I am about to need new brake pads for the 323 and I want to order them from the states. I am pretty sure that they are the same for both the European and North American models but wanted to get a concensus from the forum. If I buy them over here (Germany) they are going to run me around $250.00 so I was hoping to get them from Autozone (maybe, bad idea?) Let me know if this is a terrible idea or not.
Front pads appear to be the same for Euro & US E36 and E46 (BMW parts # 34116761244), while rear pads appear to be specific for Euro & US E36 models (part # 34216761239). You can find good pricing from Autohausaz.com and Tischer BMW parts, but I don't know about shipping overseas.
The last generic auto parts store pads I bought were Advance Auto's 'Lifetime Warranty' pads for my Jeep. Turned out they were Performance Friction! Nice surprise.
Bavarian Autosport, www.bavauto.com, can get Euro specific parts if you have the part numbers. Use www.realoem.com to get the p/n. I am sure they would ship to Europe
The brake pads are not Euro-specific, and you can nearly always beat BavAuto's price. They have a nice catalog, but you pay for it with every purchase. Not trying to argue - just relating my 29 years of BMW parts buying experience.
