>Anyone else have similar experiences.  What are the best performing pads
>in terms of not fading and still perfrming well?  OEM?

The factory pad is a good pad, period.  I'm not sure if they are Pagid, or
what typical OEM, but all VW factory pads are usually excellent, dirty, and
expensive, but typically an excellent balance of cold performance versus
heavy hot use.  Some other things to try, Repco, either the MetalMaster or
the lower end pad.  The lower one (can't recall name) is a budget pad equal
in about all aspects to OEM, the MetalMaster is sort of the overused trusted
true metallic pad (though I think Repco is not the make anymore), a good pad
but it needs a bit of warm up for performance better than stock, and it
wears rotors faster.  I tried the old Mintex Silverlines on the Corrado when
they first came out in the US, now I think they sell two different pads
"red" and something else.  The silverlines were TERRIBLE cold for about the
first 10,000 miles (and I broke these things in right) but eventually either
improved cold or I got used to it, hot they were great, I had faded the OEM
pads (50% worn), never did the Mintex, and a very clean pad.  As to
availability, I know the MetalMasters are for early vans, probably also for
late as the caliper is probably the same as some FWD VW or German car, for
Mintex, maybe as well as the early ATE/Girling calipers were common on a lot
of German cars, and the late again should be common to some sort of FWD VW,
just will take a little x-reference.  Or go stock, but the price will eat
you alive.

John
vwbus@mindspring.com