well... first id like to say thanks for your time and help. second id like to say, THE GUY I BOUGHT MY CAR FROM IS A JERK. it looks like he had it hooked up by twisting wires together and lazily wrapping it up with electrical tape. also i dont know what his problem is but he will not return my phone calls or emails. now to my current problem still..... i looked at the viper manual you directed me to (thanks a lot by the way) and a lot of things made sense. it seems that there is probably a relay somewhere for the alarm that is keeping the lights from going off. this makes the most sense to me. what do you think i should do? do you know where relays are normally mounted on aftermarket alarms/remote starters.