Hella Pagid 355018111 Rear Brake Pad Set, Low-Metallic

If you've got a VW or Audi that's due for rear brakes, the Hella Pagid 355018111 is the kind of part you install and forget about. It's a low-metallic pad set for the rear axle, built to the same standard the factory calipers were designed around. Pagid has been in the friction business a long time, and it shows in how these pads bed in and how quietly they run once they're seated.

This set is cataloged as 8DB 355 018-111, WVA 23554. The friction material measures 87 mm wide, 53 mm tall, and 17.2 mm thick, which is the standard rear-pad footprint for the Volkswagen and Audi rear-caliper family. It's a Lucas-style caliper fitment, so if your car runs that rear brake system, this is a direct swap.

Low-metallic friction is a good all-around choice for a daily-driven car. It bites well when cold, holds up to repeated hard stops without fading, and it's easy on the rotor. You'll get a little more brake dust than a ceramic pad, but the trade is stronger, more predictable stopping, which is exactly what you want out of the rear axle on a car that sees real mileage.

One thing we like about this set: it comes with the brake caliper screws, which is what the "with mounting hardware" note on the box means. That's the small stuff that's easy to reuse and shouldn't be. Fresh screws mean the caliper carrier torques down clean. Note that these pads are not prepared for a wear-indicator sensor. If your car uses an electronic pad-wear sensor on the rear axle, you'll source that separately, since it isn't part of this set.

A quick word on why the pad shape matters. Brake pads aren't universal, even within a single brand. The 87 by 53 by 17.2 mm size here is specific to a family of rear calipers, and a pad that's a few millimeters off won't sit right in the carrier or will wear unevenly. That's the reason we push the VIN check so hard on brake parts. When the pad matches the caliper exactly, the shims and the caliper screws all line up, the pad floats the way it should, and you don't get that off-center wear that eats a set early.

Fitment covers a broad slice of the VW and Audi lineup. Think Golf, Jetta, Passat, Corrado, and Beetle on the Volkswagen side, and A3, A4, and A6 on the Audi side, across a lot of model years. Because that range is so wide and these platforms shared several rear-caliper setups over the years, don't guess. Give us your VIN or check the OE number on your old pads before you order. This set replaces a long list of factory part numbers, including 1K0698451M, 8D0698451, 1H0698451G, 8E0698451L, and 1J0698451D, so cross-checking the number stamped on your original pad or backing plate is the surest way to confirm the fit.

Installation is a standard rear-pad job. Pull the wheel, unbolt the caliper, swing it off the carrier, and slide the old pads out. Compress the piston, and if your car has an electric parking brake on the rear, put it in service mode first so you don't fight the motor. Fit the new pads, run in the fresh caliper screws, torque to spec, and pump the pedal up before you drive off. Give them a few hundred easy miles to bed in and you'll have a firm, quiet rear brake.

This is a sensible replacement pad for anyone keeping a VW or Audi on the road, whether that's a weekend project car or your daily commuter. It's not a track-day compound and it isn't trying to be. It's a clean, correct, OE-style rear pad set that does the job and lasts. If you're doing the rears, it's worth checking the rotors while you're in there, since worn pads and scored rotors tend to show up together.