Thinking about replacing the super-dusty OEM brake pads for a set of Porterfield or Akebono pads. Would using these pads invalidate the car's factory warranty?

no they wont...pads is a wear and tear item i guess so they can't void it...like putter better tires than factory

That is correct. I hate the oem pads.

Akebonos offer tremendous reduction in brake dust though it takes a couple of hundred miles to break them in but that goes for any pads. I love them and they save me a lot of cleaning.

Thanks for the replies folks.

I just ordered a set of Akebono pads for my SL. If they work OK, then I'll get a set for the E350.
My dealer service rep confirmed the M-Bz warranty is still OK if using Akebono pads.

Initially be prepared for increased emergency braking distance which changes to reduced braking distance once broken in.

hilarious that you guys are willing to sacrifice on braking distance to get less brake dust.

Ceramic pads need breaking in like any other new pads and one needs to excercise caution; then they are awesome with a tremendous bite and reduced braking distance, perhaps better than OEM in my experience. Now a few thousand miles later they have had no adverse impact on my original OEM rotors.

pinebaron, oh I thought you were saying that they have reduced braking effectiveness indefinitely .. i.e. giving up braking distance for dust.

I was wondering how they would work with OEM rotors. I understand that the reason there is a lot of dust using original pads is because they are softer therefore better performance. The having to wash/wipe my wheels almost every day is annoying though. Sometimes I just let it go, the body is clean because its summer, but I just leave the wheels get black and wear them as a kind of a badge of honor . I dust and spray the body down with Zymol quick detail to keep dust off the body.

Are there any break pads with reduced break dust AND as a matter of fact (not guessing) offers better stopping power? I'd like to get pads with less dust but not even at the expense of one inch of stopping power.

By the way, how many miles can you expect from a set of break pads? 20K miles?

I'm sure there are pads out there that offer better than OEM pads and have less dust. You may have to pay a premium for them though. Like anything, you get what you pay for. As far as longetivity, it all depends on driving habits. I drive miss Daisy and get over 50k on a set.
I would consider EBC or Stoptech for aftermarket pads.

I'm at 66K on the original pads. I let the diesel do most of the stopping.

A couple of updates here are in order:
1. The Akebono pads are working fine on the 06 SL500.
2. WRT my plan to replace the OEM pads on my 08 E350 with Akebonos, I asked my dealer to put it in writing that the Akebonos would not affect the warranty. Their written reply was that using ceramic brake pads will invalidate the factory warranty coverage for the brake system; however, the rest of the car would still be covered by the factory warranty, per M-Bz corporate. Ouch!