how do I know if my battery or starter is whymy car doesn't sta

the date of your first charge mo/yr is made known by the "knock off" labels...five years old is about all you're gonna get from these new tin/antimony batteries....get a NEW one~ and refresh the main ground by wirebrushing the lug at the end of the black cable....undo the lug and with a pliers hold onto it and use the wirebrush to get all the corrosion 'till shiny...same with the spot on the chassis ground get that one nice and electrically conductive and bolt the lug back onto that spot~

...and also the 1/0 cable that goes to the motor (near the alternator)~ this one assures the starter motor will have enough amps to get you started~ ...the other one is mostly for the chassis...lights, windshield wipers, ignition, fuel pump....relays...etc~

It turns out that my alternator needs replaced. Thank you for the heads up on my battery.