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Unibody MBP: swollen battery / broken trackpad / broken MDP-out .. what to do?

mgpg89

mgpg89

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Aug 31, 2008
970
16
Belgium
I own a late 2008 Unibody MBP 15" / 2.8 GHZ / 4GB RAM. I had this one for about 14 months now and I have always treated it with the utmost respect, never damaged it ... it doesn't even have so much as a scratch.

But now, after my 1-year warranty has expired, I'm experiencing these issues:

  • My battery is 'swollen' ... the bulb on the back of the battery has become so large, the battery/HD chamber door doesn't even close anymore.
  • The trackpad doesn't work anymore. It doesn't register anything I do and I can't even press it down properly anymore (can't hear the physical click anymore). Maybe this has something to do with the oversized battery pushing up against it?
  • My MiniDisplayPort-OUT port shows weird discolorations & interference when I connect my MBP to my Cinema Display or to my HDTV (with a Kanex MDP>HDMI cable)

These problems starting out of the blue and definitely not because of something I did.

I called AppleCare here in Belgium (don't have an AC Protection Plan, mind you) and they referred me to an Apple-authorized Service Provider (because we don't have any 'official' Apple stores here in Belgium, only Premium Resellers).

The resellers are quite known for NOT applying Apple's policies in customer care, so you have about a 75% chance of them ripping you off when you walk in the store for a technical issue.

Now I heard the AppleCare representative say something about 'starting an end-of-life procedure'? What does this mean?

I'd like to know what I'm entitled to and what I can demand when I go to the service provider in a few days, hoping I can get my machine repaired for a low cost...


Thanks in advance !
 
Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but if you're not under applecare, I don't think they are obliged to give you anything.
 
Remove the battery, and use the system without it. If everything is back to normal, then you know what to replace.

It is also possible that some parts inside the laptop are touching other things that they shouldn't touch. You might as well open it up and see if there are obvious shorts or deformed parts.

Good luck!
 
I know this sounds crazy, but email steve jobs. Other people have done that, explained their situation, and he helped them. What have you got to lose?
 
So I should just accept that the life of my €2500 machine is 14 months?
Click to expand...

Which is, of course, total rubbish and perpetuates Apple's AC scam. I think it's a disgrace how these blatant quality issues are handled by them. First they rip you off by selling an overpriced computer (sorry but that's the way it is if you look at the hardware specs). On top of that they propose ludicrously expensive applecare contracts to cover their own shabby fabrication (so the battery mushrooms after 12 months...awww, shucks...tough luck).

And -at least in Belgium, I agree with the poster here- the authorized resellers either try to kick you out as soon as possible and refuse to honour the contract OR they sell their own plan on top of the AC contract, forcing you to pay through the nose twice if you want to be fairly certain of getting the kind of service you were entitled to from square 1.

Don't get me wrong, I love my mac. But just thinking about these shenanigans makes me fume. Good luck man, you'll need it.
 
Call Apple's support line. People usually have better luck going to an Apple Store in person, but it sounds like that's not an option, and it's better than going to one of the shady third-party companies you describe. Battery defects are sometimes replaced out if warranty, so I wouldn't abandon all hope just yet. Just call Apple and see what they say.

Sorry, I missed that you had already called. Well, it can't hurt to call again. But yes, your trackpad issues are almost certainly a result of the battery problems and will likely go away once you've got a proper battery installed.
 
Thanks everyone!

I just removed my battery and my trackpad works fine again.
So now, I basically just need a new battery ... Can I ask for a free one, or should I just order one from the Apple website?
 
Xenophon said:
Which is, of course, total rubbish and perpetuates Apple's AC scam. I think it's a disgrace how these blatant quality issues are handled by them. First they rip you off by selling an overpriced computer (sorry but that's the way it is if you look at the hardware specs). On top of that they propose ludicrously expensive applecare contracts to cover their own shabby fabrication (so the battery mushrooms after 12 months...awww, shucks...tough luck).
.
Click to expand...


Wow sorry but posts like this are written by people who know NOTHING about the computer industry.

First off: Every manufacturer offers a warranty of one year parts, usually 1 year labor, some are only 3 and 6 months labor. Apple is not the only one to offer a 1 year warranty.

Second: Computers break all the time. If they didn't I wouldn't have a job. EVERY manufacturer is prone to the same types of problems, its the nature of electronics.

Third: Companies sell you warranties so in the rare case that something does happen, you aren't out all of that money. That money for the repair doesn't come out of thin air, it comes out of people who bought the warranty and never needed it. Its the way insurance works. Its not a scam, a scam would be engineering a machine to break right after warranty.

I always buy the warranty on expensive items because I see what happens, I'm on the repair end of it. Yes its a shame that this happened so soon after warranty but if companies bent on every single person who calls in with a repair after the warranty expired no one would by extended warranties so the company would have to dip into their profits to pay for the repairs, driving prices up.
 
chrono1081 said:
Wow sorry but posts like this are written by people who know NOTHING about the computer industry.

First off: Every manufacturer offers a warranty of one year parts, usually 1 year labor, some are only 3 and 6 months labor. Apple is not the only one to offer a 1 year warranty.

Second: Computers break all the time. If they didn't I wouldn't have a job. EVERY manufacturer is prone to the same types of problems, its the nature of electronics.

Third: Companies sell you warranties so in the rare case that something does happen, you aren't out all of that money. That money for the repair doesn't come out of thin air, it comes out of people who bought the warranty and never needed it. Its the way insurance works. Its not a scam, a scam would be engineering a machine to break right after warranty.

I always buy the warranty on expensive items because I see what happens, I'm on the repair end of it. Yes its a shame that this happened so soon after warranty but if companies bent on every single person who calls in with a repair after the warranty expired no one would by extended warranties so the company would have to dip into their profits to pay for the repairs, driving prices up.
Click to expand...

so you say: order a new battery and stop bitchin? :p
 
Third: Companies sell you warranties so in the rare case that something does happen, you aren't out all of that money. That money for the repair doesn't come out of thin air, it comes out of people who bought the warranty and never needed it. Its the way insurance works. Its not a scam, a scam would be engineering a machine to break right after warranty.
Click to expand...

No, they don't engineer it to fail after warranty (referring to the original, one year period), they engineer it to (statistically) NOT fail DURING warranty cover. The one thing that's specifically not aimed at is durability beyond that period.

Taking into account the pricing on macs one could expect something more imho. BTW, does apple ever show profit/loss figures on their AC? The aim of an insurance company is making money, not helping you out.
 
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