Do any of you notice the gauge cluster varies in intensity on its very own? It never stays at the same level of brightness, but it's not as varied depending on the default brightness its dialed in at.

Is it just me?

 

I think that's just you. May want to try some electrical contact lubricant on the dimmer dial. It usually comes in a spray can with a little hose on it like wd40. but it's electrically conductive and helps fix things like dimmer switches that tend to oxidize over time.