When turned to the full brightness on the dimmer switch everything is fine, lights on and bright in gauges. When I back it off just a hair, everything goes black. When I back it off just a hair more... poof... lights all back on. From there on out, I can back off the brightness of the gauges and it'll get dimmer like it's supposed to. What's that all about?

 

inside of the dimmer switch there are brass contacts that slide along the control ****.That is what makes the the lights dim or brighten.Sounds like to me,part of the contacts in your switch could have some corrosion.If it really bothers you,buy a new dimmer switch.

 

Any idea how much a new one costs off the top of your head? And is it just a matter of popping the trim plate off and pulling the switch out?

It's really not that big of a deal though. I NEVER even adjust the gauge brightness. I've always thought the dimmer switch on any car was a useless invention.

 

Maybe $10-15, I had to remove the dash pad to get my switch out, it's not as easy as it would seem.

 

Eh, not that bad, but definitely more work than I expected. I have to replace the front speakers anyways, so this will be a good excuse to do it.

Anyways, after removing the trim plate AND dash pad, is it just a matter of pulling it out and popping a new one in? That's really all I want to know as I am be no means an electrical guy.

 

Actually it is a bit more complex than that. Remove the trim plate and unscrew the plastic piece holding in the switch. Now there is a metal button behind the switch that needs to be pressed before you can remove the pull ****. Once the **** is removed you can pull the switch home free from above and installation is reverse of removal.

 

Alright, thanks for the info.