eBay TRD "Pro" grill + TSS w/out OEM glass cover *Solved*

Hi all, I have searched and read quite a few posts about the faux TRD Pro Grills and the TSS errors on the 2018s

I installed the eBay grill for $88 and as to be expected, got intermittent "Clean sensor" errors

I read the writeup that @sliderule01 did (Huge thanks for all the info there) and see that most people are installing the OEM Glass garnish to solve this problem....

I didnt want to go this route since I was a fan of how the grill is matte black and the glass was shiny and stood out and didnt look right in my opinion.

So after trying a few different things on the sensor, I finally found one that works w/out issue...

I took the sensor out and found an old plastic mud flap and shaped and cut a piece out that matched the entire sensor using tin snips and a dremel



I then put a tiny bead of silicone adhesive on the face of the sensor at the corners (where the tamper-proof screws are mounted) and put the mud flap cover on (sorry no pics of that step, but it's pretty straightforward)

and mounted everything back up.... I've driven about 200 miles since then and have not had a single error!

I hope this helps someone else that was in the same position that I was!

pics:

 

You should run that by the engineer that designed the millimeter radar sensor and see how he feels about it.

 

So you aren’t getting any errors, and the tss is functioning properly??

I just got my grill in the mail TODAY and have been trying to figure out how to avoid the glass garnish

 

correct! hopefully this works for you as well!

 

Food for thought...

 

Yeah but I hate the shinny look and the dealer wanted $50 for the garnish so I stuck a piece of whatever I had laying around and it worked. Its only a safety device that Toyota spent millions on to developed but I'm sure if I end up in an accident Toyota would still be liable for all the damages.

 

That’s a really awesome technical graph there. Are you using it to say “don’t use mudflap plastic”?

I just read 47 pages of the other pro install thread and am kinda tired of people shitting on the idea of using a garnish substitute because “it’s not how it was designed” or whatever.

I don’t go around shitting on other people’s posts of their 3” lifts and huge tires. Yeah, Toyota designed the suspension and steering angles for optimization of the truck. Guess what, PEOPLE LIKE THE WAY LIFTED TRUCKS LOOK. And other people don’t like the way the stupid gloss garnish looks.

So if we can Gerry-rig some plastic to get the function on par without sacrificing aesthetics , why not? Right?

/rant.

Sorry. I literally just read like a thousand posts where everyone is bitching about buying a $40,000 truck and using Tupperware to make the garnish look better..... who cares if it works right, right??!?

 

I'm using it to show that there's some math involved. The sensor operates in the 77Ghz band and that nose emblem is, in its simplest sense, a contact lens (radome). The system relies on whatever you place in front of it to be as transparent to the function of the radar as possible. Such material should provide minimal scatter and reflection and allow the wave to pass through it with minimal loss. If you place something else not designed for the system in front of the unit, you have essentially bought the wrong prescription contact and stuck it on your eye. Can you see? Maybe... but can you see that car as well as you could before?

I'm not here to rain on your parade, but to say "it works" is a bit of a misnomer. If you don't care how effective the sensor is, then yes, throw whatever you want in front of it. Perhaps the OP happened to pick an ABS mudflap that also happens to be the correct thickness and is still the right distance from the sensor. If he did then sign me up! Cause I want one too and I'll gladly mount it on my truck as well. I'd like to see how it truly performs with this new radome in comparison to the OEM one. Can the system still see far enough out to react when someone pulls out in front of you or brakes quickly? My caution is just because the system isn't failing diagnostic doesn't mean it is effective.

Look at the cost to replace the emblem on the front of the truck: https://parts.stcharlestoyota.net/p...RILLE-OR-FRONT-PANEL/66808267/5314171010.html

It isn't $373 because it's pretty or gold plated... It's the right prescription.

P.S. I like lifted trucks too.

 

I screwed mine directly to the grill itself, in the factory location and never installed the garnish. It's still sitting on my dresser, and has been since Feb. I did get the OEM grille however, but that's just what worked for me.

 

Which would work, until someone kicks up a rock... the radome's primary function is to protect the radar from damage. If you accept that risk, then you can run it without a radome.

 

If you don't want people shitting all over your post then just keep whatever your doing to yourself. You posted something that makes a safety device less effective base purely on aesthetics. Others may follow your lead and I don't what to be the person in front of an altered safety device while the driver is texting.

 

not to jump in the middle here.....


but my TSS works perfectly w/ this setup.... I drive in everything from back country roads of WV to downtown DC traffic and everything in between and the sensor works in it all

adaptive cruise works, pre-collision works... everything works as it was never modified.

 

If your willing to accept the liability when/if something happens, your good to go but remember Toyota isn't going to be backing you up.

 

I don't understand...is the TRD Pro grill really worth the TSS not working? You can't even see the emblem when you are driving.

 

The TSS works perfectly fine (for some) without the glossy garnish.

For some (myself included) the garnish is a complete eyesore and the grill looks better without it.

The argument here is that Toyota designed the garnish specifically with materials that would not interfere with the radar. Putting the radar behind the grill looks better but is not sanctioned by Toyota and is not GUARANTEED to work 100% of the time, even though it’s likely to work 100% of the time, just no guarantee

 

The TRD Pro has TSS and by using the pro grill you can have TSS work as intended if you use all the same parts the Pro has. Also proper aligning of the radar sensor should be performed at the dealer.

 

I dont understand the liability youre talking about can you elaborate?

but if you mean "accept the liability" if I hit someone from behind??? like I would have to do ANYWAYS?

even with a stock grill and perfectly functioning TSS, if you hit someone in your truck, depart from your lane and sideswipe someone, etc... you cant blame lane departure warning or TSS for an accident. you are liable regardless of safety features in your vehicle.

 

Toyota is a very safety conscience company. TSS is designed to prevent and/or minimize the severity of an accident. Lets say you are doing a little distracted driving and as a result you killed someone. Crash investigators realize the vehicle has TSS and want to know why the system didn't prevent or minimize the accident. Crash investigators would contact Toyota who will send out product engineers to investigate if there was a problem with their system. When they see that the system has been modified Toyota would be not be liable and that liability would fall on the person who altered the system. The victims family would sue and you could be on the hook for the damages.

Don't think that Toyota would send out product engineers? We have a 2017 Corolla at the dealership that the owner said had unintended acceleration and was involve in an accident. We think the customer mistaken the brake for the accelerator but Toyota is flying in a couple of product engineers to investigate.

It's never a good idea to modify or eliminate a safety device on a vehicle.

 

No, I totally understand where youre coming from and I agree with you on that, But having worked in insurance underwriting for 5 years, I can say that if you are distracted and you hit and kill someone, it wont matter if TSS was functioning or not, youre going to be held liable and sued.

But to your point, I wont be able to use TSS as a defense or excuse to offset liability.