver side. Said they will put a new calliper, do a brake fluid flush, readjust the hand brake. I said break flush was done just about 3 months ago. It’s a clean light golden yellow color still. The mechanic said still needs to be done to get air out of the system. Seems logical. They quoted $740+tax. Does that sound reasonable?
Pros: new caliper, brake fluid flush
Cons: high cost quote
Vehicle:
Volkswagen
I actually replaced drivers rear caliper last year, retaining the original actuator and it was perfectly fine since then until suddenly the parking brake failure this year. Old caliper wasn't moving correctly so I ended up smelling and seeing the smoke driving home one day.
Cons: caliper wasn't moving correctly
Vehicle:
Volkswagen
Why do I have to screw in the brake calipers with the world's stupidest Phillips?
Cons: stupidest Phillips
Vehicle:
Volkswagen Jetta
Wish they offered the same front caliper on Long Range besides the tiny uncoloured one I think it has, that's one gripe I dislike.
Cons: tiny uncoloured caliper
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Comparisons
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Voted AGAINST engine oil RAVENOL on the rating page
The power steering pump OEM Volvo got the first review!
The brake pads OEM Infiniti got the first review!
The brake cylinder Raybestos got the first review!
For tires OEM Toyota already 25 reviews.
For tires IRONMAN already 25 reviews.
In the rating best fuel pump already 5 brands participate!
In the rating best antifreeze already 9 brands participate!
In the rating best engine radiator already 9 brands participate!
In the auto rating shock absorbers for Ford Ranger already 20 brands participate!
In the auto rating brake discs for Volkswagen Golf already 10 brands participate!
In the auto rating headlights for Volkswagen Golf already 5 brands participate!
For wiper blades PIAA already 100 reviews.
Voted AGAINST engine oil RED LINE on the rating page
Voted AGAINST engine oil PENNZOIL on the rating page
Which brake caliper to choose — Akebono or OEM Volkswagen?
If choosing brake caliper across many manufacturers, check the part ranking. If your choice is down to two brands, the PartReview part comparisons help.
We compare brake caliper across these categories:
- PR Score.
- Overall ranking.
- Vote balance.
- Average rating.
- Number of reviews.
- Feature ratings.
- Car owners’ choice.
Which brake caliper are better — OEM Volkswagen or Akebono?
In March 2026 on PartReview, brake caliper OEM Volkswagen and Akebono were roughly equal.
- Akebono received a PR Score of 83 out of 100, and OEM Volkswagen scored 65 points.
- Akebono ranked 6 in the overall ranking, and OEM Volkswagen ranked 7.
- The average rating is higher for Akebono (4) than for OEM Volkswagen (3.5).
-
Brake caliper Akebono have better feature ratings than OEM Volkswagen:
- Pulling - owners believe, that this property for OEM Volkswagen is better than Akebono.
- Uneven wear - drivers claim, that this property for Akebono is outperforms OEM Volkswagen.
- Smell/heat - reviews suggest, that this property for OEM Volkswagen is preferred to Akebono.
Which brake caliper are more popular — Akebono or OEM Volkswagen?
In March 2026 on PartReview, brake caliper OEM Volkswagen were overall more popular than Akebono.
By vote balance, brake caliper OEM Volkswagen surpassed Akebono:
- For Akebono, the ratio of positive (26) to negative (5) votes is 21 vote.
- For OEM Volkswagen, the ratio of positive (52) to negative (28) votes is 24 votes.
By number of reviews, brake caliper OEM Volkswagen surpassed Akebono:
- For brake caliper Akebono there are 10 reviews: 8 positive, 1 neutral, 1 negative.
- For brake caliper OEM Volkswagen there are 25 reviews: 14 positive, 5 neutral, 6 negative.
Which brake caliper do car owners prefer — Akebono or OEM Volkswagen?
In March 2026, according to PartReview, brake caliper Akebono and OEM Volkswagen have not taken top places in car-specific ratings. You can help by adding your review about these manufacturers.
Other comparisons of brake caliper
If this comparison didn’t fully answer your question, there are many others on PartReview.
For example, comparisons of brake caliper Akebono with: Girling, Brembo, POWER STOP, OEM Porsche, WILWOOD, OEM Audi.
Also available: comparisons of brake caliper OEM Volkswagen with: Girling, Brembo, POWER STOP, OEM Porsche, WILWOOD, OEM Audi.
You can also see who is better among other brake caliper manufacturers: Brembo or Girling, Girling or OEM Volkswagen, Brembo or OEM Volkswagen, Girling or POWER STOP, Girling or OEM Porsche.