This post is simply to share a recent discovery:

I was having an issue with the car giving me a really worn/tired sounding start. I have a little USB plug that sits in the cigarette lighter plug and it also has a digital voltage read out so I can have an idea of the voltage. I noticed a while ago that the charge was not the usual 13-14v but hovering in the 12-13v range so I figured my alt was on it's way out. Swapped in a new one and had higher voltage for a little while and then started having the same issue. Battery had a full charge and was still having issues with a slow start and crappy charging.

I checked all the grounds and they were all good so I focused on the motor mount ground which always seems to be an issue. I noticed the ends of the ground strap has some corrosion so I cleaned them up and reinstalled and the voltage went up for a few days. Then it was back to the low voltage. Thinking about another car that had a similar issue (the entire length of the cable was corroded and hidden underneath the sheathing), I removed the OE strap and fashioned a new one from some nice 4 gauge. Once installed, the issue is gone and I am at 14v charging and quick/easy starts. It is apparent that the OE strap is full of corrosion and causing issues. I was going to try and source a new OE one but they run about $50 so using some 4 gauge I had left over from a stereo install and some copper ends it was a no-brainer.

Anyway, if you are having these sorts of issues, this may be a cheap fix.