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Swollen Battery, make a stink?

L

ldrain

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Oct 25, 2010
3
0
Big Sur
hi everyone-
I woke up this morning to find my 17" MBP battery swollen. Nothing has come out or anything, but the seams have popped and it made the whole thing wobbly. My computer is old, 2006 and has had the same battery since i've had it. I rarely need to use the battery, and wouldn't care if it wasn't portable (since it really isn't anyway). Went to the apple store and they told me to buy a new battery, you are 338 days out of warranty. This is all very clear before I go in there, he's told me nothing new.

Anyway, I can't really afford the battery, and to me, a battery shouldn't swell up, regardless of the age. So I am coming here for advice. I am tempted to keep using the swollen battery until it bursts and see what they have to say about that. Or email someone higher up some pictures of the swollen battery. It really seems like a safety issue, battery health is not common knowledge.

I'd appreciate your thoughts. Thanks!
 
GGJstudios

GGJstudios

macrumors Westmere
May 16, 2008
44,545
943
Batteries are not covered by warranty or AppleCare, except in the case of defects. Swelling on a battery as old as yours is not an indication of defect... only natural aging and dying of a battery.

This should answer most, if not all, of your battery questions: Apple Notebook Battery FAQ
 
dukebound85

dukebound85

macrumors Core
Jul 17, 2005
19,131
4,110
5045 feet above sea level
I would NOT use it. Take it out and run on ac power in meantime, though this will clock your cpu to 50%

I had this happen to me in the past and was given a free batt by apple even though mine was well past the warranty date. Depends on the genius. Just be nice and they may help you out

Also, keep in mind you can buy a 3rd party batt for much cheaper than the ones from apple


GGJstudios said:
Batteries are not covered by warranty or AppleCare, except in the case of defects. Swelling on a battery as old as yours is not an indication of defect... only natural aging and dying of a battery.

This should answer most, if not all, of your battery questions: Apple Notebook Battery FAQ
Click to expand...
I disagree. A worn out batt should not be swelling. It is a safety issue to be aware about
 
L

ldrain

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Oct 25, 2010
3
0
Big Sur
Thanks for the speedy replies!

I already went to a "genius," thought I was pretty nice and patient, and he told me to buy a new one. I asked if I had missed a recall or something. He went so far as to tell me that I would eventually notice the wobble from the swelling, like I was an idiot. I realize they are used to dealing with people who can't find the mute on their iPhone, but come on!

Glad to see i'm not the only one that thinks a swollen battery is a safety concern, all the batteries i've ever used in just die. Maybe some of the older 70's or 80's batteries would leek some acid, but never swell.

Maybe i'll try and take my girlfriend in there next time, maybe then they will give me a free one.

I did glance at the FAQ after this swelling occurred, my point is that most people will never see that. Apple doesn't tell you anything, just that it should be replaced.
 
HLdan

HLdan

macrumors 603
Aug 22, 2007
6,383
0
ldrain said:
Thanks for the speedy replies!

I already went to a "genius," thought I was pretty nice and patient, and he told me to buy a new one. I asked if I had missed a recall or something. He went so far as to tell me that I would eventually notice the wobble from the swelling, like I was an idiot. I realize they are used to dealing with people who can't find the mute on their iPhone, but come on!

Glad to see i'm not the only one that thinks a swollen battery is a safety concern, all the batteries i've ever used in just die. Maybe some of the older 70's or 80's batteries would leek some acid, but never swell.

Maybe i'll try and take my girlfriend in there next time, maybe then they will give me a free one.

I did glance at the FAQ after this swelling occurred, my point is that most people will never see that. Apple doesn't tell you anything, just that it should be replaced.
Click to expand...

Just don't use with the battery for own safety. I'm sure you were being sarcastic because I certainly hope you don't think the male employees there would be willing to risk their job and give you a free battery just because of your GF? I think you're giving your GF too much credit and tool little credit for people who need to bring home a paycheck. ;)
 
L

ldrain

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Oct 25, 2010
3
0
Big Sur
Success!

I went back to the apple store today after doing a little research last night. Turns out my battery had only 162 cycles though it was 4 years old, and the majority of the stories out there have had success getting a replacement.

Anyway, went back today, talked to a manager after returning the battery I was told to buy yesterday, and the manager set me up with a new genius. I could tell right away that he was the guy to talk to (even though he balked when I asked about the 50% cpu performance when the battery is out). I showed him my system profiler printout, he ran through some things and gave me the good news. After clicking through even more stuff, he said there were 2 conflicting systems telling him opposite things but he decided to give me the replacement anyway. It was the last one in stock, and I laughed when I saw it had the same A1189 serial.

It's sad that you have to talk to the right person to get the best service in a genius bar. I guess that's the way it is in most businesses. Glad I didn't take no for an answer. Thanks again to those encouraging a replacement.
 
V

vant

macrumors 65816
Jul 1, 2009
1,231
1
GGJstudios said:
Batteries are not covered by warranty or AppleCare, except in the case of defects. Swelling on a battery as old as yours is not an indication of defect... only natural aging and dying of a battery.

This should answer most, if not all, of your battery questions: Apple Notebook Battery FAQ
Click to expand...

Seriously, try to be more helpful next time.

It's sad that you have to talk to the right person to get the best service in a genius bar. I guess that's the way it is in most businesses. Glad I didn't take no for an answer. Thanks again to those encouraging a replacement.
Click to expand...

Glad everything worked out for you. A battery should not swell if it has died normally.
 
M

mac8867

macrumors 6502
Apr 5, 2010
457
22
Saint Augustine, FL
Maybe your battery was just having a bad month, did you ever think of that? No, of course not... did you even offer it a couple ibuprofen --- nope... always blaming some outside influence. Take care of your batteries gents.
 
A

Animalk

macrumors 6502
May 27, 2007
471
19
Montreal Canada
Make your case to the Genius at the Apple Store and if your battery has a serial number listed as defective, he might be willing to swap it for you free of charge. Do remember that he is in no way obliged to do this for you since you are outside warranty.

Explain your situation. Be nice. Listen to what he has to say. If he doesn't budge, remind him of the dangers of a swollen and/or leaky battery. If he believes you took good care of your computer, he'll be more inclined to helping you.

Good luck.
 
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