please help! re: 2000 A4 brake pads

[whitelightning]

hello fellow enthusiasts, i recently bought a 2000 A4 quattro 1.8T and today the brake pad sensor went off telling me my pads are worn. We have a real good audi specialist here so i won't be taking it to an Audi dealership. Question is, what pads should i put on? I want something with some real stopping power so is it ok to do just pads or should i be upgrading anything? I have about $500 to spend so keep your ideas in that pricerange. thanx in advance. I look forward to curing my ignorance.