Instrument Cluster back lighting out on one side?
 

The back light on the right side of my instrument cluster has gone out. The pixels are fine (you can see the numbers if you look close), just no back light on the side that has the outside temperature display.

Is the back lighting "user replaceable", or is the lighting provided by soldered in LED's?

The E36 On Board Computer display, similar design as the E53, has 4 small bulbs that you can replace. The symptom set is the same as what you describe.

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Looks like Item 2 is the object of your desire,

RealOEM.com * BMW E53 X5 3.0i Instrument cluster

Awesome! Thank you!

It's extremely easy to replace.

1) pull your steering wheel all the way out and down
2) loosen the 2 torx screws holding in the cluster and pull it out
3) take a small screwdriver and turn the bulb until it's loose and comes out.

it took me longer to type this than it will to remove the cluster and change the bulb

If the 2 screws are the same in the e38 & e53...they are T-10 torx screws. This is fresh in my mind because I just had the pixels in the e38's cluster repaired and reinstalled it this past Friday.