TRD Pro grille question

Whats the difference between the $400 Oem pro grille and the $100 ebay ones, or the cali raised led one. Im assuming they cant be made exactly the same as the oem due to copyright laws etc. And I dont see the need to cheap out on a 40k truck. Either way I need the garnish peice which im fine to buy from the dealer but as far as quality and fitment of the grille go, whats the difference.

 

Click the link and read away brother!

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/trd-pro-grille-for-140.519248/

 

Personally, I prefer buying/installing oem parts on my truck. You know what you’re getting with the oem grille ... everything just fits/works from the get go. With the knock offs you just never know when it comes to “build quality “ ... some are great others not so much. If you don’t have TSS then IMO it’s not as much of a concern. I have the OEM grille on mine and it was pricey but I wouldn’t do it any other way.

 

I do have TSS. And feel the same way as you

 

I have a 2018 Taco with TSS. I saved literally hundreds of $'s on my ebay faux grill. (Used the savings to purchase a OEM skid). Never had any issues or warning indicators that wouldn't go away. I would do it again in a heartbeat. Like the OEM model, it's made of plastic for mostly aesthetic purposes. ....."Plastic grill".....Plastic....Grill...! Spend the bigger money on more important mods.
*I picked up the garnish on ebay*

 

$60 on eBay and can’t tell it apart from OEM. I enjoyed not spending upwards of $300+
No TSS here though.

 

I just posted mine up the other day. I have the faux eBay grille that I paid $69.99 for along with the OEM garnish you have to get from anywhere else. I also bought that on eBay from a Toyota dealer that sell on there. the main thing with any of the faux grilles is that the TOYOTA letters do not come already attached. you have to do that yourself but they do include them. they double stick tape on so its not a big install. I am not sure how the factory Pro grille letters attach but I would assume it is the same way. I was skeptical that a $70 grille would even fit right or look good, but I was surprised, very surprised actually. once installed I honestly can't see any difference in the Factory or faux grille. I even went to my local dealer and parked my truck right next to a Pro they have on the lot, I cannot tell a visible difference at all. I didn't like the glossy garnish so I used a piece of matte clear bra material to tone mine down, I still don't love it, but its better than seeing the gloss on a matte black grille. I have $124 invested in my grille and garnish and I would do it the same way again if I had another Tacoma. I didn't see the need to pay all that money, all I wanted was the "look". mine has been on a few days now and I have about 100 miles on it with no TSS issues at all. I didn't get an extended harness or any of that. it is really not needed.

 

I originally purchased a faux grille from eBay and was impressed by the quality I got for the price. However, when it came to installing the garnish that was another story. It wouldn't seat flush and I broke a tab trying to get it to. I ran with it for a couple months like that and would get the occasional "brake now" warning. I've since picked up a new OEM grill and garnish and have had no warnings since. I know there are other members that have had great experiences with their faux grill and garnish it just wasn't the case for me.

 

My $100 Ebay grille looks and works just fine with the TSS.

 

I bought mine off eBay for around $80.00 and it’s fine. I did not install the garnish but after a few days I was getting the error code. Back to eBay, probably another $50.00 for the garnish and I have never had an issue.

 

I got it directly from the dealership and spent $263 including tax. The grill was $200 and garnish was $50 with tax It was a no brainier. No issues and didn't need the longer harness I had been waiting on for a few weeks. Its a roll of the dice on the Chinese knockoffs. Some are good and some bad. I saw a fake one and the finish is really thin. I saw one posted where the letter A is bigger than the other letters, might have been the angle. I just didn't want any issues do I did OEM.

 

I'm in the same boat as you mate. I don't have any issues spending a few more bucks to get OEM.

 

What dealership are you guys getting the OEM grill, local or online?

 

I got mine from the local dealership I bought my truck from ... they usually give me 15- 20% off retail price plus they match any other dealerships advertised internet prices.

 

Local, big difference in the cost, the 16 and 17 are expensive but the 18s are @ 200 bucks, $50 or cheaper for the garnish and no issues with finish or fitment. I'm sure the cheaper Chinese grill is good, I didn't want to deal with any haddles.

 

Get ready because Toyota wants a Vin number and your next of kin to get one. I gave like 6 Vin numbers and the Toyota warehouse shot them all down. Lucky my parts guy got one local which was ordered for someone who never picked it up. If a Vin has been used before your screwed, and after a few attempts they catch on. Good luck!

 

I also was told the same thing before I bought my faux grille. my local dealer is kind of hard to deal with on stuff like this. another reason I went with the Chinese knockoff. I honestly feel like that is the reason the knock offs were even created. dealers can really be assholes sometimes.

 

My dealership is cool. I have two oldfamily friends who owned the business and sold it to the other. The issue is the parts warehouse approval.

 

true. my local dealer/parts dept wouldn't even sell me my wheels. because I didn't have a Pro 4Runner. so I bought those off eBay from a dealer in CA...

 

It appears the OEM are a higher gloss than the knock offs, can anyone confirm. My finish matches the black trim perfect.