MacBook Pro turns off without the charger (Help please)

[Kiroji]

Okay, thank you for all your responses, my Macbook Pro is a 13" Mid 2009 Model, built in October. I went to the genius about eight months ago with this problem, and I forgot how they diagnosed it, but I didn't know how much I could trust their opinion so I came here. I am going to go back and see what they say again. I'll let you guys know.

[wpooh]

Don't go anywhere. Just swap out the battery. There must be guides for it online. Read a guide, buy the battery, do the swap. You'll most likely need a new one anyway on a model that old, even if you'll need to do a logic board swap as well, which I doubt. The fact that the system loses the real time clock (date!) when you remove external power means that most likely the battery is dead. It's almost a dead giveaway, I'd say. Bad batteries can cause a lot of weird issues. I've had my MBP just shut down every time the battery went down to 75-80%, even though all of its parameters that are measured internally looked OK (low number of cycles, large available capacity, etc).

[GGJstudios]

Originally Posted by wpooh

Don't go anywhere. Just swap out the battery.

Swapping out the battery won't help if the logic board has a problem, as already indicated.

Originally Posted by wpooh

Read a guide, buy the battery, do the swap.

Apple doesn't sell the built-in batteries without installing them, and knockoffs are not to be trusted.

Originally Posted by wpooh

The fact that the system loses the real time clock (date!) when you remove external power means that most likely the battery is dead.

The battery is fully drained, not dead. The battery health is good, so once the logic board is replaced, the battery can be charged.

Originally Posted by wpooh

I've had my MBP just shut down every time the battery went down to 75-80%, even though all of its parameters that are measured internally looked OK (low number of cycles, large available capacity, etc).

Which model MBP? With a removable battery, or built-in? If it was removable, it may have just needed calibration.

[Mrbobb]

Originally Posted by Kiroji

and I forgot how they diagnosed it,

Do you remember how much time they spent on it? Did he took it from your, did a reboot in front of you, ran a few things? Showed you anything? like ran a hardware diagnostic and showed you, "See it says bad motherboard?"

OK go back. If you have an account with Apple, most likely they will recall that last visit before talking to you. If at all possible, I would like them to start from fresh as that first visit never happened, I want a second, fresh opinion.

If they say Mobo again, and if they say it fast that means they going by last's diagnostic, ask them, "Is not the battery?" see what they tell you.

When a battery finally fails, you can no longer trust the battery meter (professional experience). The only thing you can trust is the charge cycle count. From what I hear here, 800-1200 cycles and you are in the grey, wants to be changed area, depending on your usage and environmental.

[Kiroji]

Okay so I went again, and this time they said it was the battery. I don't know why the first time I went they would say its the logic board, but I do remember that they didn't run the tests they ran this time. Which is crazy to me but whatever what's done is done. Sorry for the confusion everyone, and thank you for helping me try to diagnose it. Where can I get a replacement battery for a reasonable price?

[blueroom]

Originally Posted by Kiroji

Where can I get a replacement battery for a reasonable price?

Apple. Don't muck around with third party MacBook batteries.

[GGJstudios]

Originally Posted by Kiroji

Okay so I went again, and this time they said it was the battery. I don't know why the first time I went they would say its the logic board, but I do remember that they didn't run the tests they ran this time. Which is crazy to me but whatever what's done is done. Sorry for the confusion everyone, and thank you for helping me try to diagnose it. Where can I get a replacement battery for a reasonable price?

The built-in batteries should only be replaced by Apple. They don't sell the built-in batteries without installing them, for which they charge $129 (battery and installation cost included).

I wouldn't trust or recommend any non-Apple battery, due to the number of problems reported with "knockoff" batteries. Also, there is no assurance that knockoff batteries have the same charging technology that Apple uses, involving the battery, the MagSafe adapter and the Mac's logic board.

Battery Replacement
Replacing the built-in battery in your MacBook Pro

[Fireproof!]

Originally Posted by Kiroji

Okay, thank you for all your responses, my Macbook Pro is a 13" Mid 2009 Model, built in October. I went to the genius about eight months ago with this problem, and I forgot how they diagnosed it, but I didn't know how much I could trust their opinion so I came here. I am going to go back and see what they say again. I'll let you guys know.

I had a 2009 Macbook 13" with the EXACT same problem. Only my problem was intermittent (for a while).

Genius Bar thought it was a bad battery, so they replaced it. But it kept happening. Macbook wouldn't recognize the battery and therefore wouldn't charge it, so therefore I couldn't use the Macbook unplugged. I could sometimes fix the issue by pulling out the battery and re-seating it. Then it would charge and stay powered for a little while. But after a bit, it would stop working and wouldn't recognize the battery anymore (would show an "X" in the battery icon on the menu bar).

They had to do something to the motherboard to fix it. But at that point I had sold it to a colleague so I could upgrade to a 15" Pro, so I don't remember any of the details. Sorry.

[Zwatson]

Hi I have the same problem. Except I have a MacBook 13" not MacBook Pro. My charger is always green except my screen says my charge is 0%. Whenever I take the charger out it completely turns off so I have to reboot it with the charger. Help!