Been a couple of weeks since the swap. ECS says these are THE OE manufacturer of the B8 OE Audi/VW pads and I don't disagree - completely. The part number is different than what is listed and what my B8.5 calls for just a note. The build is the same and have the identical adhesive backing to help brake chatter or noise. The quality is almost identical; I do note that there isn't a TRW stamp anywhere on the OE pads, just the normal part number and Audi logos.

The performance is exactly the same as the OE pads and have the nice Audi bite which I like since the Audi/VW pads seem to have little wear on the stock rotors. The one con I did notice is the TRW's actually produce visible brake dust contrasting my rears and I hate cleaning my wheels. It was a nice surprise that Audi finally equipped the B8.5 A4's with pads that didn't dust up rims like the previous platforms. However, seems that TRW isn't using the exact formula they use for their Audi/VW pads and may have cut cost on their branded version. For seventy dollars compared to the OE there isn't too much to complain about aside from the dust. These will be coming off earlier than normal this time around though.

Here's what the wheels will look like before a wash.