Has anyone used the Grom Vlite VT2 CarPlay/Android auto only unit? (1 Viewer)

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chriscosta416

chriscosta416

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It's a shame it only works for the 2010-12 models, I'd like something like this for my 2020.
 
There is a model that also supports 2012|2015 land cruisers with nav

https://gromaudio.com/store/vlite/select-lexus-toyota-2013-2015-vlite-vt2-carplay®-android®-auto-infotainment-system-navigation-upgrade.html

this has my attention now. My wife just got a 2020 Lexus Nx with factory CarPlay and I have to say it makes a lot of difference to usablibility of the car. Just get in and connect phone… I already upgraded my 100 with CarPlay using pioneer, now I really, really want it in my 200!

my question would be: can you listened to siriusXM from the factory unit while also connected to CarPlay using the vLite VT2? (Or can up you even doing it with the fuller featured vLine2?)
 
We have CarPlay in our GX and we've had it in other vehicles as well. It's a nice feature to have but I am not paying $1K for it like most of these modules command. I'd like it a lot more in our GX if it were wireless.

One downfall we've found is that the preferred Bluetooth connected device won't stay connected for music if another phone is plugged in to the USB for charging, that sucks. The only work around I've found is to use a 12V outlet USB plug-in for charging a secondary phone so that your main phone can stay connected via Bluetooth or via the vehicles USB outlets.
 
I had two Grom units and had major problems with both. Switched to another brand that has been better but still not amazing. For those with a wired unit that want wireless AA/Carplay, get the $70 Motorola dongle. They work awesome!
 
cboyd said:
There is a model that also supports 2012|2015 land cruisers with nav

https://gromaudio.com/store/vlite/select-lexus-toyota-2013-2015-vlite-vt2-carplay®-android®-auto-infotainment-system-navigation-upgrade.html

this has my attention now. My wife just got a 2020 Lexus Nx with factory CarPlay and I have to say it makes a lot of difference to usablibility of the car. Just get in and connect phone… I already upgraded my 100 with CarPlay using pioneer, now I really, really want it in my 200!

my question would be: can you listened to siriusXM from the factory unit while also connected to CarPlay using the vLite VT2? (Or can up you even doing it with the fuller featured vLine2?)
Click to expand...
For the Vline2, I do not think you can because it uses the CD/DVD audio out slot instead of AM/FM. However you can download an app that might retain this feature.
 
40Man said:
I had two Grom units and had major problems with both. Switched to another brand that has been better but still not amazing. For those with a wired unit that want wireless AA/Carplay, get the $70 Motorola dongle. They work awesome!
Click to expand...
Can you outline what kind of trouble you’ve had with the Grom units? Which brand did you switch to?

looks like that Moto dongle only works for AA. There seems to be several small boxes for CarPlay that do the same.
 
cboyd said:
Can you outline what kind of trouble you’ve had with the Grom units? Which brand did you switch to?

looks like that Moto dongle only works for AA. There seems to be several small boxes for CarPlay that do the same.
Click to expand...
My first unit did not work at all. The 2nd had lots of quirks and an annoying line on the screen. Took them a year to provide a "fix" that did not fix the issue.

The other brand I have now is also glitchy with very poor customer service so I won't name them as I habe no desire to give them any sort of business. Took 2 units to finally getting it to work ok. Was supposed to have wireless AA/Carplay, but won't work using factory bluetooth for calls and the units call qualIty was crap so I added the Motorola dongle. Can confirm the Motorola dongle supports wireless AA and Carplay.
 
So, I have the VLine2, huge PITA works like 70% of the time. when it works, we love it, when it doesn't i want to rip it out and chuck it out the window. I really like the integration into my factory system but before i give them one last shot, what is the main difference between the VL2 and this VLite VT2? If it isnt a massive improvement, I'm thinking of going to a Carpuride above dash solution.
 
cboyd said:
my question would be: can you listened to siriusXM from the factory unit while also connected to CarPlay using the vLite VT2? (Or can up you even doing it with the fuller featured vLine2?)
Click to expand...
If the screen is showing CarPlay than it can only play the audio from CarPlay. You won't be able to use the built-in SiriusXM. You'd have to use the SiriusXM app for Android (which I know is not the same thing).

Tex68w said:
One downfall we've found is that the preferred Bluetooth connected device won't stay connected for music if another phone is plugged in to the USB for charging, that sucks. The only work around I've found is to use a 12V outlet USB plug-in for charging a secondary phone so that your main phone can stay connected via Bluetooth or via the vehicles USB outlets.
Click to expand...
Technically a GROM resolves this because it disabled the USB port in the dash. The OEM USB (and GROM USB for that matter) isn't a good charging point for modern phones anyways. It would be better to have an adaptor with more juice. Some people have connected a non OEM USB into the OEM space. I believe there is a cheap adapter that can be ordered that even makes it plug and play to a degree.
cboyd said:
Can you outline what kind of trouble you’ve had with the Grom units? Which brand did you switch to?
Click to expand...
The GROM is far from perfect, and really impossible to make a short list of issues. I believe there are at least 3, maybe 6, different GROM VLINE2s that cover the 200 series (between LX and LC). They all interact with the OEM system a little differently. Also, the user equpment (phones) all possibly interact differently with the VLINE2s. I have an iPhone 11 Pro Max. It's getting long in the tooth by now and i believe at least half my issues are caused by the phone. On longer drives (over 3 hours) i will usually lose wireless carplay connection at some point. Generally, the only thing that resolves this is closing apps on my phone. I believe it's a memory issue with the CarPlay app on the phone. But there are also definitely bugs on the VLINE2 side. If you have the LEX6 model installed in a 2010-11 LX570, you have to run a firmware that is about 6 generations old if you want your screen to work most of the time. The newer firmware versions cause the screen to go black and will not return until you hit the USB button on the dash. In the one specific firmware, the screen flashes black sometimes but always returns back to the VLINE2 on it's own, so it works best. These are the 2 biggest issues I have with mine. Other than this, it works pretty well. As long as you understand that you are running on V8 Android, so it's not going to be like having a fancy new android tablet in the dash. I like having the Android features though. It allows me to run OBD Fusion from the screen, as well as some other video streaming apps (only when not in motion of course). The touch functionality is pretty terrible as well, but it's manageable.


There's a larger thread that covers more of these issues.

forum.ih8mud.com

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

I'm starting this thread to collect as much info in one spot about this device. I kindly ask that people who haven't had first hand experience post questions in the various other GROM VLine related threads. That way we can just collect first hand experience which will be a good resource for...
forum.ih8mud.com forum.ih8mud.com

 
I just installed one in my 2013 Land Cruiser. At first the none of the vehicle cameras worked, but after unplugging the vlite2 from the headunit and plugging it back in, everything now works correctly. I have only had it for two days now. Time will tell
 
njbrain said:
I just installed one in my 2013 Land Cruiser. At first the none of the vehicle cameras worked, but after unplugging the vlite2 from the headunit and plugging it back in, everything now works correctly. I have only had it for two days now. Time will tell
Click to expand...
How is it after 2 more weeks? I'm interested in the Lite version.
 
t4r2lx570 said:
How is it after 2 more weeks? I'm interested in the Lite version.
Click to expand...
So far, decent. Once in a while the GROM carplay screen will disappear and the radio will show the factory line in screen, but carplay doesn't stop working. The screen comes back to normal after one or two seconds. Wireless carplay can be a bother. It is a little buggy and cause the GROM unit to reboot. I would certainly buy it again.
 
njbrain said:
So far, decent. Once in a while the GROM carplay screen will disappear and the radio will show the factory line in screen, but carplay doesn't stop working. The screen comes back to normal after one or two seconds. Wireless carplay can be a bother. It is a little buggy and cause the GROM unit to reboot. I would certainly buy it again.
Click to expand...
Thanks for the reply! I think I'm going to try it out with the group buy going on now.
 
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