I was told by Dealer with new one it will need programing then married to your Seadoo, If used just married to your Seadoo from 06 to about late 09 with CanDoo Pro.
I did get my new hood deflector too. Recall, it broke and blew loose at lake george.
I don't understand why just the LCD panels aren't rebuildable. There are services for various cars all over the place that will do that kind of work for pretty cheap. I have quite a few dead areas on my cluster as well but 500 bucks and dealer visits seems insane. My 2 dollar calculator issues the same technology.
The gauges are ultrasonically welded together. They can be opened but it takes a lot of time and patience to carefully cut them apart. They can be repaired pretty easily once you get them open. Then they can be glued back together with some prep work first.
These gauges are like 10 years old and that's all they are designed to last. So, not an engineering fault at all. Actually, a very good engineering design that 95% will last it's desired lifespan. If you keep the UV light off them(keep ski covered) when you are not riding they will last a long time.