My brake calipers always seem to lock up while I'm away from home and I begin grinding through the rotors. How important is it that I specify that I want OEM brake pads (and rotors) when that happens? I suspect they are much more expensive and much less available, (Lexus ES350 2007) I think Akebono is the OEM supplier.
Scotty recommends Akebonos for cars that don't even come with them standard.
Don't go cheap on brake parts (or let the mechanic go cheap) - cars that don't start are an annoyance, cars that don't stop are a disaster.
You can always purchase the parts before you go to the mechanic and give it to them.
If I can find them while traveling. Maybe I need to keep spare brake pads and rotors in my trunk :d
You can order them online. By the way Akebono are by far the best brake pads.
Not important at all, as long as you get a quality pad.
Pads that don't meet OEM quality standards, however, will usually squeal and squeak for a long, long time. (It's pretty horrible, actually). Make sure you get decent, better grade pads.