Battery Swelling

TheCybermonkey

TheCybermonkey

TheCybermonkey

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Joined
15 Jun 2009
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178
Location
Bournemouth
I have a 2.5yr old macbook pro from just before the uni-bodys came out.

2 weeks ago the machine turning off when the battery reached 60%. Could turn it on and it would carry on till 20% then turn off rinse and repeat untill flat.

Move forward to yesterday when I noticed the track pad button didnt feel right, no click.

Turned over the machine and the battery has swollen and the casing is falling apart.

Called apple as the machine is covered and they have said to take it to be looked at by an Apple Store. He did say though that when they get old they swell up.

Do you think its likley it will be replaced or do you think due to its age they will tell me to buy a new one?

Nearest store is a fare distance and would be a hassle.
If it turns out I need to buy a new one, the travel etc would just add to the cost.
 
Its classed as a consumable....which I understand and if it was just a case of its capacity decreasing then that would be fine and Id buy a new one.

In this case, the battery has swollen and is bursting out of the case.
Looking online there was a replacment programme as the batterys had a known fault, but that has since ended.

So basically he said if I take it to a store they 'might' swap it under my applecare agreement but Id have to take it in and see....then he tried to tell me that the batterys swell when they get old which Im not sure I believe as surly they wouldnt have been replacing them as faulty in the past.

Im just wondering if anyone here has had this and if they were given a new battery or told they had to replace it themselves.
 
I just had my Macbook battery replaced under warranty after the same problem.

Mine was just over 2 years old but only had around 100 cycles and was about 96% of its original condition. The Genius I spoke to said it was an end of battery life "feature" and I would have to buy a new one, until I mentioned it hadn't had that many cycles. He used a special programme to check it and when checked saw the battery health was good, so replaced it for free.

Try using to Coconut Battery to check battery health and your cycle count, if its in good nick and under around 200-250 cycles, argue it with the Genius and see what you can get.

http://www.coconut-flavour.com/coconutbattery/
 
Exactly the same problem happened to me a couple of years ago when I had a MBP. It swelled up and turned off at 80% charge. I phoned Apple up and they got me to give them some figures from the machine about the battery health and decided to send me another one for free. This was when it was just over a year into it's warranty.
 
Had a look at my cycles etc when machine started switching off at 60% (couple of weeks or so ago).
Think it was along the lines of 81% and 320+ cycles. Check when I get home.

Sounds like it would be unreasonable to expect a replacment at that sort of use, so Id best just order a new one.

Thanks for the replies.
 
I'd be asking for a replacement for a battery that's swollen up. Your cycles don't sound excessive and a swollen battery is dangerous. The age shouldn't really come into it and 2.5 years isn't that old for a battery.
 
Batteries have a finite life and for the previous versions of the laptops (pre unibody) it is 300 cycles. The cycle count isn't excessive but its reached its limit and I wouldn't expect a free replacement. Give it a try though, they might still offer a free one from the replacement programme.

Here is the official word from Apple on battery life

http://www.apple.com/batteries/notebooks.html

For Apple notebooks with removable batteries — such as previous generation MacBook and MacBook Pro computers — a properly maintained battery is designed to retain up to 80% of its original capacity at 300 full charge and discharge cycles. You may choose to replace your battery when it no longer holds sufficient charge to meet your needs.

The built-in battery of the MacBook Air is designed to retain up to 80% of its original capacity at up to 750 full charge and discharge cycles.

The built-in battery in the new 13-, 15-, and 17-inch MacBook Pro is designed to retain up to 80% of its original capacity at up to 1000 full charge and discharge cycles.

If your notebook came with a built-in battery, you should have the battery replaced only by an Apple Authorized Service Provider.
 
I think the point here is that the battery is swelling and is therefore dangerous. I was in the Lakeside store a few months ago when someone came in with a Macbook and a swollen battery and it was replaced immediately without any question.
 
Ended up ordering a new battery and next time I can get to an Apple store ill swing by and see if they will replace my swollen one.

I tend to use the laptop plugged in a lot as playing WoW or watching movies/tv shows etc rinses the battery pretty quick.

Wouldnt have been fussed about the battery loosing charge too much as it only needs to be able to run for a little while on battery while web surfing on the couch etc....but the battery swelling is dodgy and is stopping the trackpad button working so not comfortable leaving it in.

Dont like having battery out either as dont like the bottom being exposed plus as great a feature as the magsafe is...I know ill end up catching it and pulling it out.

Reading links about the battery, sounds like I need to use it off charge a bit more with the new batt to help it last longer.

Does make me wonder how its got over 300 cycles when its plugged in a lot.
Isnt 1 cycle 1 FULL charge?
 
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