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Apple Care and Batteries

S

seanconn

macrumors member
Original poster
Jan 15, 2010
42
0
I ordered a 15" MBP previous gen from the apple refurb store. the one with the removeable battery.

I haven't heard much good about the battery compared to the 7 hour non replaceable ones. But considering it is a refurb, and they might not have replaced the battery yet... as long as I use the **** out of the battery and get it to 40% of the battery life apple advertises, they will have to replaced it under applecare, right?

I'm planning on buying the 3 year applecare, but if I could end up getting the battery replaced before then, even better.

gotta milk Applecare a bit right, because really how many ppl actually end up using it... macs are built to last :D :cool:
 
dukebound85 said:
a new batt is like 60 bucks from 3rd party vendors

just sayin'
Click to expand...

thanks for your input.. but I already know that. 60 dollars is 60 dollars... and 115 for an official battery is also 115 :p I'm not exactly a rich college student here man! Why spend money, when I can get something replaced under apple care at no cost?


so does Applecare cover warranty or what? I would be shocked if it didn't, as how many places have tried to push the warranty on you with the "well, your bound to have to replace the battery at somepoint, so the warranty almost pays for itself"... type of dealio.. haha;)
 
If you use the battery for over 300 cycles they do not have to replace it. If you use it for more than a year, they also not have to replace it. AppleCare covers non-consumables, and the battery is a consumable. Unofficially, Apple will replace it within your AppleCare period if it's less than 300 cycles and lower than 80% of the battery health.

I wouldn't abuse the AppleCare unless you want Mac parts to get even more expensive than they already are.
 
alphaod said:
If you use the battery for over 300 cycles they do not have to replace it. If you use it for more than a year, they also not have to replace it. AppleCare covers non-consumables, and the battery is a consumable. Unofficially, Apple will replace it within your AppleCare period if it's less than 300 cycles and lower than 80% of the battery health.

I wouldn't abuse the AppleCare unless you want Mac parts to get even more expensive than they already are.
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thanks, very informative. That's pretty ****** though. Bestbuy, Futureshop, and all the big chain stores all cover battery replacement under their plans.

Considering most people who buy macs+ applecare never have to use it, not replacing the battery because you've just used it too much is pretty bogus, when all other companies will replace them under warranty. Yet, I have a feeling I won't get too much stink when i go to replace it.

Hypothetical: Let's say I get my refurb tomorrow and i find out it has already gone through about 150 cycles or so? Why should I have to pay out of pocket for the replacement when refurbs are supposed to be up the the same standards as new ones.

(my last mbp, definitely came with a used battery, so I expect this one might not have a brand new one as well)

I wouldn't exactly call this abuse of applecare either, nor do I see the correlation between batteries and mac parts. people replacing batteries under apple care only increases their cost of maintaining batteries in stock.. not the actual parts of the computer...
 
Refurbished machines purchased from Apple.com for all intent and purposes are new. That means they do not come with used batteries and if they do, you should seek a replacement computer or battery immediately.

As with purchasing AppleCare, well that's why it's extended warranty; the subject is quite subjective: some people they would call it good luck to have a computer that has never broken.
 
I don't understand. A battery is $115, Applecare is what, $345?
As posters on here have said, Applecare is unlikely to cover the battery beyond say, year 1.

"gotta milk Applecare a bit right, because really how many ppl actually end up using it... macs are built to last"

Why bother with Applecare?
 
Simply put, if you're a user who is knowledgeable about computers, I would assume that most would only purchase AppleCare just to cover the logic board if anything were to go wrong. Hardware such as hard drives and RAM is pretty cheap and isn't purchasing AppleCare for.

Batteries are a grey area when it comes to AppleCare. Only under very specific situations will AppleCare cover batteries but other than that, don't look for AppleCare to cover and replace it.
 
Pax said:
I don't understand. A battery is $115, Applecare is what, $345?
As posters on here have said, Applecare is unlikely to cover the battery beyond say, year 1.

"gotta milk Applecare a bit right, because really how many ppl actually end up using it... macs are built to last"

Why bother with Applecare?
Click to expand...
I had AppleCare coverage for my Powerbook G4, which I bought 7 years ago. I then bought it again for my Macbook Pro, 2 years ago. In addition to recently covering the cost of replacement of an $800 logic board, I have found AppleCare telephone support to be very useful. By the way, AppleCare coverage for both the Macbook Pro and Macbook Air is available for less than $250. That said, whether to buy AppleCare is a personal decision, which turns upon how much risk the buyer of a new Mac is willing to assume. Personally, I like both the piece of mind and the access to quick answers to technical questions AppleCare affords.
 
I have gotten 2 batteries replaced under AppleCare, and my computer is almost 3 years old. They had less than 300 cycles, and they replaced it no questions asked. Buy AppleCare, because I have had 1 logic board replacement and 2 batteries. Do the math, the batteries are $130 each and the LB has to be over $400. I got my AppleCare for less than $250. Do the math, just buy it.
 
noodle654 said:
I have gotten 2 batteries replaced under AppleCare, and my computer is almost 3 years old. They had less than 300 cycles, and they replaced it no questions asked. Buy AppleCare, because I have had 1 logic board replacement and 2 batteries. Do the math, the batteries are $130 each and the LB has to be over $400. I got my AppleCare for less than $250. Do the math, just buy it.
Click to expand...

Well to Apple the batteries are probably less than $20 if I stretch it, and the motherboard maybe $50? All OEMs rip off people on post-warranty parts.
 
noodle654 said:
I have gotten 2 batteries replaced under AppleCare, and my computer is almost 3 years old. They had less than 300 cycles, and they replaced it no questions asked. Buy AppleCare, because I have had 1 logic board replacement and 2 batteries. Do the math, the batteries are $130 each and the LB has to be over $400. I got my AppleCare for less than $250. Do the math, just buy it.
Click to expand...

what!! you have to replace the batteries and three time? whoaaaaa!!! I'm sorry i'm new to mac :(
I never heard anything like that for PC! I am really confused...

Can somebody help me :( :(
 
noodle654 said:
I have gotten 2 batteries replaced under AppleCare, and my computer is almost 3 years old. They had less than 300 cycles, and they replaced it no questions asked. Buy AppleCare, because I have had 1 logic board replacement and 2 batteries. Do the math, the batteries are $130 each and the LB has to be over $400. I got my AppleCare for less than $250. Do the math, just buy it.
Click to expand...

Yeah, but for every you there are 8 Mac users who bought Applecare but never used it. Also, did any of these things go wrong in the first year when you'd have been covered anyway?

So I bought a Macbook in 2006. I bought Applecare too. In the first year I got a new logic board, battery, top & bottom case. I'd have got them anyway without Applecare. Then after the 1st year, nothing else goes wrong. I wasted the $250 or whatever on Applecare. My story is probably quite common.
 
I noticed my battery doesn't last as long as it used to. Coconutbattery reports I'm at 81% original battery capacity after 152 loadcycles (8 months) on a newer 15" MBP (with the built-in battery). I calibrate once a month.

Should I look into getting it replaced?
 
jon31rm said:
I noticed my battery doesn't last as long as it used to. Coconutbattery reports I'm at 81% original battery capacity after 152 loadcycles (8 months) on a newer 15" MBP (with the built-in battery). I calibrate once a month.

Should I look into getting it replaced?
Click to expand...

Yes. There's something on the Apple site re this, I think the magic numbers are less than 80%, less than 300 cycles (or 1000?). You are 1% over!!

http://www.apple.com/batteries/notebooks.html

Bottom right corner
 
noodle654 said:
I have gotten 2 batteries replaced under AppleCare, and my computer is almost 3 years old. They had less than 300 cycles, and they replaced it no questions asked. Buy AppleCare, because I have had 1 logic board replacement and 2 batteries. Do the math, the batteries are $130 each and the LB has to be over $400. I got my AppleCare for less than $250. Do the math, just buy it.
Click to expand...

Similar situation here. The battery on my, at the time, 12+ months old 15" MBP went bad with only around 50 cycles. I did have AppleCare and took the laptop to my local AppleStore. They ran a couple of very quick tests on it and gave me a new battery. No questions asked.
 
Pax said:
Yeah, but for every you there are 8 Mac users who bought Applecare but never used it. Also, did any of these things go wrong in the first year when you'd have been covered anyway?

So I bought a Macbook in 2006. I bought Applecare too. In the first year I got a new logic board, battery, top & bottom case. I'd have got them anyway without Applecare. Then after the 1st year, nothing else goes wrong. I wasted the $250 or whatever on Applecare. My story is probably quite common.
Click to expand...

Nope, all of this happened after the first year. I have owned many Macs and just about all of them have had some sort of service after 1 year. I have no problem shelling out extra cash for peace of mind. My iBook had numerous repairs before Apple replaced it. My Mac Mini (in sig) has AppleCare until December 2010, and so far it has had no issues. I payed about $130 for AppleCare on eBay, and really, I have no problem with that. Better be safe than sorry.
 
alphaod said:
I wouldn't abuse the AppleCare unless you want Mac parts to get even more expensive than they already are.
Click to expand...
:D That's funny.

Why would someone buy AppleCare and take that advice? Apple makes money on their AppleCare program. Otherwise they wouldn't offer it. As a buyer of AppleCare I will utilize it as much as possible and as long as Apple will honor any claim I make. I'm betting Apple that I will get more than my money's worth for AC, and Apple is betting I won't. I don't want to lose that bet if I don't have to.

As for the OP's question, I've had numerous batteries replaced under AC. I just noticed tonight my wife's MBP complaining the battery is in a Service condition: 115 load cycles and 60% capacity. I'll take it to the Genius Bar Friday for replacement.
 
The battery replacement policy isn't really unofficial. The params are defined under on thebattery care info site

For Apple notebooks with removable batteries — such as previous generation MacBook and MacBook Pro computers — a properly maintained battery is designed to retain up to 80% of its original capacity at 300 full charge and discharge cycles. You may choose to replace your battery when it no longer holds sufficient charge to meet your needs.

The built-in battery of the MacBook Air is designed to retain up to 80% of its original capacity at up to 750 full charge and discharge cycles.

The built-in battery in the new 13-, 15-, and 17-inch MacBook Pro is to retain up to 80% of its original capacity at up to 1000 full charge and discharge cycles.
Click to expand...

If it doesn't meet spect, it's defective and needs to be replaced. I've had two batteries whittle themselves down to a hair under 79% capacity (by checking coconut battery) and usually under 50-100 cycles, and as soon as it happens I tell the guys @ the Apple store to test and give me a new one .

And yes I will 'abuse' Applecare till the day it runs out. I've had many things replaced on my machine, to the point where the guys at the Apple store literally ask me "what's wrong with it this time". I'm 100% legit, always give them any error codes and the extensive list of troubleshooting i've done and (surprise) we always come to the same conclusion as to what needs to be replaced (helps that I have the service manual for my model) . On my next repair i'm asking for a replaceent.
 
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