Ingelsgard

I have a LS600h L with Navi and parking assist (that seems to be a must for some kit) and i would love to have apple CarPlay or anything as good as possible.

GROM doesnt seem to work as it should.
VAIS seems to "universal"
And GTA Car Kit is very simple, only music streaming.

Do you have any tips for me?

comotiger

Hello, a bunch of CLers have installed BT kits that seem to work very well. In particular, roadfrog comes to mind. I believe he has a kit from VAIS. Your description of the problems with GROM and VAIS are cryptic, and if you provide some details of your thinking, someone here may be able to give you some tips.

BT will work only for audio streaming and the phone connection. For video streaming, you have to install a Nav bypass controller in addition to having a mirroring kit (Beatsonic) or a dedicated standalone system like GROM VLine. You can search this forum for threads on GROM and Beatsonic products that folks have installed.

As for Apple Carplay in the Lexus, it is not going to happen. Beatsonic demo'd a Carplay interface for older vehicles more than a year ago but has discontinued development since. And the LS500 will not have Apple Carplay.

regeenoble

While the GROM VLine has had it's issues, they are quickly being resolved. The main thread about the VLine has been relatively quiet since the last update came through, which IMO is a good sign.

I have it in my 05 LS and could not be happier. I know most of the recent issues have been with the newer models while mine has been pretty stable for the last few months. I would not count out the VLine, if I were you. Especially if you are looking for CarPlay functionality, which is pretty much all I use the VLine for, and Waze.

Ingelsgard

Thank you for your input.

I can absolutly forget about Apple Carplay if i can mirror my iPhone on the screen! (and of course stream music and skip track via the steeringwheel)
But Beatsonic are dead now?

Ingelsgard

Ah i understand now.

Beat-Sonic is only a DVD bypass

http://www.beatsonicusa.com/beatsonic-tvk-32.html

Ingelsgard

So it DOES work with Apple Carplay?
How does Waze work? black screen and only voice ( i have it like that in another car) or the real deal with the app amp and everything?

comotiger

Please check out my recent thread on this topic. If you have a 2013+ LS, I will guarantee you will like what you read there. Even if you have an older LS, check it out

https://www.clublexus.com/forums/ls-...nt-camera.html

comotiger

GROM VLine is an interface similar to CarPlay and Enform. You can run Apps on it directly. In some ways it's better than CarPlay because it will run Google Maps and Waze, whereas you are stuck with Apple Maps with CarPlay.

regeenoble

Yes, it does work with CarPlay, which only lets you use a certain number of apps, but it also optimizes those apps so they work with minimal distraction.

Waze works the same as it would on your phone, but displayed and controlled from the factory nav.

The Vline was a game changer for me and the horribly outdated infotainment system.

If you are looking for mirroring though, comotiger's solution looks pretty good as well.