GROM VLINE VL2 LC200 review requests

[lx200inAR]

is there info on locating the box in the glove compartment or is it self-explanatory? Thank you.

I pulled my glovebox out to run the cables into it from the rear, other than that it is all strait forward. Probably took less than 45 min for the whole process (glovebox part).

This is probably the best thread to follow along.

Thread 'GROM VLine Owners (Please post only if you've owned this device)'
GROM VLine Owners (Please post only if you've owned this device) - https://forum.ih8mud.com/threads/grom-vline-owners-please-post-only-if-youve-owned-this-device.1261933/

 

[skymast]

I pulled my glovebox out to run the cables into it from the rear, other than that it is all strait forward. Probably took less than 45 min for the whole process (glovebox part).

This is probably the best thread to follow along.

Thread 'GROM VLine Owners (Please post only if you've owned this device)'
GROM VLine Owners (Please post only if you've owned this device) - https://forum.ih8mud.com/threads/grom-vline-owners-please-post-only-if-youve-owned-this-device.1261933/

Perfect. Thank you.

 

[skymast]

I installed the Grom VLine this morning. Overall, it wasn't bad. I did all the updates after the installation and no glaring issues as of now. I have sound, no line through the screen, etc. I'll report back after a day or so of use.

 

[skymast]

I've had the Vline installed for about 2 weeks. The person who described it as a love / hate relationship was right on the money. When it works, it's great, and when it doesn't I want to rip it out.

Note: This is my wireless Carplay experience.

On a positive note, the screen looks great, the backup camera works, the sound quality is good, calling / microphone is good.

My issues, and I feel like I've had about all of them at this point, are largely connectivity-related and the miscellaneous gremlins that seem to come and go.

Connectivity-wise, I went through the initial phase of Carplay connecting sometimes and then randomly disconnecting either completely with no sound and black screen or sound with the factory nav screen. I did all the resets on the unit and phone and continued to have the same issues.

I have no idea how I solved the problem but for now, my phone and the Vlite don't show ANY connectivity via Bluetooth or WiFi or Personal Hotspot and it's at least somewhat predictable. I know it's not magic but no idea how this is happening.

At this point, the biggest issue is still with the audio connecting and staying connected. The main scenario is this. Start car, let VLite boot up, Carplay screen is visible, Pandora is showing that music is playing, but no sound. I can usually get sound by pressing play on my iPhone but this is not great.

I'm not going to throw Grom under the bus but the customer service is very slow and it is really difficult to trouble shoot these issues via email when the responses happen once per day and in some cases every two days. That is very frustrating.

if anyone has thoughts on my issues, I'd love to hear them. Thank you.

 

[lx200inAR]

I've had the Vline installed for about 2 weeks. The person who described it as a love / hate relationship was right on the money. When it works, it's great, and when it doesn't I want to rip it out.

Note: This is my wireless Carplay experience.

On a positive note, the screen looks great, the backup camera works, the sound quality is good, calling / microphone is good.

My issues, and I feel like I've had about all of them at this point, are largely connectivity-related and the miscellaneous gremlins that seem to come and go.

Connectivity-wise, I went through the initial phase of Carplay connecting sometimes and then randomly disconnecting either completely with no sound and black screen or sound with the factory nav screen. I did all the resets on the unit and phone and continued to have the same issues.

I have no idea how I solved the problem but for now, my phone and the Vlite don't show ANY connectivity via Bluetooth or WiFi or Personal Hotspot and it's at least somewhat predictable. I know it's not magic but no idea how this is happening.

At this point, the biggest issue is still with the audio connecting and staying connected. The main scenario is this. Start car, let VLite boot up, Carplay screen is visible, Pandora is showing that music is playing, but no sound. I can usually get sound by pressing play on my iPhone but this is not great.

I'm not going to throw Grom under the bus but the customer service is very slow and it is really difficult to trouble shoot these issues via email when the responses happen once per day and in some cases every two days. That is very frustrating.

if anyone has thoughts on my issues, I'd love to hear them. Thank you.

I think the pandora / vline issue is more a Pandora issue than the vline. I have been using Pandora since it came out, so am a fan of how easy it is, but the app on iPhone has always had major issues that have to be worked around. One issue is if your iPhone is connected to WiFi when you start a song, if your phone switches to cellular, you will almost always have to restart a song, sometimes to the point of restarting the app to get a new song going. (Note, Pandora buffers the current song and maybe even the next song, so you won’t notice this issue until after the song that started on WiFi is finished). The second being as you described, it never just starts playing when in CarPlay mode. But I’ve seen this in other CarPlay uses outside of the Vline. I don’t usually use other music apps, but with going out and verifying, I’m pretty sure Amazon Music app will pick up and start playing once reconnected to the Vline.

 

[skymast]

I think the pandora / vline issue is more a Pandora issue than the vline. I have been using Pandora since it came out, so am a fan of how easy it is, but the app on iPhone has always had major issues that have to be worked around. One issue is if your iPhone is connected to WiFi when you start a song, if your phone switches to cellular, you will almost always have to restart a song, sometimes to the point of restarting the app to get a new song going. (Note, Pandora buffers the current song and maybe even the next song, so you won’t notice this issue until after the song that started on WiFi is finished). The second being as you described, it never just starts playing when in CarPlay mode. But I’ve seen this in other CarPlay uses outside of the Vline. I don’t usually use other music apps, but with going out and verifying, I’m pretty sure Amazon Music app will pick up and start playing once reconnected to the Vline.

I don't have the Pandora issue with other cars but in this case Vline and Pandora don't seem to be working well together!

 

[lx200inAR]

I don't have the Pandora issue with other cars but in this case Vline and Pandora don't seem to be working well together!

Could just be my phone then. I’ve had the same phone for a while now.

 

[82SC]

Try different streaming apps to know. I agree it’s the phone some times.

Here’s a email from grom about the connectivity issue that was affecting wirelsss CarPlay.

You could also try wired CarPlay and see if that helps.



GROM:

We added a feature to swap the WiFi bands to combat wireless interference, which will swap the WiFi bands every 3 disconnects. If it keeps connecting and reconnecting over 6 times, it's most likely related to the phone and not any type of Wireless connectivity issue.

 

[unclemat]

Bump for more reviews!

Also someone please clarify:
- how do you move between car controls and Grom?
- what happens when you adjust temp via hard buttons while in Grom?
- does the auto camera return to Grom?

Thanks!

 

[Malleus]

My daughter has had one in the '08 LX570 for a year now and loves it. No complaints at all...of course, that may be because she lives in Dallas and works in Plano - maybe distance from the source has a positive affect?

She was so happy with it, she convinced me to get one for my wife's GX460. After three months, it's flawless.

 

[unclemat]

Good to know. Grom is tempting given local support/development. Unlike EC offroad who is reselling sone Chinesium stuff. I also like that Grom is available for both pre-2016 and 2016+ 200s. I have both and would like to install something that offers consistent integration/interface.

 

[lx200inAR]

Bump for more reviews!

Also someone please clarify:
- how do you move between car controls and Grom?
- what happens when you adjust temp via hard buttons while in Grom?
- does the auto camera return to Grom?

Thanks!

On a 2010 model (keep in mind there are different GROM Vline2s that work with LXs depending on year and they all integrate differently) the following happens: (it’s been a little while since I’ve used mine, but this is how I remember it)
- VLine takes place of the Aux/USB input. The audio is fed through USB and shows up with the title and artist as (VLINE) like if you were playing a MP3. When you switch to that input with the hard button, the VLINE recognizes that from Canbus and then takes control of the screen (I assume through rear camera input) and displays the VLINE output. When you select any hard buttons that would normally change the screen to something else, that still happens and the VLINE releases the screen to display the OEM output. There is also options in the VLINE system to release the VLINE output, so that you can get back to the OEM screen even while still on the USB input. This feature is necessary to make audio (bass/treble/fade) changes for the UsB input.
- As alluded to above. If you are on the VLINE (USB) input and hit a temperature hard button, normally nothing would change on the main screen, and that remains. Now I can’t remember if there is like a box that drops down to show the temp changes. If there is I believe it overlays on top of the GRoM input.
-I don’t use the cameras, but I’m pretty sure they are fully functional if you get it all turned on.

 

[skymast]

Mine is working OK but I am now using it with the cord. My major issue is that the screen goes on and off all the time. It doesn't impact the sound but it's annoying.

 

[LCMemphis]

Mine is working OK but I am now using it with the cord. My major issue is that the screen goes on and off all the time. It doesn't impact the sound but it's annoying.

Has supplier said what is causing that bc i'm on the verge of ordering one for 2010 and that would drive me batty.

 

[unclemat]

Has supplier said what is causing that bc i'm on the verge of ordering one for 2010 and that would drive me batty.

Yeah, would be interesting to know if they stand behind it. There is a group buy going so I am tempted, but I am questioning whether the perceived simplicity won't end up being a headache vs. KISS approach with the phone mounted on a holder. With the advent of MagSafe attaching/detaching is super convenient and can't argue with a high amp USB chargers, something Grom does not have (and I dislike wireless Carplay, it always sucked in my experience even OEM, and I need to keep the phone charged anyway usually, never saw the point... maybe it makes sense with wireless chargers).

I am crazy and run two phones, and it looks bit much on the windshield... one is an Iphone with a navigation app (usually Google Maps these days, since Waze visual presentation sucks, especially in cities) and the other a Pixel phone with JBV1 app for Valentine1 integration and crowd-sourced alerts. What a game changer.

But I look like a dual Uber/Lyft driver. Recently I was dropping off my wife at a hotel, and a woman insisted on getting in into the back of the cruiser when I pulled in If I was quicker thinking I would do a prank to her, but I am not sure my wife would approve...

 

[amm203]

Quick review 1 month after installing the GROM VLite VT2 in my 2018 LC. Model is LEX78TVT2. Install wasn’t bad at all and the instructions are pretty clear. I left the one smaller white connector disconnected (apparently leaving it connected can cause low volume in some cases). There was plenty of space to stow the box behind the screen and run the USB cable into the glove box.

Some main points:
- The interface is snappy and wired CarPlay works well. Wireless CarPlay works as well but there is a slight delay with the controls.
- The screen flashes to the OEM screen when changing the temperature but quickly changes back to the VLite’s interface/CarPlay. The VLite’s interface will show the temperature change as well. I have not found a way to disable the screen switching to the OEM interface when changing the temperature.
- Around 25% of the time after starting the car, the volume was very low. You could hear clicking and the sound is very faint if you crank the volume. A reboot of the VLite fixed the issue every time but it was annoying. There was a recent update and the glitch has not occurred since (3 days now).
- It is not possible to use CarPlay and listen to the radio at the same time. Minor inconvenience for me, though.
- Randomly issue: the center stack Play/Pause button works but the Next/Previous track buttons do not. All controls work normally on the steering wheel.
- All-in-all I like the system. It integrates well with the OEM interface and brings much-needed modernization to the 200 series LCs.
- Side-note: The VLite’s stock home screen shows the front view of a vehicle and allows you to change it to different brands/models. Unfortunately the stock Toyota model is a RAV4. However, you can add custom images. I’ve attached a few PNGs of a black LC for anyone that uses this system and wants to personalize their VLite’s home screen. There are various shades of blue to match the style of the VLite’s color scheme as well as an untinted version.

 

[82SC]

Some main points:
- The interface is snappy and wired CarPlay works well. Wireless CarPlay works as well but there is a slight delay with the controls.

Hmmm that is not something I’ve noticed but I’ve run wireless exclusively


- The screen flashes to the OEM screen when changing the temperature but quickly changes back to the VLite’s interface/CarPlay. The VLite’s interface will show the temperature change as well. I have not found a way to disable the screen switching to the OEM interface when changing the temperature.

I hate this too. I have spoken to them about it. The fix is to go to updates and install an older firmware. I forget which but I think it was the 3rd one from the top. This stops the useless switching that you describing. But it still does
Not switch to OEM climate. I’ve asked them to program the CLIMATE button to go to OEM climate screen automatically and I think they working on it. It does that for the LC100 that they have on YouTube but the mapping must be different in the 200

- Around 25% of the time after starting the car, the volume was very low. You could hear clicking and the sound is very faint if you crank the volume. A reboot of the VLite fixed the issue every time but it was annoying. There was a recent update and the glitch has not occurred since (3 days now).

That sounds like a loose wire. Or a loose connection. Maybe it was the unplugged white wire? I am pretty sure I plugged in everything. But once in a while I redo the mic auto gain and that fixes any low volume issues.

- It is not possible to use CarPlay and listen to the radio at the same time. Minor inconvenience for me, though.

Yes you can. I didn’t know either. I saw it in one of their YouTube videos.
After Carplay is running you hit HOME to get to OEM screen
Then navigate to audio and put on whatever music you want. Yes you can change the source to anything. Doesn't have to be AUX
Then when you done you hold down the HOME button and it will flip to GROM Carplay display
Now you using Carplay and OEM radio
And undo above steps if you want to use Carplay for music or podcasts

- Randomly issue: the center stack Play/Pause button works but the Next/Previous track buttons do not. All controls work normally on the steering wheel.

Not sure about this but yes steering wheel is what I use or the touch screen