I'm the original owner of a 2002 PT Cruiser base model with 190,000 miles. It runs great, we do regular maintenance on it, and we like driving the car. The battery is a Super Start Platinum that I bought from O'Reilly on 2/18/2023. This past August, each time I started the car, it turned over slower and slower, sounding to me like a weak battery. Even after starting it and driving it for awhile, the next time I would go to start it, it would barely turn over, like an almost dead battery. I took it to O'Reilly on 8/16/2023, and they did what they call a Customer Battery Charge and Test. The employee there said the battery tested fine, and gave it back to me. When I put it back in the car, the car started fine, and it sounded like a normal battery.

I took the car to my mechanic the next day, and he tested the battery, alternator, and starter, and said they all tested fine. So I took the car home again. For awhile, it started fine, but now it is barely turning over again, to me sounding like a weak battery.

Is it possible that a starter would have the same symptoms as a weak battery? Would a worn out starter barely turn over, like a bad battery? When I read about the symptoms of a starter wearing out, it sounds like they are different than what I'm experiencing. Is it possible that the starter could be bad, and not the battery? Or possibly the alternator? Before I take it back to the mechanic again, and he charges me $60 to check it out, I wish I could get a better idea of which part is going bad. Thanks very much for any help! Mychal