2018 MacBook Pro 15 battery swell

[Earsly]

Hi all, I purchased a used 2018 MacBook Pro that has a very slight battery well (price was too good). The battery health is normal and the cycle count is 82. Apple can replace the battery for only $720 haha. I can replace it myself if needed.

I used a pin to release the pressure and everything is fine now. My questions are:

1) Is the battery defective to swell for only a 82 count?
2) Is there any way that the previous owner lowered that count (doesn't look like it from what I read)
3) Would you just replace the battery now?

Thanks...

 

[chrfr]

Hi all, I purchased a used 2018 MacBook Pro that has a very slight battery well (price was too good). The battery health is normal and the cycle count is 82. Apple can replace the battery for only $720 haha. I can replace it myself if needed.

I used a pin to release the pressure and everything is fine now. My questions are:

1) Is the battery defective to swell for only a 82 count?
2) Is there any way that the previous owner lowered that count (doesn't look like it from what I read)
3) Would you just replace the battery now?

Thanks...

Puncturing a swollen battery is a seriously dangerous thing to do! You need to get this replaced immediately.
Apple will replace the battery in the US for $199: https://support.apple.com/mac/repair
It's not unusual for a battery of this age to swell in Macs- they get hot and such a low cycle count would indicate that the battery spent a lot of time on charge.

 

[Fishrrman]

"I used a pin to release the pressure and everything is fine now"

EGADS!
You are very VERY lucky that it did not catch fire or explode.
Look at some YouTube videos to see what punturing a battery can do.

Take it to a brick n mortar Apple Store and ask for the $199 battery replacement.
Since it's only 4 years old, they might replace it for free.

I have to ask the next question:
Are you one of those "I leave the charger plugged in all the time" guys...?

 

[Earsly]

Puncturing a swollen battery is a seriously dangerous thing to do! You need to get this replaced immediately.
Apple will replace the battery in the US for $199: https://support.apple.com/mac/repair
It's not unusual for a battery of this age to swell in Macs- they get hot and such a low cycle count would indicate that the battery spent a lot of time on charge.

Thanks. I actually contacted online support and they quoted me $720 to fix it. I took it to the apple store the next day and the genius said they can replace the battery for $200. Thanks for the rec!

 

[Earsly]

"I used a pin to release the pressure and everything is fine now"

EGADS!
You are very VERY lucky that it did not catch fire or explode.
Look at some YouTube videos to see what punturing a battery can do.

Take it to a brick n mortar Apple Store and ask for the $199 battery replacement.
Since it's only 4 years old, they might replace it for free.

I have to ask the next question:
Are you one of those "I leave the charger plugged in all the time" guys...?

Yeah i watched various videos to make sure I puncture it correctly. I only did it since apple online chat wanted $720 to fix it but apple store only quotes $200. Nope, i do not leave it charged all the time. The previous owner did.

 

[Christopher Kim]

For future reference (and any others who see this thread later), the key difference is they need to know that the battery is swelling physically. If so (and/or if your battery health shows <80% / >1000 cycles), Apple will offer the battery replacement at the very reasonable $199 battery replacement cost.

If your only "battery replacement rationale" is that the laptop doesn't last as long on battery any longer (but battery health shows >80%), they won't let you just pay the $199 battery replacement cost because they in actuality replace the entire topcase, new keyboard, speakers, etc. So in order to not have ppl abuse the system and get all that replaced for $199 by claiming battery life issues, they have a pretty strict rule that batteries (and topcases) can only be replaced if swelling, <80% based on their diagnostics, or if your Mac is notifying you that Battery Service Recommended.

 

[JPack]

1) Is the battery defective to swell for only a 82 count?
2) Is there any way that the previous owner lowered that count (doesn't look like it from what I read)

Cycle count doesn't tell you battery health. You can have a 10 year old computer with a dead battery showing 20 cycles. Some people use their MacBook plugged in 99% of the time.

Swelling means defective, whether it's 10 cycles or 1,000.

 

[erikkfi]

Yeah i watched various videos to make sure I puncture it correctly.

If you are pushing a sharp object into a lithium-polymer battery, you are by definition not being careful.

 

[wilberforce]

Yeah i watched various videos to make sure I puncture it correctly. I only did it since apple online chat wanted $720 to fix it but apple store only quotes $200. Nope, i do not leave it charged all the time. The previous owner did.

Yeah, puncturing alone is not huge big deal (despite the screaming from forum members), the gases are mainly CO2 and CO (not flammable), although there can be some H2 (flammable) and other potentially toxic gases. The biggest risk with puncturing it with a sharp metallic object is accidentally shorting between the cathode and anode, which can cause a runaway fire. It is pretty easy to avoid this if the bladder is swollen much larger than the battery inside.
Once it is punctured, however, you no longer have the protection the bladder is intended to provide (i.e., to keep the gases and any corrosive electrolytes from you or your computer, and to keep air from damaging the battery)

 

[Fishrrman]

So... OP... did you take up the $199 battery replacement from Apple...?