I was never happy with the performance of the original brakes. The braking efficiency felt poor, and in wet weather the discs would quickly develop surface rust. When braking in damp or rainy conditions, the noise made it sound like I was driving an old car with worn-out brakes.

After 50,000 km, I decided to replace the brakes. I installed Zimmermann discs and pads on the front axle. Braking performance didn't improve noticeably, but the annoying noise in wet weather is finally gone.

Now I only have the rear brakes left to replace. The problem is that I can't find Zimmermann brake pads for the rear. Every parts store I've checked only offers OEM/original pads.

According to Skoda-Parts.com, the rear brake pad part number is 3WA 698 451, but I still haven't been able to find an equivalent Zimmermann pad.

Has anyone managed to find Zimmermann rear brake pads, or can recommend a good alternative? Since I can't find Zimmermann rear pads, would Zimmermann discs with OEM pads be a good combination? Has anyone tried this setup?

Car: Skoda Superb MK4 1.5 tsi 110 kW

My friendly AI, offered this information on non OEM pads. No Zimmerman of course, however a few decent alternatives in there 🤞

Yes, there are excellent non-OEM alternatives for your Skoda brake pads (part 3WA 698 451). Many premium aftermarket brands manufacture pads that are equivalent to or even outperform the OEM parts.

Top-Tier Aftermarket Brands

· BOSCH: Reference 0986460074.
· BREMBO: References P85182, P85184, or P85184N.
· PAGID: References T2903 or T2903N.
· ATE: References 13046073552 or 13047073552 (Ceramic option available).
· FERODO: Reference FDB5357.

Other Reputable Brands

· TRW: GDB2373
· TEXTAR: 2616901, 2620601
· MINTEX: MDB3469
· DELPHI: LP3663 or LP3669
· VALEO: 302784, 610521, or 672001

💡 Recommendation: If you're focused on minimizing brake dust and keeping your wheels clean, ATE Ceramic pads come highly recommended by Skoda owners. However, note that some owners have observed that these ceramics can be more aggressive on brake discs over time. For a balanced performance, Brembo, Pagid, and Bosch are consistently praised as reliable upgrades over standard OEM fitment.

When purchasing, double-check that the pads match your front or rear axle and match your specific disc size (e.g., 312mm, 340mm).

If you share your Skoda model and engine, I can check for potential fitment differences.

Thank you for the reply. Before posting on the forum, I had also asked the same friend, but he is often inaccurate :)

The brake pads listed differ visually from the original ones. After asking my "friend" to check again, he corrected himself and said that none of those pads are suitable. I need the ones with the code 3WA, whereas the ones listed correspond to 5WA, which are intended for an older model.

In addition, the parts supplier from whom I bought the front brakes says that, for now, only the genuine OEM part is available. That came as quite a surprise to me.

@justas1982 Just nosy but what EU country are you in?

Lithuania