Best After Market Pro Grille Garnish

Ack! That's an odd reply, but okay. I've seen much shinier ones than our Taco Garage garnish though. Glad you found what you were looking for. We can both delete that U2 song from our playlist now.

 

Did you have any trouble acquiring the OEM grille? I hear folks on here reporting that you have to provide a PRO VIN in order to get the grille and if they do order it, it somehow gets cancelled. I called a local-ish dealer of mine a few months ago and he told me that Toyota stopped selling the grilles because people were having issues with them, he made it seem like it was sensor-related. Would be interested to hear when you got the grille and if the dealer or the sensor gave you issues along the way.

Because of the above information, I've been contemplating that Taco Vinyl grille for about a week (sensor color sucks!). Besides the sensor, what are your thoughts on it? Especially when compared to the OEM heritage one. Any and all information is appreciated because my internet sleuthing on this subject is growing tiresome! Thanks!

 

Hi bud not sure who you are asking but the OEM pro style grille I have on was found locally from a guy who bought it but didn’t install it. It’s in all black because it’s the one that comes with the TRD lift kit.

the garnish was obtained from Amazon as I wasn’t going to pay 300-400 for an OEM garnish. I did a heavy black tint- looks like paint and no issues with the sensor at this time. I did add 2 stainless steel washers on the top screw of the sensor and haven’t had any problems thus far. I can’t say if the washers are even necessary with the OEM grill as I didn’t test it without.

 

The reply was meant for OP but this is very appreciated as well!

 

I ordered mine online from a fairly local dealer, and, yes, I had to provide a Pro VIN, which I hated to do. I consider myself an honest person, but I don't like how they have these grilles locked down with a VIN. It's my money, let me buy what I want! They also told me there was an issue with the VIN at first, as in they almost didn't sell it to me, but, right at the last minute, they did! I got free shipping on their site too, it was great!

Then it proceeded to break upon installing, so, I'm back to the Taco Vinyl one. Anyone want a broken OEM grille, lol.

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/oem-pro-grille-with-broken-tabs.806565/#post-28919073

Anyway, yeah, there are a few, subtle differences between them. One main difference being, if you have a camera, the camera cut out area. The OEM one has a nice, molded in housing for the camera, whereas the Taco Vinyl one, well, it looks like someone just took some snippers and cut out a hole for the camera, and you have to supply your own housing, which you should have from your original grille...

Another minor difference is that the OEM one has ribbed plastic areas on the upper and lower portions of the grille, and the Taco Vinyl one is just smooth in those areas. Also the way the letters are fastened to the grille seems to be different.

I have had zero issues with the sensor and no errors with both setups that I've used, and I just used the supplied washers that came with the garnish(s). I bough some OEM ones as well. I didn't add any extra washers as others have mentioned.

 

lol

 

Cheese and rice. All that back and forth over what is ultimately a grill insert and that happens. You would NEVER hear the end of it from me if I experienced that.

But thanks for the information. Might wait until the day I have the patience to arm wrestle with a dealer over a hunk of plastic (if that patience ever comes). Because it's those little things with aftermarket grilles that scare me. The way the letters are mounted, janky pre-cuts for cameras, lesser quality hard plastics. The fact you broke the plastic on the OEM one is scary as shit though. Feels as though no matter what route I go I'll be due for an afternoon of cursing in the driveway. How much did the dealer charge you for the OEM one, if you don't mind me asking?

 

Anyone added the new Tundra TRD Pro style grille from Yotaverse?

 

@KillBill216 I got a really good deal on the OEM, honestly. This dealer has free shipping at times.

(I'm tempted to buy another one LOL!)

See attached: (FYI, I don't really want to give this dealer info out, as I don't want them to get inundated...)

 

Thanks, and no problem that's understandable!

 

Before I upgraded to a full OEM Pro grille and garnish I had the knock-off setup from TheTacoGarage. IMO, the overall quality of the grill and garnish were subpar (which is why I sent them back), but wrapping the fake garnish with 30% tint film made it look a lot better. Up close you could tell it was wrapped but from a few feet away it looked almost OEM.

This is really the only pic I have of the wrapped setup (from the first week or 2 I owned the truck). It's a much cheaper option to OEM if anyone is wanting to save some green. That said, there's still no replacement for the OEM garnish.

 

You know one little thing I noticed with the OEM grille before it broke...I have OCD. Look at the second letter "T" on the grille. Does it look crooked to you?

Minor to most people, I know, but it's OEM...come on man!

 

That does look pretty cockeyed. The mind wanders if some of these imperfections on the OEM grille is the reason Toyota is keeping them so close to the chest. I'm not sure, just thinking out loud. You're starting to convince me that my SR grill is perfectly fine the way it is!

 

Got a similar deal on the Trail Edition grill from a local dealer. Glad I went with an OE grill. I understand that Toyota's trying to defeat aftermarket sales with the insane pricing of the garnish but they might as well give up. Maybe a few random uninformed folks and of course insurance companies are going to pay that (making everyone's rates higher). You can't protect your profits forever and not get some blowback. Enthusiasts should be rewarded, not penalized. IMHO of course.

 

Man, don't let my bad luck make your decision for you.

 

does anyone know if they sell or make an insert that would resemble the grille? I have a 2016 without TSS and dont like the looks of the cover. I have been searching and e-mailing toyota and cant seem to find anything other than the TSS sensor cover.

 

So... I am not saying everyone's garnish from cartrimhome will be like this, but mine was pretty bad:
The underlying design was crooked, and the surface wasn't even flat. It's basically going in the trash. Oh well.