JonGX

jeep has done this with black gloss wheels for a little while with some of the trims of the grand cherokee. I think it looks good on some colors (black, dark red, etc)

Acrad

Nothing documented in factory brochure about solid black wheels so I assume dealers are sending wheels off for this to be done.


https://www.lexus.com/documents/broc...X-Brochure.pdf

JonGX

he bought a 2017 - what makes you think the dealer did this vs the prior owner?

Acrad

Good point... I confused this with another thread. Prior owner must have done this.

ben7

Yes I believe the prior owner has done this via the dealership or another shop because the “L” in the Lexus logo is also painted black as opposed to the stock color wheels that I’ve seen have the “L” in either gold or silver.

ben7

Hey everyone, I haven’t posted for a while as I’ve been really busy but here are some updates on my GX 460 in the last little while:

Fixed a dent - *sigh* I opened my driver’s side door while filling gas and slightly bumped a concrete pole which left a small but visible dent. So I checked my local area and there was a fantastic mobile dent repair service with good reviews, so he fixed it and it looks like new again!

Cost - $75

I bought a Lexus cargo mat that goes over the third row which looks pretty durable (for the strollers and stuff we carry in the trunk) plus it matches my GX 460’s Ecru theme. It also fits great!

Cost - around $80







I now have Apple CarPlay in my car as I got the Grom VLine installed and wow it brings this ancient infotainment back to 2021! lol









I also purchased two DVD screens with HDMI inputs and Bluetooth headphones from Amazon and got them hard wired into the GX 460’s power source so my kids can watch movies without having to charge them. The HDMI inputs are great if I want to plug in a Chromecast or Apple TV.

The whole setup looks pretty clean and almost factory-like and one screen can act as the main unit and send it’s feed to the second screen if my kids want to watch the same thing.






Cost - Grom VLine (around $650 with the Bluetooth keyboard and additional wiring) and the rear entertainment screens (around $300). Installation for both (around six hours of labor) cost approximately $500.

The Grom VLine has it’s ups and downs. I’m going to make another thread about that, but at least now the cabin infotainment and entertainment is up to spec.

The parts and labor cost me almost $1,500 which is quite pricey to what it really should have come with (i.e. Apple CarPlay), but it’s a once and done thing and now we have an infotainment and entertainment system that’s modern.

Next up in updates on my GX 460 will be red vinyl overlays for the tail lights and third brake light (to make it red) along with some other decals.

After that, I think I’ll be good with updates until the summer when I want to do the suspension and wheels/tires upgrade.

CFAI

$80 is pretty good - I think I spent something like $120 or $140 for my cargo mat at the dealership.

Ab175

Hey Ben, I am looking at doing the Grom Vline on a 2018 GX. How would you rate the interface and usability? Does the apple carplay feel OEM? Did you need the additional wiring and keyboard? Do you by chance know how much installing the Vline cost you separately from the other screens? Does your park assist still work after installation? It would be greatly appreciated if you could answer some of these questions, Thank You!

ben7

Hi, I give my thoughts on the Grom VLine for the Lexus GX 460 in my video here:
Please feel free to check it out and leave a comment!

But to answer your questions here really quick:
- I rate the Grom VLine user experience a 6/10 so far
- The Apple CarPlay feels OEM and works great when the Grom VLine is working correctly!
- My installer tells me that the wiring was needed for as my camera (I assume that’s my backup camera)
- The Bluetooth keyboard is not necessary (I talk about my experience with this in my video)
- Installing the Grom VLine itself for about four hours of labor cost me about $300
- Park assist, blind spot monitoring, and all the infotainment features seem to work well after the install

Hope this helps!

Ab175

Thanks for both the video and the information! Very helpful.

Ab175

Wait he told you that the wiring was necessary for the backup camera to function with the OEM system? Like if you do not have that wire, the backup camera won't work?

ben7

He told me that the wire was needed for the camera, which I assumed was the backup camera since I don’t have any other cameras in the car.

You can try installing without it and purchase the wire if you find you that you need it.

GStatus

Does the cargo mat need to be removed before bringing up the 3rd row seating?

xychromo

Yes. Apparently there are straps in the back to hold a rolled up mat, may not work for a rubber mat. The straps are missing on my rig.
Check out the

MrTorgue

Link to the headrest screens? I'm thinking about the same thing for our 2yo. She's quite bored in the car right now since she's past the baby toys phase and loves TV.