I'm having the same problem. I have an 03 X5 with a little over 100k miles. The odometer display went out last week. I can't see it in the daytime but at night I can see if I look hard enough. Other displays work fine and no issues with the pixels.

You just need to do a simple bulb replacement - there are actually five bulbs - see my post on how to remove the instrument cluster and do the bulb replacement.

hey guys,

i can not control the brigness of the screen as well. what could be the problem? it doesn't get any brighter.

Before you go ahead and try to replace the light, try disconnecting the battery over night. I had the same issue and I went ahead and changed my battery and the issue was resolved.

Good luck!

Sim0n.

ok i will try that. also, some people also has mentioned that this could be a problem linked with a light sensor, not a light bulb. what do you think?

anybody?

Maybe I should start a new thread rather than reviving this one, but I have this similar problem:

- 2001 3.0i with the high cluster

- the car is generally running great. no recent repairs or upgrades, etc. Nothing else wrong with the car that I can tell.

- The line in the display showing the odometer and (?) trip mileage?, time of day? does not light up

- When the line below it, with messages, or radio/Cd info, etc. is blank (dark) the line for the odometer is absolutely black.

- When the line below the odo line is lit up with something, the ODO line can be read very faintly, as if the backlight for the lower line is providing just enough leakage light to read the ODO on the upper line.

So from reading the suggestions in this thread, I have the following questions before I tear things apart (or not):

- does the disconnect-battery idea make sense?

- is there a backlight control setting somewhere that may be set to 0%? The title of this thread refers to 25% as if that is a setting somewhere???

- does the light sensor theory make sense?

- is there just one bulb to light that whole line or more than one? It could be that other bulbs burned out before this last one and the problem was not noticed earlier.

My personal guess is that the bulb needs replacing, but I'm hoping for more informed opinions than mine.

Yes, there are multiple bulbs. 5 of them, 1.5v each.

First I've heard of a cluster-only light sensor, I doubt it.

There is a cluster brightness rheostat at the light switch, above the fog light switch. Only works when the park lights/headlights are on.

First I've heard of the disconnect battery for cluster problems. But that has been suggested for lots of other things, sort of a cure -all lol! I dont think it will hurt anything to try.

Your problem sounds like a few bulbs out. I would be inclined to start there.

If your info display and selector position display still light up, you can swap bulbs from there to the non working areas to test.

It's real easy to pull the cluster, it's just the two screws, then lever it out from the top. Just adjust the column down and forward for space.

Just some FYI stuff to add to our collective mental Rolodex. :D

As mentioned...the light intensity can be adjusted:


And yes, there's a photo transistor designed into the instrument cluster that will adjust the back lighting based on ambient lighting. See illustration below:

I had no idea on the cluster sensor! Thanks Qsilver7!