Bob, I wonder if the problem with your VPX display could be related to the one I reported in late 2012 (AFS forum thread with link to my website w/screenshots). For me, the status indicators always disappear when I have both the course and bearing needles displayed on the PFD.

I did send in system logs and screen captures, but the current software release has the same behavior, so I'm guessing they weren't able to reproduce it to fix. Since then, I've been relying on toggling to a screen without needles (engine, 6-pack, or map) when I need to see the VPX statuses.