Chrysler Repair: daytime running lights / dashboard lights wont shut off., daytime running lights, dashboard lights

Question
Hi there,
Thank you for your time in reading my question...

I'm illiterate when it comes to vehicles, so I'll try my best to be articulate & elaborate. I'm driving a 2000 Chrysler Neon that we've had since 2002. A month ago, the daytime running lights & dashboard lights stopped shutting off when the car was turned off, resulting in a drained/dead battery. That being said, it doesn't happen ALL the time. Due to limited income courtesy of being a student, I've been dealing with the problem by using a wrench to take the nut off the battery cable & remove the cable from the post. As I reconnect the battery cable to the post before I get ready to start the car to drive again, the running lights will trigger a couple of times as I'm tightening the cable onto the post, & the remote-start box by the gas pedal will make weird noises that it didn't  make before this problem began. So I've been told three theories. First, that it's a battery/connection issue, I was told this by an unprofessional relative. Knowing nothing about cars, that makes a little sense to me because of the running lights kicking in for brief periods while I reconnect the battery. Second theory was the main board switch that controls the running lights... I was told by a mechanic in another city to get a mechanic to disconnect the running lights permanently [under the dash apparently] & this would fix the problem but I would have no running lights, & also I'm confused as to whether this also explains the dashlights staying on or not. & the third theory, stated by my boyfriend, is that there's something wrong with the connection of the remote start maybe causing a partial connection because there's a box by the gas pedal with a red flashing light & it makes a weird buzzing sound as the battery is being reconnected & sometimes buzzes without stopping while the car is running. I'd also just like to state that I don't ever actually use the remote start, but last I checked it worked fine. So, should I get a mechanic to disconnect the remote start features connected in the car, or replace everything battery/connection related, or turn off the daytime running lights switch/board/whatever underneath the dash in the car?

Thanks again for your time & consideration.

Answer
Hi Kimberly,
I looked into the daytime running lamp feature of the Neon in a corporate '01 manual that I have as a resource. The module that controls that feature is part of the instrument cluster so that would explain why the two are tied together. Unfortunately, there is absolutely no discussion of what to do when it sticks "on" or how it even does its job. I would suspect the remote starter first. That is an aftermarket device, I suspect, as there is nothing about such an option in the manual. But for it to function it would have to be involved in the circuitry that activates the daytime running lamps. My suggestion would be to examing that box, and if the wires are easily detached I would try removing them, noting which wire is attached to which terminal, and also use electrical tape to cover the ends of the wires so they don't short circuit to oneanother or to any metal parts near by. That will kill the remote start, and possibly the drl problem.
Roland