2020 Grom VLine Tech

[jLB]

Hi All, thinking about getting this for my 2014 Sahara (Aus Model) but reading this thread has turned me off abit, can anyone chime in thats had good experience?

Early on, my VLine was a bit of a disappointment, but Grom seems to have slowly gotten their s*** together, and overall I’d say I’ve had a good experience.

I don’t know how much my US model Lexus LX470 (100 series) experience will translate to an Australian model 200 series…

 

[suprarx7nut]

Hi All, thinking about getting this for my 2014 Sahara (Aus Model) but reading this thread has turned me off abit, can anyone chime in thats had good experience?

I think it's important to know this thread is more like a common help line than an unbiased product review. This is where we go to complain, haha.

I like my Vline quite a bit now. I use wireless Android Auto and my only complaint is targeted at Android Auto and not necessarily the Vline. My complaint is that it's hard to toggle on/off. The only way I've found to do it is to turn off bluetooth and wifi on my phone. The connection is otherwise impressively persistent.

The biggest failure of the Grom Vline VL2 for me is the lack of phone integration for calls. For some reason that I can't quite understand, VLine ignores phone call capability and forces you to use the OEM Bluetooth connection (which one could argue isn't functional). The Vline unit has a microphone. I don't understand why they didn't attempt to integrate phone calls into the Android Auto system like a normal Android Auto setup would.

One thing I really like is that Grom is constantly putting out updates. They continue to improve and fix things and my unit is more reliable than ever now.

 

[saucebox]

The biggest failure of the Grom Vline VL2 for me is the lack of phone integration for calls. For some reason that I can't quite understand, VLine ignores phone call capability and forces you to use the OEM Bluetooth connection (which one could argue isn't functional). The Vline unit has a microphone. I don't understand why they didn't attempt to integrate phone calls into the Android Auto system like a normal Android Auto setup would.

Might be a late model thing—no such issues in my '03. Or another Android Auto issue?

 

[Manhattan]

As @suprarx7nut said, this thread was started to sort out issues. I’ve had a couple; most have been resolved with updates. The only two remaining:
1. 15-20% of the time, the screen is black with green static lines. This is resolved by pressing AM then Audio.
2. 10-15% of the time, it takes 5-10 to connect.

I’d hoped GROM would’ve addressed these by now. They know they exist. And, they know they’re common problems. But if you call/email, they pretend it’s a one-off issue… and ask if you’re running the latest version.

The VL2 good, not perfect. But, it’s the best option for these old trucks. GROM needs a competitor to kick them in their ass and patch these bugs.

 

[xXsnowXx]

I appreciate the responses here. I've been on the fence between choosing the VLine, the PX6, or just going with at BT45-TOY. Been leaning toward the VLine for a while. Was hoping they'd have a nice Black Friday sale (despite being backordered a bit). They didn't but did share the $50 off code which was nice.

 

[suprarx7nut]

Might be a late model thing—no such issues in my '03. Or another Android Auto issue?

Really?! You get Android phone calls through the car speakers? And via the Android auto app on screen?!

 

[saucebox]

Really?! You get Android phone calls through the car speakers? And via the Android auto app on screen?!

Oh no way haha. I'd never use Android . But calls through speakers via VL2—yep, only it's CarPlay instead of AA.

What I meant was that the '03 wasn't equipped with factory bluetooth. So perhaps it's just an issue with the newer model years that did? Not a very helpful observation for you, but perhaps for others looking into the VL2s.

 

[Manhattan]

The phone integration works perfectly in my ‘06.

 

[suprarx7nut]

The phone integration works perfectly in my ‘06.

Android auto?

We know carplay works. For some reason Grom didn't integrate Android Auto calls... At least not as of a while back...

 

[cghall98]

I think it's important to know this thread is more like a common help line than an unbiased product review. This is where we go to complain, haha.

I like my Vline quite a bit now. I use wireless Android Auto and my only complaint is targeted at Android Auto and not necessarily the Vline. My complaint is that it's hard to toggle on/off. The only way I've found to do it is to turn off bluetooth and wifi on my phone. The connection is otherwise impressively persistent.

The biggest failure of the Grom Vline VL2 for me is the lack of phone integration for calls. For some reason that I can't quite understand, VLine ignores phone call capability and forces you to use the OEM Bluetooth connection (which one could argue isn't functional). The Vline unit has a microphone. I don't understand why they didn't attempt to integrate phone calls into the Android Auto system like a normal Android Auto setup would.

One thing I really like is that Grom is constantly putting out updates. They continue to improve and fix things and my unit is more reliable than ever now.

I would guess that if you removed your phone from the OEM BT connection, it would sort your issues. The VLine connects in place of the disc changer, so when you make a phone call from the perspective of the car, it must switch you over to the OEM system, which cancels out what the VLine is trying to do.

Go into the factory BT settings and delete your phone from the list. I believe that should solve your issues.

 

[suprarx7nut]

I would guess that if you removed your phone from the OEM BT connection, it would sort your issues. The VLine connects in place of the disc changer, so when you make a phone call from the perspective of the car, it must switch you over to the OEM system, which cancels out what the VLine is trying to do.

Go into the factory BT settings and delete your phone from the list. I believe that should solve your issues.

Unfortunately not. Tried that multiple times with multiple phones. iPhone works ok, Android auto doesn't at all.

It's such a significant problem I'm debating doing an entire stereo change to delete nav and go with a new aftermarket head unit. My wife has had enough of my black-out periods of contact while driving, haha

 

[cghall98]

Unfortunately not. Tried that multiple times with multiple phones. iPhone works ok, Android auto doesn't at all.

It's such a significant problem I'm debating doing an entire stereo change to delete nav and go with a new aftermarket head unit. My wife has had enough of my black-out periods of contact while driving, haha

Maybe it’s time to get an iPhone?

 

[suprarx7nut]

Maybe it’s time to get an iPhone?

Haha, touche. I've got an iPhone for work. Really don't like it. This issue appears to be a grom problem and not an Android problem.

I think Grom got the iPhone dialed in and then gave up before Android auto was truly complete.

 

[P Hill Up]

Reviving old thread in case anyone was wondering (like I did) if VLine is still worth it. Just installed in my 2006 Lx 470. First impressions are that it is. To address prior issues raised in this thread, I have an iphone so i don't know if the Android issues raised above are fixed or not.

Purchased in October, installed this weekend. Firmware shipped with it was the most recent so I didn't need to update.

Install was pretty easy for a novice like me. Took about 2.5 hours over two evenings after the kids went to bed including downloading apps and getting my phone connected. I have a small bit of buttoning up to do still once I make sure everything is working correctly and that I want to keep the unit in the glove box.

Removing the center stack was simple. There are many videos online about it, including one from GROM. Hardest part of that was removing the wood trim without breaking the tabs. The PO placed adhesive foam around the edge, so I think some had previously been broken and the adhesive was contributing to the difficulty. Many of the tabs broke, so I'll need to apply some tape as well.

One semi-challenging part was fishing the connections to the glove box where i placed the Grom unit. You have to run it over the right-center vent and down into the glove box. Takes some patience, but you can get it once you find the channel. Was helpful for me to shine a flashlight up from the glovebox once it was taken apart to see where the light went above the vent and where I needed to run the wires.

The other issue I had was where to place the gps antenna. Other posters recommended placing near the passenger's side A-pillar, which is what I did, but I couldn't find anyone online explaining how to do that. Partially writing this so it might help someone in the future. Taking off the A-pillar is easy. Pry off the two screw covers from the A-pillar handle and unscrew. You can then pull the A-pillar up and toward you and it comes out easily. There is a small channel in the dashboard under the A-pillar that you can fish the antenna connection down to the glovebox. It is very easy. Again, the flashlight trick helped me here.

Had a small issue getting carplay and bluetooth to connect the first time. Had to delete the VLine from my phone's bluetooth memory, relearn, and it's worked well since. Music is high quality, so high that i didn't realize the cheap tape adapter I was using before must not have been broadcasting the subwoofer channel. Subwoofer rattles, so I need to put that on the list of things to replace now. Door speakers and tweeters seem in good enough shape that they're not a priority.

VLine wasn't cheap, but it was worth it for me. I travel a fair bit for work and the truck was purchased to be a road trip mobile, so having those directions easily visible driving is a must. Music sounds great and ease of connection (so far) would have sold me even if carplay wasn't included.

 

[Manhattan]

If you compare the VLine to new OEM systems, it's not great. If you compare it to what the newest 100 came with, it's amazing.

I've had it for a few years, dealt with a few bugs, still have one bug (the black screen with green lines, press another source button then back to Disc to fix it)... but overall, I still really like it.

 

[johns94cruiser]

Hard to see streets on mine. Vline is is not the problem it’s the screen. Despite the limitations of the screen, I’d buy again at The group buy price.

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Love Biz Markie! RIP

 

[AN470]

Are you guys using the Bluetooth mic that came with the kit? I have a 2004 LX with Bluetooth, would rather avoid installing the new mic, but wondering what everyone else has done or if it is even possible to install this system and use the old mic for Bluetooth. Did a brief search didn't find an answer.

Thanks in advance.

 

[JRidz]

Are you guys using the Bluetooth mic that came with the kit? I have a 2004 LX with Bluetooth, would rather avoid installing the new mic, but wondering what everyone else has done or if it is even possible to install this system and use the old mic for Bluetooth. Did a brief search didn't find an answer.

Thanks in advance.

Just came across this thread and saw your question. I went ahead and installed the mic from GROM. It’s required if you want to use the phone calling in CarPlay/Android. The catch is that you have to be in CarPlay/Android to receive an incoming call and hear anything. If you’re on the OEM radio or other screens, gotta hit that disc button to switch over. You’ll get used to it. It was fairly simple to install the mic clipped to the back of the sun glasses/map lamp unit and cable tucked behind the headliner and A pillar.