AppleCare and Batteries

[yg17]

My PowerBook's battery is lasting 90 minutes on a full charge if I'm lucky. I used to be able to get 3 or 4 hours out of it. I'm still under AppleCare until September, does anyone know if they'll replace my battery or do I need to buy a new one? Thanks

 

[merl1n]

My PowerBook's battery is lasting 90 minutes on a full charge if I'm lucky. I used to be able to get 3 or 4 hours out of it. I'm still under AppleCare until September, does anyone know if they'll replace my battery or do I need to buy a new one? Thanks

Have you tried re-calibrating it? I would try that first.

Applecare doesn't cover batteries thru normal wear-and-tear. They will only replace them if they are defective. Over their lifespan, batteries will lose their capacity to hold a charge. Re-calibrating wipes their memory and may give you greater capacity for a charge.

Otherwise you will need to buy a new one. Go to OWC (eshop.macsales.com) as they carry them.

 

[calvy]

No, applecare does not cover consumables like batteries. Having said that, I've had mine replaced under AppleCare warranty before, but only because I claimed a faulty motherboard was ruining my battery. The guy agreed and sent me a new one.

 

[alphaod]

My PowerBook's battery is lasting 90 minutes on a full charge if I'm lucky. I used to be able to get 3 or 4 hours out of it. I'm still under AppleCare until September, does anyone know if they'll replace my battery or do I need to buy a new one? Thanks

If you have less than 300 cycles then yes you can try and get a new battery from Apple, but anything close or over, your chances are slim considering the age of the machine and battery.

 

[aquajet]

Re-calibrating wipes their memory and may give you greater capacity for a charge.

Calibration will not give you greater capacity for charge. Calibration ensures that your charge remaining estimate is accurate and nothing more.

If your battery only lasts 90 minutes, it is because it is worn out. If it has less than 300 cycles, you might be able to get an in-warranty replacement. Never hurts to ask.

 

[viggen61]

If you have less than 300 cycles then yes you can try and get a new battery from Apple, but anything close or over, your chances are slim considering the age of the machine and battery.

I'm in a similar situation. 15 month old refurb MBP, battery life is significantly shorter than it was originally, between 90 min & 2 hours. Apple care is good to Feb 2010.

Where can I locate the number of battery cycles? Is this available from "More Info" (sorry, I can't recall the app name at the moment) in "About this Mac"?, or do I need a 3rd-party battery tool or widget?

I used Coconut-something (I think... I hate not having my MBP at work...) to look at the battery before. I'll dig that up tonight.

I presume the battery calibration is also available via a third party app, or is it directly avaialble in Leopard?

I should be well less than 300 cycles on the battery. It hardly ever leaves the house, and is always plugged in. Unless every time I accidentially yank the MagSafe connector out it counts as a "cycle"

Thanks for the help!

 

[alphaod]

No utilities needed; just go here:
-->About This Mac-->More Info-->Power-->Battery Information-->Health Information-->Cycle count

 

[viggen61]

No utilities needed; just go here:
-->About This Mac-->More Info-->Power-->Battery Information-->Health Information-->Cycle count

Thanks. I also found the calibration info in this thread:

How to take care of my battery