X5 Brake Pad/Rotor Replacement

I wanted to gather some opinions about different brakes for my '05 E53 X5 4.8. Currently, it has the standard OEM spec package all around. An independent shop is telling me that the front pads and rotors need to be replaced, which I am not debating. With 88K miles on it, I have no clue when the pads were last replaced since we've only owned it for the last 15K miles.

A general brake repair place has recommended using Textar Ceramic Pads and what they refer to as premium rotors.

1) Does anyone have any experience with Textar Ceramic pads?

I checked online at BavAuto, and I saw a couple of brands listed there: Mintex and Pagid. Both of these are about 1/2 of what the OEM pads cost.

2) Does anyone have any experiences with any of these pad brands?

3) Lastly, since I may need to replace my rotors (at least in the front), are there any noticeable advantages/disadvantages to going with either cross drilled or slotted rotors?

4) Any particular rotor brands that would be best?

The X is a daily driver in traffic with some highway workouts on the weekends. Any thoughts would be much appreciated.

Thanks,
Joe

1. Speaking for myself, no, but IIRC Textar is/was an OE supplier for BMW so you should have no worries about quality or suitability.
2. I used Mintex pads once on my 318is when I did a ton of work on a tight budget. I only put a thousand miles or so on them before selling the (dead husk of the) car but had no complaints.
3. For normal street use, no. Some say they look cool. That's about it.
4. Couldn't say. Genuine BMW rotors are superb and not at all overpriced so that's all I ever use. (FWIW, I replace rotors and pads as a set, every time--like-new braking performance and never a worry about warping, improper bedding or exceeding the rotor wear limit.)

CCA membership earns you a discount on parts at many BMW dealerships. You might consider buying the parts yourself and bringing them to your installer. I'd also suggest patronizing a shop that specializes in BMWs rather than a "general brake repair place."

I would never bother with slotted or cross-drilled rotors for a street-driven vehicle.

Ditto on oem rotors - can't go wrong there.

Thanks

Thanks all - good guidance. I spoke to en ex- BMW mechanic after posting this message, and he pretty much echoed your comments.

This was helpful to me also.

But do you guys recomend just going oem dealer parts / ecs tuning oem all around?