I finally added CarPlay to my 2012 Acura TL with factory navigation and wanted to share since there is very little info out there for our generation.

I did not want to replace the factory screen since it sits far back in the dash and I wanted to keep the OEM look and steering wheel controls. I went with the GROM VLine VL2, which integrates CarPlay and Android Auto directly into the stock screen.

Quick impressions

• OEM screen and factory controls fully retained
  
• Backup camera still works as normal
  
• Steering wheel buttons work
  
• Easy to switch back to the stock Acura interface
  
• Install was mostly plug and play
  

I recorded the full install and demo and GROM posted it here if anyone wants to see how it looks behind the dash and in daily use:


Product link for reference:

https://gromaudio.com/store/vline/grom-vl2-hon2v.html

Happy to answer questions for anyone considering this upgrade on a 2009 to 2014 TL.

 

I just installed my VL2 a few weeks ago too, and it works pretty well. I'm currently working through some issues with GROM's tech support, but they're super responsive and helpful if needed.

First issue, because the VL2 uses the OEM control knob, dial, and buttons for everything, it needs to "borrow" those controls from the OEM system when the VL2 is in use (switch AUX modes until it sees a CD Changer, which the VL2 mimics), but it's also supposed to "give" the controls back to the OEM system whenever the VL2 isn't in use, as if you're using any other audio input like AM/FM, XM, Bluetooth, etc. Mine wasn't giving the controls back, so I couldn't use any of the OEM menus or screens. I was able to enable onboard logging and send them a video of the issue and they wrote me a custom firmware update to install via USB thumb drive that fixed that issue .

Second, when turning the car on, there's a 50/50 chance the VL2 gets recognized at all... sometimes it's recognized, sometimes it's not. Sometimes it takes 2 restarts until the car recognizes it. Sometimes 3. The unit itself is still booting up and running in the background because I'll see Android Auto connects, but the car doesn't recognize it at all. I've just now collected enough data that I can send them more logs that pinpoint exactly when the VL2 takes 3 start up cycles just to be recognized, so I'll see if they can patch this out too.

Otherwise, I think it works great (when it works lol). Even while working through these issues, I still think it was worth it. Have you seen any of these issues with your install?

 

Yeah their support team has been solid from my experience too. I had a couple questions during the install and they were quick to help me get back on track.
So far I have not run into the issue where the OEM system does not give the controls back or where the unit needs multiple restarts to be recognized. Everything has been pretty consistent on my end.
It really modernizes the dash and makes the car feel way newer. Hopefully they are able to iron out the startup issue for you because when it works, it really is a great setup.