13" 2009 MBP Battery Life

[djshack]

I have a 2009 13" MacBook Pro that I bought in late February, 2009. The battery has 319 cycles and is at 82% of its original capacity.

I remember reading that the unibody MBPs were designed to maintain 80% of the battery capacity up to approx. 1000 cycles.

Given that mine is almost down to 80%, and my AppleCare runs out at the end of this coming February, do you think it's worth my take to take it to Apple and see if they'll replace the battery?

Thanks for your help.

 

[GGJstudios]

Given that mine is almost down to 80%, and my AppleCare runs out at the end of this coming February, do you think it's worth my take to take it to Apple and see if they'll replace the battery?

It doesn't hurt to ask, but Apple usually won't even look at the battery until it's below 80%.

The link below should answer most, if not all, of your battery/charging questions. If you haven't already done so, I highly recommend you take the time to read it.

Apple Notebook Battery FAQ​

 

[tcphoto]

I have a Late 2008 15" MBP and the original battery had 844 cycles and 70% health when I replaced it. The replacement is 15 months old and has 318 cycles and had 80% health on Sunday, 100% on Monday and 14% today. When I went to the "genius", he ran a test and told me it was within specs and offered to sell me a new one. Needless to say, I declined and put in the original battery.

 

[yusukeaoki]

When it goes under 80%, I would just give Apple a call and let them see.
If they say no, you can complain a bit but its hard to get the batteries replaced.

 

[djshack]

I'm pretty sure it won't dip below 80% by the time my AppleCare ends... That's why I'm somewhat in a hurry. However, I've heard also that Apple's strict about the 80% rule, so it might not be worth it. It is a three year old laptop that still gets what, in the Windows world, is decent battery life (but definitely not the 7-8 hours it got when new with Snow Leopard).

 

[yusukeaoki]

I'm pretty sure it won't dip below 80% by the time my AppleCare ends... That's why I'm somewhat in a hurry. However, I've heard also that Apple's strict about the 80% rule, so it might not be worth it. It is a three year old laptop that still gets what, in the Windows world, is decent battery life (but definitely not the 7-8 hours it got when new with Snow Leopard).

I heard many stories of people getting refused to get the free replacement.
If it does go under 80%, I would still talk to them.