Update: I threw in the stock pads and the noise went away. I can't believe that pads that don't quite meet the required tolerances can make a clunking noise that sounds like it's from the strut tower; I've never experienced that and have been doing my own brakes for close to 25 years.
I guess...
Zimmerman rotors and TRW pads (TRW TPC-1633). Changed it as I got tired of washing the wheels after every weekend drive. I'm certain that I installed the pads correctly but will double check this weekend.
My '15 R just passed the 16k mile mark so everything should still be relatively factory fresh, the car does sit on DG springs and has been on these springs for years. About 2 weeks ago I started noticing a metallic sounding clunking noise in the front when going over certain bumps in the road...
Might be an outlier, 2015 R with 15k miles. On the other hand, my old 2007 GTI is still driving around in Switzerland currently with 160k miles driven by the same lady I sold it to back in 2012 when I lived and worked over there.
This shows how crazy the used car market has gotten. There was a 2021 GTI Autobahn at my local BMW dealer in March of 2021 with 1,200 miles for $29k. 18 months later and the same car with 10x the mileage is selling for mid-high 30's according to your post.
Anyway, did you get a quote from...