2008 MacBook Battery Swelling, Options?

[BrianJ844]

Hi all, I am still dragging along my late 2008 unibody MacBook (10 years!!!) and since the SSD upgrade in it, still runs like a champ (errr well still runs good enough). However, the battery has been swelling more and more lately. I encountered this issue years ago, took it in to an Apple store and they replaced it for free. This one has been swelling for a while but is starting to get to the point where I am concerned.

Does anyone think taking it to a mac store still an option or are we way past that? If taking it in to have the battery replaced isn't feasible anymore, are there any trusted third party batteries out there? Should I just pull the battery and run on cord alone (it lives around the coffee table)? I want a new laptop, I really do, just don't see the need if this one still does what I want it to.

Thanks,
Brian

 

[keysofanxiety]

We're well past Apple servicing I'm afraid, the model is vintage.

Running on the cord alone with no battery will significantly impact performance. This is because the OS will throttle the CPU to prevent performance spikes from shutting the device down when it has a drastically reduced or non-existent battery (sound familiar? )

You could fit another battery but I couldn't personally recommend a specific brand. iFixit will be good but they often hose you on price and eBay batteries will just be a lottery when it comes to quality.

 

[EugW]

You can buy one on Amazon. It won't be as good as the original Apple one, but if you're lucky, it will work OK.

I bought one on Amazon for my 2008 white MacBook and it was swollen out of the box. I got a refund and bought another one from a different brand, and that one has been working fine since six months ago.

 

[BrianJ844]

You can buy one on Amazon. It won't be as good as the original Apple one, but if you're lucky, it will work OK.

I bought one on Amazon for my 2008 white MacBook and it was swollen out of the box. I got a refund and bought another one from a different brand, and that one has been working fine since six months ago.

Do you happen remember which brand from Amazon worked out for you?

Thanks!

 

[EugW]

Do you happen remember which brand from Amazon worked out for you?

Egoway

 

[gollum]

FWIW
My Late 2008 Pro had the swelling issue about 4 years ago, too late for Apple to do anything about it although it would have been nice to know from Apple to watch out for it, I discovered it too late.
I bought a new one but something must have gotten tweaked because although the computer tells me the battery is fine when I unplug the A/C ~ 60-90 seconds later the computer shuts down at a blink of an eye, no warning just kaput.
So mine is just a space filler at this point and like was said keeps the performance normal.

 

[BODYBUILDERPAUL]

Stay well clear of SLODA batteries. They last only one year and their customer service is non-existent.
I complained via Amazon about the battery lasting just one year and their response was "Yeah, our batteries are cheaper than Apple's, that's all we can do i'm afraid. Anyway, have a nice day".

And that was it for the official response from SLODA. Real dangerous cowboys.
Be very careful - iFixit is probably your best bet or DURACEL the household battery company make batteries for the Mac too.

 

[Banglazed]

You can buy an OEM battery on eBay and replace it yourself very easy after unscrewing the bottom. Make sure the picture is as exactly like the one you have.