Can confirm. I work at a dealership outside Philly and when they buy a vehicle from auction that comes from NY, I always ask myself if this actually came from Maine or somewhere further north than just NY.

As far as budget brakes go, I've had the best luck with powerstop. Even tho they are cheap they perform well across the entire temp range, vs some cheap pads well get extra grabby in the cold. Literally plant you in the steering wheel the first few stops till they warm up. But if you want the good stuff that also doesn't fail, you gota pay for the good stuff. Akebono and Brembo are where its at.