Gauge Illumination
 

I have a 97 base; the illumination for the gauges doesn't work. LEDs work fine, so at least I know how fast I'm going at night, but would love for this to work. Fuses B1, B10, and E1 are good. Looking at some other similar threads it seems like the ignition switch replacement is sometimes offered as potentially causing this. My question, is it worth replacing this to see if that's the issue?

Its going to need to be replaced eventually, so it may not hurt.
Have you had the cluster out to check the bulbs?
If everything but the LCD gauges are out, then it probably isn't a bulb issue.

My first suggestion would be to pull and then re-seat all 3 connectors on the rear of the gauge cluster. It is not uncommon for one or more to not be properly seated and this can cause your problem.

Thanks Particle. Ok stupid question time, the bentley manual says unplug the battery and acquire radio anti-theft code... The car has an aftermarket cd head unit... How do I go about doing this and/or ensuring I don't screw anything up here?