They probably used diluted degreaser or APC to clean the steering column cover and this splattered onto the gauge cluster cover. On some Toyota models this cover can be easily replaced, but sometimes you can use PlastX to remedy the situation without replacement.
Hind sight is 20/20. Without the extended warranty, I'd likely have brought it to an indy shop sure, and maybe they wouldn't have dropped my truck. But I'd also be out $4500 (that was the cost of the front differential) and there's no guarantees the indy shop wouldn't have messed something up either. In the end, they comped everything, paid the additional $4000 for the fender repair, and I've paid zero.
To be fair, an experienced 4wd shop that isn't terrified of dIFferEnTiAls (extend arms and wiggle fingers over imaginary magic cauldron) probably would have been less than $4500
