Late '08 Macbook Pro: Swolen Battery

Heofz

Heofz

Heofz

Soldato
Joined
20 Oct 2002
Posts
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London, UK
So, despite having this thing since November 2008, it only recently dawned on me that my Macbook pro's battery has swollen, and it definitely seems to be getting worse...

I noticed something odd with the battery cover within a few months of buying it, but I just assumed I may have accidentally pulled on the flaps too hard etc and it was my fault... never thought much of it since, until one day it struck me, "wait a minute whats going on with this battery cover, something is definitely wrong here..."

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I know it's been ages since I bought it, but looking online it seems Apple acknowledged this fault when everyone was ranting about it years ago.

I simply didn't realise the issue was affecting me back then but clearly it's evident now. Would you say I've "missed the boat" so to speak? Or would Apple still consider doing something about it if I asked them?
 
If it was a known fault and a recall was issued which you were unaware of, you could have a chance of getting it replaced as the battery will still carry the original part number that was dictated in the recall.

Where you will run into problems, is if they have a battery to replace it with. Which will be highly unlikely and will more than likely equate to being told you're SOoL.

There's a couple people on here that have bought aftermarket batteries from eBay. So it's worth waiting for them to chime in here too. In any case, take it to Apple and see what they say, if it's a no-go, you should be able to pick up a battery cheap enough from eBay.
 
It's worth asking the question of Apple. At worst they can say "No", and you are left to buy a replacement from them, or a third party.

At a guess I'd say they'd refuse, due to the age of the part and argue that batteries are consumable.
 
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There was a known issue, just not with that model of MBP.

The issue was with the pre-unibody versions....15" Early 2008 and 17" Early+Late 2008.

The 15" Late 2008 (your model) is the first unibody model, different battery.
 
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Hi there,

I had mine replaced free of charge by Apple last year, exact same issue, same model bought at the same time as you. You're in with a good chance of free eplacement. I just booked a Genius Bar Appointment

B

edit: Just to add, I was absolutely gob smacked, I was expecting to be £100 lighter but the guy didn't even think twice.
 
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Get it into an Apple store pronto. As far as I understand, these swollen batteries are generally replaced without any issues.
 
It's a dual purpose socket - analogue and digital. Red light is on which means it's in optical digital mode ... which it shouldn't be without the correct plug inserted. There's a little switch in the socket that gets stuck.
 
My sisters previous lodger left in a bit of a financial state. She settled some of the debt by giving her, her "broken" mac book which is in exactly the same state as that one above... In fact its a bit worse.

How would they handle this situation? I think its still registered to that address but obviously not her name. Could i take it to an apple store get it checked that its working with a new battery then buy one at a later date if its worth it... Or will they outright replace it? Or just a gamble ?
 
So just went into the mac store and had them take a look at it...

Spoke to one girl who took it into their back room, presumably to open it up and look at the battery etc. She came back out with her colleague and tried to explain that there was nothing they could do because my Macbook is so old... despite me explaining to them the situation and that this problem seems like it has been going on from the start but only recently became clear.

They said they didn't have the discretionary authority to give me a new battery, but brought out their manager who "might be able to do something", she said:

The battery is consumable, and because I've had it since 2008 they consider it as "consumed", despite the fact that it still holds a charge just fine.
The battery swelling is a deliberate "safety feature" to stop it from exploding :confused:.
Because I did not contact them when I noticed my lid acting strangely within the first year, they essentially won't take my word for it that its a manufacturing fault with the battery.
They will not replace my battery free of charge for the above reasons, and so I'd have to fork out £101 to get a new one.

The conversation left me in a bitter mood. Not impressed so far. However a nice lady who was waiting to get her iPhone fixed told me the "good genuinely helpful people" from this Apple store are no longer around, and recommended me to try going online and talk to the advisors via the Chat, apparently they are more helpful and understanding... wish me luck!
 
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I'm honestly not surprised that Apple wouldn't replace a 6 year old battery, and I don't consider it poor service at all. They have to draw the line somewhere.

Just grab an original Apple part from eBay and resume normal service.
 
So I ended up getting online to chat with an AppleCare advisor. She didn't want to play ball at first, but 2 important things happened:

  1. She acknowledged that this swollen battery is definitely a safety issue, and not an "intended safety feature" as the lady in the store was claiming.
  2. She acknowledged that my battery was defective but "being out of warranty" was the only reason they couldn't help me.
Also the below confirmed the situation with the battery to some degree. It holds charge and functions perfectly fine, it simply got bigger!

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She was quite insistent that because the laptop was no longer covered by warranty there was nothing she could do, however I then casually mentioned the Sales of Goods Act 1979 (which means any purchase must be fit for purpose for 6 years, regardless of company policies, warranties, etc). Statutory rights are serious business :)

Long story short, she switched the chat over to her Senior advisor who didn't take long to say she'll make an exception as she knows exactly where I'm coming from. She issued me a with an Apple Repair Code, which will get me a free replacement battery. In the meantime she recommends I keep the battery out of the computer to ensure safety (:D).

Good result, I intend on going back to the Apple store tomorrow, hopefully I'll see the same staff again whilst casually handing them this Repair Code.

:D
 
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