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CarPlay in 2008 ES350 on Vline VL2
I bought a 2008 ES350 with navigation and I've had it for about four months now, the car still drives and feels brand new however out of all the things in the vehicle the infotainment screen dates it the most. The car didn't have Bluetooth audio streaming and the maps are showing their age, I tried multiple solutions such as Bluetooth to 3.5 adapters, the issues with those or you either get engine noise or have to charge them which is very inconvenient. For this generation of ES you cannot simply replace the head unit because it's too integrated into the controls such as climate and HVAC. I found the Grom Vline VL2 which basically hooks up at the back of your factory head unit. The VLine runs a version of android in order to modernize the factory head unit without losing any factory functions such as steering wheel controls. The Grom has Gps, has android auto and Apple CarPlay. It transforms your vehicles infotainment system into a modern one and it makes steaming music in your car a breeze. I also like that it has wired and wireless CarPlay a lot of new cars even in 2021 don't come with wireless CarPlay as a standard feature so it's nice to be able to have it in an older vehicle. Everything works as it should the steering wheel controls no control your phone when in CarPlay. it also has an app with Bluetooth A2DP streaming for any other audio device.
The best part about the Line is that it retains everything about the factory car radio, they do have some forms of aftermarket head unit for my car however it's those large tells style screens and I don't want to rely on an aftermarket device to control climate in an event that It crashes. The unit itself stays in a sleep mode so most of the time it boots up within 30 seconds of starting the engine. As stated, before CarPlay is wireless and it automatically pairs if you have it set up that way, overall this is the best way to get a modern infotainment system and another vehicle is definitely modernizes the Technology in this car is it's way beyond anything they had in 2008. I suggest the Vline to anybody who wants to make their car feel brand new again!
installation was straight forward. It took under an hour you have to remove some trim and four 10 mm bolts, than take the factory radio out its easier to do with two people, than just connect the cables and run the wires I personally installed my unit into the glove box into the future I definitely plan on moving it into the footwall carpet to where is still accessible if needed. I also plan on running the microphone where the factory microphone is located for a more factory look.
TLDR ; Adds Carplay, Bluetooth and modern features all with your factory screen
Last edited by ESguy08; 01-25-21 at 08:54 PM.
Reason: photos
I just had the new VLine VL2 LEX7/LEX89 installed on my 2018 Lexus GX460 (https://gromaudio.com/store/vline/le...n-upgrade.html). I picked up the additional AV harness for the front/rear facing camera - and it works like a champ. I use it for Wireless CarPlay - and it's great. It also has a USB cable mounted so you can tether the iPhone directly to it for wireless communication, but you can also stay wireless via use of a hotspot (iPhone or mobile hotspot from your carrier). I had it installed at a local shop and am very happy overall with it.
CarPlay in 2008 ES350 on Vline VL2
I bought a 2008 ES350 with navigation and I've had it for about four months now, the car still drives and feels brand new however out of all the things in the vehicle the infotainment screen dates it the most. The car didn't have Bluetooth audio streaming and the maps are showing their age, I tried multiple solutions such as Bluetooth to 3.5 adapters, the issues with those or you either get engine noise or have to charge them which is very inconvenient. For this generation of ES you cannot simply replace the head unit because it's too integrated into the controls such as climate and HVAC. I found the Grom Vline VL2 which basically hooks up at the back of your factory head unit. The VLine runs a version of android in order to modernize the factory head unit without losing any factory functions such as steering wheel controls. The Grom has Gps, has android auto and Apple CarPlay. It transforms your vehicles infotainment system into a modern one and it makes steaming music in your car a breeze. I also like that it has wired and wireless CarPlay a lot of new cars even in 2021 don't come with wireless CarPlay as a standard feature so it's nice to be able to have it in an older vehicle. Everything works as it should the steering wheel controls no control your phone when in CarPlay. it also has an app with Bluetooth A2DP streaming for any other audio device.
The best part about the Line is that it retains everything about the factory car radio, they do have some forms of aftermarket head unit for my car however it's those large tells style screens and I don't want to rely on an aftermarket device to control climate in an event that It crashes. The unit itself stays in a sleep mode so most of the time it boots up within 30 seconds of starting the engine. As stated, before CarPlay is wireless and it automatically pairs if you have it set up that way, overall this is the best way to get a modern infotainment system and another vehicle is definitely modernizes the Technology in this car is it's way beyond anything they had in 2008. I suggest the Vline to anybody who wants to make their car feel brand new again!
installation was straight forward. It took under an hour you have to remove some trim and four 10 mm bolts, than take the factory radio out its easier to do with two people, than just connect the cables and run the wires I personally installed my unit into the glove box into the future I definitely plan on moving it into the footwall carpet to where is still accessible if needed. I also plan on running the microphone where the factory microphone is located for a more factory look.
TLDR ; Adds Carplay, Bluetooth and modern features all with your factory screen
Hello, are u still enjoying the device of Grom Vlines2 as I want to order mine. Any advice
CarPlay in 2008 ES350 on Vline VL2
I bought a 2008 ES350 with navigation and I've had it for about four months now, the car still drives and feels brand new however out of all the things in the vehicle the infotainment screen dates it the most. The car didn't have Bluetooth audio streaming and the maps are showing their age, I tried multiple solutions such as Bluetooth to 3.5 adapters, the issues with those or you either get engine noise or have to charge them which is very inconvenient. For this generation of ES you cannot simply replace the head unit because it's too integrated into the controls such as climate and HVAC. I found the Grom Vline VL2 which basically hooks up at the back of your factory head unit. The VLine runs a version of android in order to modernize the factory head unit without losing any factory functions such as steering wheel controls. The Grom has Gps, has android auto and Apple CarPlay. It transforms your vehicles infotainment system into a modern one and it makes steaming music in your car a breeze. I also like that it has wired and wireless CarPlay a lot of new cars even in 2021 don't come with wireless CarPlay as a standard feature so it's nice to be able to have it in an older vehicle. Everything works as it should the steering wheel controls no control your phone when in CarPlay. it also has an app with Bluetooth A2DP streaming for any other audio device.
The best part about the Line is that it retains everything about the factory car radio, they do have some forms of aftermarket head unit for my car however it's those large tells style screens and I don't want to rely on an aftermarket device to control climate in an event that It crashes. The unit itself stays in a sleep mode so most of the time it boots up within 30 seconds of starting the engine. As stated, before CarPlay is wireless and it automatically pairs if you have it set up that way, overall this is the best way to get a modern infotainment system and another vehicle is definitely modernizes the Technology in this car is it's way beyond anything they had in 2008. I suggest the Vline to anybody who wants to make their car feel brand new again!
installation was straight forward. It took under an hour you have to remove some trim and four 10 mm bolts, than take the factory radio out its easier to do with two people, than just connect the cables and run the wires I personally installed my unit into the glove box into the future I definitely plan on moving it into the footwall carpet to where is still accessible if needed. I also plan on running the microphone where the factory microphone is located for a more factory look.
TLDR ; Adds Carplay, Bluetooth and modern features all with your factory screen
so... does it come with Android Auto and Apple Carplay?
also, do you have to use the VL2's microphone or can you use the factory one?
Hello, I recently purchased a VLine V2 and installed it in my 2010 ES. Over the years I have done a variety of mods to the car, long ago I tried to see if carplay was possible on a model that came with the factory screen. Until this unit came along, it did not, however as soon as I saw the vline v2 i pulled the trigger and bought it. A local audio shop quoted me 800$ just to install it, i said screw that and did it myself. It took less than 2 hours, it was very simple and very straight forward and there were many useful videos online that showed how to do it. It does have a base OS of andriod. when installed and working the vline v2 displays as a tablet andriod os catered to work with your car. Since its only connections to your direct Audio/visual do not pertain to the factory mic connections. That being said, that is its only shortcoming. If you would like to use mic functions on the vline v2 you do need to use their aftermarket mic. Im sure some wiring genius could figure out how to split it to function with the stock one but thats beyond me, it sources from an aux port on the vline unit. I just mounted it neatly near my rear view and hid the wiring in the trim. It can use carplay and andriod auto too, you get the option. One of my greatest car investments, if anyone has any other questions feel free to ask or message. This is my first post on the lexus forums but i have a ton of cool ES mods that im sure people would love to see.
so... does it come with Android Auto and Apple Carplay?
also, do you have to use the VL2's microphone or can you use the factory one?
Yes it comes with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. Depending on the year and model of your Lexus you might have to use the microphone that comes with the VLine, or use the factory mic. We can tell you better if we know your Lexus model and year, and if it has navigation.
I just had one installed by a local custom shop in my 2015 Lexus NX200t non-navigation
Couple of questions:
1. The control **** is a bit laggy, meaning when I rotate the **** (my Lexus model doesn't have the touchpad) and then depress it, the module doesn't register the button push, either right away or at all...I either have to wait a second or two to see if it finally registers the push, or push it again, sometimes two more times. Is this normal behavior for this unit?
2. The steering wheel phone controls (the two buttons that look like a phone that I used to use to answer and then disconnect phone calls) don't seem to function with CarPlay running. Granted, I haven't tested them to see if they work when receiving an incoming call and/or hanging up a call, but at least the one button on the left used to work to activate 'eyes free siri' (I think that's what Lexus calls it), but it no longer does that
I just had one installed by a local custom shop in my 2015 Lexus NX200t non-navigation
Couple of questions:
1. The control **** is a bit laggy, meaning when I rotate the **** (my Lexus model doesn't have the touchpad) and then depress it, the module doesn't register the button push, either right away or at all...I either have to wait a second or two to see if it finally registers the push, or push it again, sometimes two more times. Is this normal behavior for this unit?
2. The steering wheel phone controls (the two buttons that look like a phone that I used to use to answer and then disconnect phone calls) don't seem to function with CarPlay running. Granted, I haven't tested them to see if they work when receiving an incoming call and/or hanging up a call, but at least the one button on the left used to work to activate 'eyes free siri' (I think that's what Lexus calls it), but it no longer does that
Thank you for any info anyone can provide
For #2 - to accept or reject the phone calls you need to use the NEXT TRACK / PREVIOUS TRACK buttons on your steering wheel. To activate SIRI press and hold NEXT TRACK on your steering wheel.
For #1 - please contact our technical team at https://gromaudio.com/support.html They will help.
Thank you for the reply, unfortunately a few more issues crept up on my way home yesterday, wondering if maybe you can chime in on these (I've also contacted my install shop to see if they can help)
1. After I started the car, it connected right away, but after a few minutes, CarPlay seemed to have crashed or something and got stuck on a black screen with CarPlay in very small font in the center of the screen (see attached picture). As I was driving, all I could attempt was multiple button pushes of the control ****, changing mode back to radio and then to Aux to see if it would reconnect, etc. but it didnt. So, the entire drive home was with no CarPlay functionality at all and no phone bluetooth functionality with the factory radio as the install tech deleted that when setting up my phone with CarPlay. He said that my phone connecting to the LEXUSNX bluetooth was not allowing it to connect to the CarPlay unit and that is why he had to delete that connection. However see #2 below. Can I re-establish the phone bluetooth connection to LEXUSNX or is it true what the tech said? This is what appears on the screen when CarPlay crashed and there was no way to get out of it
2. Once I got home, I turned off the car and then restarted it and my phone connected to CarPlay. I then had my son try and call me. I could only answer the call through the CarPlay interface (again, not with the steering wheel controls) but once answered, my son couldnt hear me and I couldnt hear him. Its as if the audio was being routed through somewhere, but neither one of use could hear anything. I checked the phone audio menu and it showed that audio was going through CarPlay.
3. Message notifications are not showing up in the CarPlay interface. I tried to check some settings but before I could, the interface crashed
4. My dealer installed a permanent wired connection using the cigarette lighter in the center console; however, it seems that what they installed is very slow charging - the charger I had installed in the lighter socket was a fast charger as my phone is normally close to dead by the time I leave work and I charge it on the way home. However, using the wired connection they installed, my charge only increased by 3 or 4 % whereas with my previous charger, it would easily bring my phone back up to 70% by the time I got home. Is there a way to install a high speed charger into that socket since that is the socket I would have to use for CarPlay whenever wireless CarPlay doesnt work or behaves buggy?
5. In Settings, CarPlay on my iPhone, there are two 'my cars', one is called CAR-WiFi-746c and the other is called VLINE2. When my phone is connected to CarPlay, it seems to be using the CAR-WiFi CarPlay, is that the correct setup? Also, in Settings, Bluetooth, there is VLINE2, but my phone is NOT connected to that when it is connected to CarPlay. Is that correct as well? What is the VLINE2 bluetooth for if my phone doesn't seem to be connecting to it?
1. The second connection CAR-WiFi-746c is not VLine related. You need to be connected to VLine2 for CarPlay. That might cause the system and the phone the confusion. You need to remove unnecessary connection from your iPhone, reset the VLine CarPlay, and connect to it again. Here is how to reset VLine CarPlay:
Once connected, make sure to test everything before you start driving the vehicle. Check to make sure that the iPhone is connected to VLine for both phone calls and audio, and carplay.
2. Regarding to the #4 in your post. It is unclear to us what exactly the dealer installed to you. However it is important that the dealer did not connect the USB1 on VLine to it, as USB1 is designed for wired CarPlay. If you plug the iPhone to USB1 of VLine and at the same time try to use wireless CarPlay, it can potentially create the confusion in the phone. If you simply want to charge your iPhone while using it wireless for CarPlay, we recommend using any fast charging cigarette lighter chargers and do not connect it via USB to VLine.
3. Regarding to #3 in your post - check the CarPlay settings on your iPhone and allow message notifications.
If after cleaning the connections, and resetting the VLine CarPlay, and reconnecting it back, you will keep experiencing the difficulties, please contact our technical team at https://gromaudio.com/support.html
What about the fact that my tech said he needed to delete the LEXUSNX BT connection from my phone in order to get VLINE connected. Is that true, or can I have both connected simultaneously as a sort of back in case CarPlay crashes
My iPhone 12, iOS 15.1 doesn't show any option in the CarPlay settings to allow notifications, I had looked for that when I was having that issue
What about that screen that shows up when CarPlay crashes and I can't get out of it - how to handle that?
You don't have to delete the Bluetooth connection to your factory system, however please be prepared that the iPhone will keep confusing, and might connect automatically to the factory BT and not to VLine CarPlay upon entering the vehicle. In order to avoid that confusion it is better to delete the factory Bluetooth connection from your iPhone, as you never know what connection will connect first, once you enter the vehicle. So your tech was correct.
You can always add that factory BT connection back if needed.
For the CarPlay screen, you need to resolve the crashes and after that there should be no screen. Once you set up everything correctly all should work smoothly. Or are you saying the VLine got suck in that CarPlay crash screen and you no longer can access the VLine user interface screen?
Regarding the crash screen, that is correct, I could not get into the VLINE user interface after the crash screen. The only way is to stop driving, turn off the car and then restart the car
01-25-21, 08:26 PM
Grom Vline Vl2 review
