BMW Repair: 1997 540 odometer lightfailure, lamp control, instrument cluster

Question
my 540 odometer instead of showing a number shows 3 vertical dots i am about to trade in my dealer says is a serious problem,  unredable odometer. can this be fixed without losing the original eading?

Answer
Good morning Enrique,
You really have a problem here. While data about mileage, etc. is stored in both the instrument cluster and lamp control module, normally anybody would like to see the odometer display mileage. It can be due to any number of things( defective instrument cluster, cluster was replaced by one from another car, etc.).
This can set you back by approximately one thousand dollars.
Replacement of the cluster and coding usually can be done only by dealers.
The bulb responsible for backlighting the odometer display seems to be working since you can read the 3 i's. And your problem is the inability of the odometer to display the needed numbers.