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i recall reading somewhere that you should get new shims if you change your brake pads (not sure if this is true or not). i think at this point, just use your old shims. if you get any squeaks, then change the shims to new ones.
I was curious to the shim replacement as well when I recently did my pads. My dealership says they only replace them if the current ones are rusted or in need of replacement. As a matter of fact, my dealership didn't have a set of either front or rear shims in stock. The new pads came with shims on them but not secured. I applied a nice smearing of Brake Quiet (the blue stuff) and then reattached the shim that came with the pad. The old pads had two shims on them and there wasn't a thing wrong with them. I used just the outer shims and put them on as well with Brake Quiet. Totally quiet.
I probably could have gotten away with just the one shim but there were two on when I took the pads off so I wanted to be consistent.
I love Akebono ProACT ceramics on my 98 gs300 with brembo rotors. This time my mech told me not to use them with 3GS. Put them on and report how you like them, if it works I'll use them next time around.
I have Akebono's and they perform flawlessly. No dust, Same OEM pads stopping power, and no NOISE at all.