GROM VLine Owners (Please post only if you've owned this device) (1 Viewer)

[pvchaitanya]

I’ve been getting that but seems like when I have a good connection and then I make a quick stop and I turn the car off. Drop kids off and back in the car in a few minutes. Then when I turn car on the iPhone has trouble reconnecting. Happens like once a week ish.

Quicker solution is shut the wifi off on your iPhone. It will say car play will disconnect and you say okay and then grom will reconnect CarPlay automatically and usually problem fixed. No need to turn off car.

I have experienced this as well. I tried turning off bluetooth and on again but it wont go away unless I restart.
The service rep asked me to take a log dump when this happens by pressing next track button and previous track button in succession and grom will dump a log file. Never cared to send them this file.

I never tried toggling wifi as I though wifi should not be having any affect on connectivity with grom as it uses bluetooth. Will try it next time and update if it worked for me.

 

[andyp]

I have experienced this as well. I tried turning off bluetooth and on again but it wont go away unless I restart.
The service rep asked me to take a log dump when this happens by pressing next track button and previous track button in succession and grom will dump a log file. Never cared to send them this file.

I never tried toggling wifi as I though wifi should not be having any affect on connectivity with grom as it uses bluetooth. Will try it next time and update if it worked for me.

Wireless CarPlay uses wifi as well.

 

[82SC]

The sequence is the when you turn on the car

The iPhone connects to grom via BT
that tells your phone to disconnect from any WiFi
Then the GROM creates a local wifi network and the phone connects to the GROM local wifi and then they talk via WiFi.

So toggling wifi is the way to break the connection and restart it. Not BT.

Plus GROM unit has a sleep mode where it stays powered on even when the car is off for a few minutes. This helps with short stop restarts (but I think this feature is also what is causing some of the glitchyness). So even if you shut off the car for a few minutes essentially it is still connected and in the same state of confusion. Toggle the wifi. It works for my situation. But it’s rare.

 

[lx200inAR]

I got my vLine 2 from last group buy this weekend. I did a soft install in my 2010 LX to see how I like it. If you aren’t trying to mount anything, physical install is less than 30 min. updated the firmware and had no issues getting CarPlay going. I’m only getting audio out of left side of stereo. I tried wired and wireless CarPlay and got same results, and was eventually able to get the A2DP plugin to connect and allow audio streamed from phone, in an attempt to eliminate the CarPlay aspect. I’m guessing I just got a bad cable. I’ll be emailing Grom support tomorrow. Factory audio still works fine.

1st impressions are that I think it’s okay. It’s very clunky to control with the factory screen. Once I learn where everything is that will get easier. I didn’t instal gapps yet, so there is that as well..

I’ve also already had plenty of video glitches where it will lose the Grom video and I have to cycle the AUX button to get back. That could be another bad cable or software. I haven’t even driven around yet, we will see if that situation deteriorates.

 

[lx200inAR]

One question for anyone who installed in an early LX, I only actually changed any plugs on the top screen. I had 2 OEM plugs left over. Does all this sound correct?

 

[82SC]

I got my vLine 2 from last group buy this weekend. I did a soft install in my 2010 LX to see how I like it. If you aren’t trying to mount anything, physical install is less than 30 min. updated the firmware and had no issues getting CarPlay going. I’m only getting audio out of left side of stereo. I tried wired and wireless CarPlay and got same results, and was eventually able to get the A2DP plugin to connect and allow audio streamed from phone, in an attempt to eliminate the CarPlay aspect. I’m guessing I just got a bad cable. I’ll be emailing Grom support tomorrow. Factory audio still works fine.

1st impressions are that I think it’s okay. It’s very clunky to control with the factory screen. Once I learn where everything is that will get easier. I didn’t instal gapps yet, so there is that as well..

I’ve also already had plenty of video glitches where it will lose the Grom video and I have to cycle the AUX button to get back. That could be another bad cable or software. I haven’t even driven around yet, we will see if that situation deteriorates.

Check your cables and the pins. I’ve read a couple people on the grom Facebook page discover the problem was bent pins in the connectors causing a bad connection.

It’s 97% good. It’s a tiny bit buggy. A quick way to cycle it is to just turn your wifi back on in your iPhone menu to disconnect wireless CarPlay. GROM will automatically reconnect CarPlay. And there is a reboot option in the Vline update menu. One of those usually does it.

I use these techniques maybe 2-3 times a month if that.

 

[lx200inAR]

Check your cables and the pins. I’ve read a couple people on the grom Facebook page discover the problem was bent pins in the connectors causing a bad connection.

It’s 97% good. It’s a tiny bit buggy. A quick way to cycle it is to just turn your wifi back on in your iPhone menu to disconnect wireless CarPlay. GROM will automatically reconnect CarPlay. And there is a reboot option in the Vline update menu. One of those usually does it.

I use these techniques maybe 2-3 times a month if that.

Thanks. I’ll check the pins today. My screen issues seem to just be a loss of sync between screen and Grom. All I have to do to resolve is hit the Aux button twice and it comes back. I have had one time when I had to unplug the Grom for a while. But that was during installation, so who knows. My hvac controls also disappeared for a while. I double checked all my plugs, they seemed okay, but then hvac worked fine after a restart or 2.

 

[lx200inAR]

Pins on the VLine2 are fine. I had one screen disconnect on my 7 min drive to work. Resolved by hitting aux button twice, so not a huge deal. I don't' want to be doing that every 10 minutes though.

I went ahead and opened a case with Grom support through there online submission form. We will see what comes of that. I probably still need to test the cable and look at the OEM headunit side to make sure everything looks okay. I fully disconnected and reconnected it last night though.

Any one have a pin out or wiring device for what wires are suppose to be where? I haven't really checked around on internet much yet.

 

[pvchaitanya]

One question for anyone who installed in an early LX, I only actually changed any plugs on the top screen. I had 2 OEM plugs left over. Does all this sound correct?

Yes. Even I got confused looking at other videos for LC etc. But this sounds about right. After installation, you will have two factory cables disconnect and left dangling.
In that spot, the GROM MCFLEX6 cable (Which has two exact match connectors) will go from the car display (Top part) to the GROM.

There will be another cable which is for display port of car audio to GROM display port.

 

[lx200inAR]

Yes. Even I got confused looking at other videos for LC etc. But this sounds about right. After installation, you will have two factory cables disconnect and left dangling.
In that spot, the GROM MCFLEX6 cable (Which has two exact match connectors) will go from the car display (Top part) to the GROM.

There will be another cable which is for display port of car audio to GROM display port.

That’s what I ended up with. Means, unless you need to move the lower section to route wires, you only need to remove the top/screen portion to do the install.

 

[pvchaitanya]

That’s what I ended up with. Means, unless you need to move the lower section to route wires, you only need to remove the top/screen portion to do the install.

Yeah, I tried that but ended up pulling the lower portion out a bit to route the wires to below glove box.

 

[lx200inAR]

Yeah, I tried that but ended up pulling the lower portion out a bit to route the wires to below glove box.

Yeah, the "if" in my statement is a big one...i assume most people will need to remove the lower section as well. It only adds about 45 seconds to the job, so not a big deal one way or the other.

 

[lx200inAR]

I've been futzing with my Grom for a few days now, still having issue with sound from the right channel. Support from Grom has been good with timely emails to aid in troubleshooting. They haven't really offered anything I wasn't able to find on the internet to test, but as stated, they are still talking to me with 3-4 emails exchanges per day. One reason I ultimately went with Grom is because of the continued support to updating the product and how most people online say they had good technical support for installation. I mean, in reality you are buying about $80 worth of Android computer and $500 worth of support with this product. To put the support of the product in perspective. Two years ago the Grom didn't support Carplay/AA at all, then it supported the wired version, then wireless but with tethering compromises, and now a fully baked solution that is easy to implement and hands off after that. How many products out there get that much update without forcing you to buy new hardware to make use of new features.

Update on my audio from the left only issue:
So turns out it wasn't a huge mystery. I got in my car today and it was working, but after a few minutes stopped working. So then I pulled the Grom out of the glove box and powercycled it. At the time I had the balance fully to the right channel. I clearly heard the audio come in and out while moving the Grom around. So at this point I knew it was just a wiring issue. I found that there was a certain place that I could put my finger on the connector and it worked perfectly.

The only thing i find confusing about this, is that the Grom appears to be using the USB input on my stereo to provide audio. That would seem to me that it's sending data digitally to the head unit. That logic doesn't' really jive with only one side being affected when I touch the connector out of the Grom. I wonder if there is a small ADC wrapped up in the wiring harness that converts an analog output from the Grom unit.

My other issue of the screen losing connectivity randomly still exists, but it's only a minor nuisance. It seems to either be tied to a one time occurrence per trip, or possibly related to flipping through settings. But if I don't mess with stuff too much, it seems to only happen once within first minute or two of being in car and then doesn't happen again. I was in truck for about 1.5hrs yesterday afternoon and it didn't fail again after the first time. It literally only takes 2 button clicks to resolve.

General thoughts:
After a few more days of using it, assuming i can work out the audio issue, I'd say I'm pretty happy with it. Even if I only use the Carplay part from here out, that provides me updated maps and the ability to stream audio easily on a more modern interface with little fanfare. The wireless Carplay works great. All i do is turn my car on and the phone connects and Carplay interface loads to my screen.


Future:
I haven't worked out the phone call settings yet as far as whether to let my phone continue to sync to the truck or to do the calling through the Grom. I'd prefer to not install the Grom Mic, so I suspect it will go whichever way works best for that. I also haven't even installed GApps yet. I'll do that this weekend when i have some time and then possibly try to mess around with using a new launcher. As easy as Carplay is, most of the people on the Facebook group have abandoned Carplay and are using the native Android as the control plane. I loaded and logged into the native Pandora app and it is more feature rich than the driver focused (dumbed down) Carplay interface. I get worried that if i get too deep into native apps and launchers that they will become unsupported as time passes and it will be wasted effort. I believe the Grom is somewhat modular inside the box (you can purchase a replacement core from them), so I wonder if at any point, they will be able to offer an updated core with new OS once the hardware is too old to keep up with modern apps.

 

[lx200inAR]

Another update. Grom sent me a new cable for my audio issue. Turns out it is most likely an issue between the Grom device connector and the circuit board inside. After changing the cable had same issue, I found that turning the connecter clockwise gave me good connection, but it would stop as soon as I let go. I was hoping to not have a major warranty type issue like this, but we will see how it goes.

For now I plan to mount the unit in my glovebox. I removed the glovebox today and separated the two rear parts to fit the plugs through. There is already a hole in the rear big enough for the cables. It would probably be Better to drill a small hole in the rear of the left side as the cables are somewhat pressed against the hvac intake box.
heres the rear of the glove box separated and cables run.

 

[mceagle555]

Just installed Grom Vline2 in my 2008 LX and posted my overall review in my build thread

Great option for those in the Apple ecosystem

 

[lx200inAR]

Got my VLine2 back from GROM yesterday. New unit resolved audio issues. New unit did not resolve my issue with the screen going out periodically.

Overall the RMA experience wasn't too bad. Support was mostly attentive and the process went smoothly. Wasn't a huge fan of having to pay to ship the Vline2 back to GROM. If it was warranty work 11 months down the road, that would be one thing. But having to ship on my dime for something that was broken out of the box is lame.

Either way, I'm happy with the unit. I will most likely run CarPlay 99% of the time. I installed the OBD Fusion app and Toyota pack. Haven't worked on a custom dashboard for it yet.

 

[82SC]

Most recent followup

Dimitry at GROM sent me a firmware that fixed the bottom of the screen line issue

the newest software and firmware seem to have really ironed out all the issues of connectivity and drop outs

It's been working seamless for me

I plan to take advantage of the AV IN feature soon for a trailer cam and will report back

 

[Bryanmc]

Is that firmware publicly available or something they sent you privately? I've been having really bad dropouts lately, hoping that gets fixed.

 

[82SC]

i would update to the latest and if you have issue reach out to them. They have been very responsive to me.

rarely I have to sent them a followup email if they haven't responded for a week but they always seem to be putting in the effort

 

[lx200inAR]

Is that firmware publicly available or something they sent you privately? I've been having really bad dropouts lately, hoping that gets fixed.

i would update to the latest and if you have issue reach out to them. They have been very responsive to me.

rarely I have to sent them a followup email if they haven't responded for a week but they always seem to be putting in the effort

So one thing that is going to muck up this thread is there are different models of Groms for different models of LX/LCs depending on age. Quickly scrolling back through, @82SC has a 2017 vehicle with a LEX7 Vline2.

@Bryanmc, i'm pretty sure you have an older LX like me. I have a 2010 LX and am on a LEX6 Vline2. So our firmware will probably not be compatible with the LEX7. I believe the current firmware for the LEX6 is VBase 31.62 if you take the most up to date OTA update. My vehicle does not like 31.62. The screen goes black a lot and i have to hit the "audio" button to get it to come back. I worked with Grom and we figured out that 31.56 works much better for my truck. We tried 31.60 as well, and it had a different issue. It still dropped out, but would recover without me hitting the "audio" button. The problem was, it also did this when i put the truck in reverse, so the screen would flip to the reverse camera, but then immediately flip back to the VLine interface.

If you have a LEX6 VLine2, i can send you the .56 firmware, of you can contact Grom support. They are pretty responsive to troubleshooting. And that may be safer in case we dont have the exact same models.