What level calc?

That stuff is like childs play :D

Bad news on the mechanic...put your meter in V mode next time you have issues and put it between the engine and the neg battery cable.

THen try to start the car...see what it says.

Does the battery voltage read GOOD when it is acting "dead" or is the battery actually dead?

I agree.....you should see little to no voltage between the ground post of battery and the engine block when starting.....

[QUOTE=JamesDean].......i tried to locate the chassis-engine ground but couldnt find it...
UPDATE: I just called the shop...they did every test they could think of multiple times....nothing...not a damn thing wrong....they dont suspect a ground issue...QUOTE]

The chassis-engine ground strap should be on the passenger side and connected to either the starter bolt or possibly the exhaust bracket. If you don't find it there, that may be part of your problem as there is only one large grounding strap for this. The alternator can't charge the battery if this ground fails or is intermittent. (Mine was there but the bracket it attached to was loose.)

(BTW, the thing I recall about learning calculus is that it can be explained three different ways. The first two will be as greek, but the third will "flip the switch" and will be so easy you will laugh at how much you struggled to understand.)

Your situation is far from out of hand. A real example is living with the oposite sex on occasion.:D Anyways you have attracted some pretty bright company to your site I see and their combined experience should be invaluable. I am not that bright myself. I did notice you mentioned amplifiers. Heavy current devices probably located in your trunk? Imagine they are also on a direct power feed from battery since they draw so heavy? Normally triggered on by front end unit. For the time being I would pull their line fuses. They could be on when they are not supposed to be.(intermittent defect in head end unit or one amp) Also an indicator is you were mentioning the desire for a heavier alternator. The more information you post the easier the guys will help you to locate the problem. It will be pretty simple after it is found. It usually is in my limited experience. Funny the last two drain situations of an auto electric nature I located for friends turned out to be their aftermarket sterio systems. That itself means nothing but get those amps really off line for a bit until something is established. This problem should be reduced to the basics to get anywhere. I would locate the ground strap remove it and clean it up plus the contact areas. This amounts to not ignoring the common experience although a test of the ground loop could also be performed by putting a booster cable between the negative battery terminal and a clean spot on the alternator or block when you are having the problem. Dab at least a little grease on terminations to reduce future oxidation and consider it just good preventative maintenance on an older car. Will be watching the posts from time to time.