I hope that I was not misunderstood. I mentioned that I recommended the pads from a Honda dealer or Wagner Thermoquiet Ceramic OEM pads. They cost about the same, I’ve used both on our 97 Accord and cannot tell the difference in how they work as for stopping power and brake feel. Again, they cost about the same, but for me, I don’t have to drive as far to get the Wagners.
I know that Honda does not make their own brake pads and it doesn’t matter to me. The factory pads on our Accord only lasted 70k miles, the replacement pads I bought from the dealer, that came with new shims and hardware, lasted about 100k miles and still had plenty of life left in them so there must have been some difference in the pad material, but it did not affect the brake feel.
Due to a leaking caliper, last summer I rebuilt both calipers, replaced the rear wheel cylinders and all the hoses, the master cylinder and the front pads with the Wagners. Again they feel exactly like the OEM pads, and they cost the same but were more convenient for me to obtain. I don’t know how long they will last. I also replaced the front rotors and wheel bearings and the steering rack bellows while I was down there.
The important thing here is to get OEM spec pads. I used an aftermarket set of pads on my Saturn once. They were supposed to be “better then OEM” I found them difficult to modulate, the wheels locked up too easily and they only lasted 35k miles where the factory pads lasted 140k miles. And they ate up a new set of rotors too. Won’t do that again.