2017 15" Retina MacBook Pro w/ Touch Bar - bowing case and keyboard due to swelling battery?

[ideal.dreams]

I have had my 2017 15" Retina MBP w/ Touch Bar for exactly 2 years today. I normally keep it plugged in at my desk to power, two external monitors, and a USB Hub. It doesn't leave my desk but once in a blue moon, so it sits plugged in most of the time.

I travelled for work today and brought it with me and when I got to the hotel, I took it out of my briefcase and set it down on the desk in the hotel room and I noticed that it didn't sit flush with the table and would move if I nudged it. Tried another table thinking the first one was wonky but same thing.

Then I realized that the bottom of the aluminum case is bowed ever so slightly outwards in the middle, enough to where it doesn't sit flat on the table. First thought was a swollen battery (as how else could the inside of the case expand outward?). I then closed the lid and noticed that the screen will not close flat as the keyboard is bowing out too near the space bar. The middle of the edge of the screen comes into contact with the case but the left and right sides do not.

Has anyone else experienced this with this year and size MBP? Google shows a replacement program for 13" MBPs but obviously mine wouldn't qualify for that.

I have a genius appointment on Friday but am worried that they are going to try and charge me for the repair of this issue since my computer is a full year out of its hardware warranty.

I figured I would check here for any thoughts on the issue while I wait to bring it in to Apple.

 

[ideal.dreams]

Took it into the Apple Store today and they confirmed it was a defective battery and said there's a quality program to repair it for free. Only problem is having to go without my computer for 3-5 business days. Going without my only computer I use daily for work for a full work week isn't really an acceptable option and Apple is adamant on not offering a replacement instead.

 

[bob_zz123]

Took it into the Apple Store today and they confirmed it was a defective battery and said there's a quality program to repair it for free. Only problem is having to go without my computer for 3-5 business days. Going without my only computer I use daily for work for a full work week isn't really an acceptable option and Apple is adamant on not offering a replacement instead.

It's good that they have offered to fix it for free for you. My experience when I had a swollen battery was very similar to yours.

I would like to politely say that if you use your computer for work, then you need to have a disaster recovery strategy in place. Things happen - not just with computers - and if you're in business you need a plan to mitigate unexpected events. I think 3-5 days is completely acceptable given that (at least according to teardown sites) the computers are complex and need careful repair and testing. I think it would be unreasonable for Apple to offer a replacement if it's just going to take 3-5 days to repair it.

 

[coleman593]

Took it into the Apple Store today and they confirmed it was a defective battery and said there's a quality program to repair it for free. Only problem is having to go without my computer for 3-5 business days. Going without my only computer I use daily for work for a full work week isn't really an acceptable option and Apple is adamant on not offering a replacement instead.

You can try asking them if it would be possible for them to order the parts and do the repair in store, rather than sending it into the depot. This would probably take 1-2 business days to repair depending on how backed up they are, rather then having them send the macbook pro to the depot to do the repair if that's what they were planning to do, or you can try finding an authorized apple repair store that would be able to do the repair in one day.

 

[ideal.dreams]

You can try asking them if it would be possible for them to order the parts and do the repair in store, rather than sending it into the depot. This would probably take 1-2 business days to repair depending on how backed up they are, rather then having them send the macbook pro to the depot to do the repair if that's what they were planning to do, or you can try finding an authorized apple repair store that would be able to do the repair in one day.

The advisor at the store informed me that Apple does not permit them to do any battery repairs on site due to the safety risk involved.

I am eventually going to have it repaired, it's just going to be a painstaking process since I will need to format my MacBook before sending it in (since they're going to replace the internals, including the SSD) and that is the part that I am uncomfortable with. I don't like relying fully on a Time Machine backup to fully restore my MacBook back to the way it was before I sent it in. I have always had my old MacBook on stand by as I migrated to a new one to fully ensure all data was moved before letting the old leave my care.