vs
Brake pads Zimmermann or OEM Mercedes
Reviews
I replaced the Brembo with the Zimmermann myself, so far so good, the original Brembo brakes warped after less than 15.000 km, I have now another 15.000 km driven with the Zimmermann and they are as good as new.
Pros: good as new
Cons: Brembo brakes warped
Mileage: 15000 km
Yeah the W204 C63’s performance is still very relevant to this day. It was able to hang with the CT4V and beat the Golf R. The handling may not be as good as the M3’s but the straight line performance and brakes are awesome.
Pros: straight line performance, awesome brakes
Cons: handling not as good
I just installed front and rear brakes @90k on my MK7.5 GTI w/PP brakes with a kit from FCP Euro Zimmerman cross drilled font and rear with EBC Red Stuff pads. The price has gone up a good bit since then but its a good upgrade from stock imo.
Pros: good upgrade from stock
Vehicle:
Volkswagen
Mileage: 90000 km
I remember somebody talking about swapping out the Brembo for Zimmermann brakes and he was much happier with those.
Pros: much happier
Cons: needed replacing quickly
The pad material composite can be upgraded to extend mileage adding replacement parts like Bosch or Zimmermann (OEM suppliers) that are the same or better than stock.
Pros: better than stock
Vehicle:
Volkswagen
I did them 6 months ago. I used import direct rotors from o Reilly. and some brake pads from NAPA I think I used Zimmerman brake pads. I have 0 problems with them and only need to do my rears in a couple of months according to the wear sensor.
Pros: zero problems, good performance
Vehicle:
BMW
If you skipped maintenance on an E-Class it would be the exact same story. Bushungs, stabilization links, brake pads, rotors, etc.
My mechanic replaces them with OE Mercedes everytime my car needs new brakes. I ask him to use aftermarket and he keeps saying aftermarket pads squeak a lot. And guess what, my OE MB pads squeak like hell when I hit the brakes while reversing lol
Cons: squeak when reversing
MB advisor here, GLC brakes are horrible with noise.
Cons: noisy brakes
We had an W211 and it was awesome, except of course for the whole brake recall fiasco. Thankfully Mercedes eventually sorted that.
Pros: fiasco sorted
Cons: brake recall fiasco
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Which brake pads to choose — Zimmermann or OEM Mercedes?
If choosing brake pads across many manufacturers, check the part ranking. If your choice is down to two brands, the PartReview part comparisons help.
We compare brake pads across these categories:
- PR Score.
- Overall ranking.
- Vote balance.
- Average rating.
- Number of reviews.
- Feature ratings.
- Car owners’ choice.
Which brake pads are better — OEM Mercedes or Zimmermann?
In March 2026 on PartReview, brake pads Zimmermann were overall better than OEM Mercedes.
- Zimmermann received a PR Score of 85 out of 100, and OEM Mercedes scored 59 points.
- Zimmermann ranked 28 in the overall ranking, and OEM Mercedes ranked 43.
- The average rating is higher for Zimmermann (4) than for OEM Mercedes (3.3).
-
Brake pads Zimmermann have better feature ratings than OEM Mercedes:
- Braking - owners believe, that this property for OEM Mercedes is better than Zimmermann.
- Dust - drivers claim, that this property for OEM Mercedes is outperforms Zimmermann.
- Noise - reviews suggest, that this property for OEM Mercedes is preferred to Zimmermann.
Which brake pads are more popular — Zimmermann or OEM Mercedes?
Brake pads Zimmermann and OEM Mercedes were equally popular according to data in March 2026.
By vote balance, brake pads Zimmermann surpassed OEM Mercedes:
- For Zimmermann, the ratio of positive (36) to negative (6) votes is 30 votes.
- For OEM Mercedes, the ratio of positive (28) to negative (19) votes is 9 votes.
By number of reviews, brake pads OEM Mercedes surpassed Zimmermann:
- For brake pads Zimmermann there are 14 reviews: 12 positive, 0 neutral, 2 negative.
- For brake pads OEM Mercedes there are 15 reviews: 8 positive, 2 neutral, 5 negative.
Which brake pads do car owners prefer — Zimmermann or OEM Mercedes?
In March 2026, according to PartReview, brake pads Zimmermann and OEM Mercedes have not taken top places in car-specific ratings. You can help by adding your review about these manufacturers.
Other comparisons of brake pads
If this comparison didn’t fully answer your question, there are many others on PartReview.
For example, comparisons of brake pads Zimmermann with: EBC, POWER STOP, Akebono, Hawk Performance, Brembo, Ferodo, OEM Volkswagen, Bosch, STOPTECH, Carbotech.
Also available: comparisons of brake pads OEM Mercedes with: EBC, POWER STOP, Akebono, Hawk Performance, Brembo, Ferodo, OEM Volkswagen, Bosch, STOPTECH, Carbotech.
You can also see who is better among other brake pads manufacturers: EBC or POWER STOP, EBC or Akebono, EBC or Hawk Performance, Brembo or EBC, Akebono or POWER STOP.