car runs 14.5V when it starts???

The headlights have the most robust filaments of all the bulbs on the car, and theoretically should be the last to blow from an overcharge condition.The smallest filaments are in; the fender mounted Tsigs,dash, and radio.
I have seen many modern cars running up to 15.5 volts CONTINUOUS charge. Most GMs I have tested are running more than 14.5 volts.
Put your tester on ACvolts,across the battery.If there is AC there, replace the alt. and clean the reg. ground, and its probably a good idea to clean the other grounds as well.The headlights dont care about AC, but Ill bet AC goes right through the reg.And the AC can spike pretty high. Ive seen spikes over 60VAC, which(spikes) wont hurt the battery but no 12vDC bulb will survive that,for long.