Battery replacement?

[Speechless]

Turns out my early 2013 rMBP needs a battery replacement, and my AppleCare *just* expired. Called them up and my cycle is at 982. Has anybody replaced their battery with Apple before? what is the experience? I was told it will cost around $200. Also, how long does it take for them to replace the battery?

Thanks.

 

[snaky69]

Turns out my early 2013 rMBP needs a battery replacement, and my AppleCare *just* expired. Called them up and my cycle is at 982. 1. Has anybody replaced their battery with Apple before? 2. what is the experience? I was told it will cost around $200. Also, 3. how long does it take for them to replace the battery?

Thanks.

1. Probably thousands of people, Apple offers and advertises the service, after all.

2. You don't see many people moaning about it on here. Nobody on the internet hands out pats on the back so it's probably quite a nice experience. Why does it matter? It'll have a new battery and that's that.

3. You could've/should've asked that while you had them on the phone, don't you think?

 

[squarebreathing]

Does the battery specifically say SERVICE battery? Can you post a picture of the battery capture with something like the coconut battery program? The reason I ask is that I'd like to see the condition of the battery.

Don't feel bad about the applecare running out. Once it reaches around 900 cycles, it is really hit or miss if apple will replace it. Those who have had their battery replaced by apple tend to have good experiences but you want to BACK UP EVERYTHING before you send it away.

One other consideration - the computer is now over 3 years old and if you reached that many cycles then it has probably had a TON of use. Consumer Reports and other publications recommend that after 3 years of use, it is more cost-efficient to replace a laptop instead of repairing it. While the battery can be fixed, more issues may arise and many issues cost a great deal to repair.

My advice as an Apple Cert tech (2011 10.6 certification, old but relevant ) would be to look into replacing the macbook. You could sell it for probably $400-$500 even with the battery issue.

 

[robvas]

I'd keep it if everything else works - 2013 is still pretty new! People out there still have their 2008/2009 Unibody Macs going strong, a new battery should give it another 3 years of life.

 

[[AUT] Thomas]

If the reamining capacity of the battery is <75% I'd have the battery replaced. Also replace if the % suddenly goes down from e.g. 50 to 20% extremely quickly (at same load). Otherwise there's no good reason for replacement unless you need a really long battery life.

And if you need/want replacement the 200 bucks are a good deal. The cost for the battery alone is around 100$. The other 100$ is for the replacement which is far from easy. Keep in mind that Apple used to replace the entire top case assembly. Although, I'm not sure if this is still true for the 2013 model.

 

[Gjwilly]

I just had the battery replaced in my Air.
I made an appointment and they had a battery in stock so it only took about 30-mins.
My only complaint is that the tech did not reset my date and time afterwards which caused me a little headache the next day.
I'd expect that to be part of the process.

 

[Speechless]

Does the battery specifically say SERVICE battery? Can you post a picture of the battery capture with something like the coconut battery program? The reason I ask is that I'd like to see the condition of the battery.

Don't feel bad about the applecare running out. Once it reaches around 900 cycles, it is really hit or miss if apple will replace it. Those who have had their battery replaced by apple tend to have good experiences but you want to BACK UP EVERYTHING before you send it away.

One other consideration - the computer is now over 3 years old and if you reached that many cycles then it has probably had a TON of use. Consumer Reports and other publications recommend that after 3 years of use, it is more cost-efficient to replace a laptop instead of repairing it. While the battery can be fixed, more issues may arise and many issues cost a great deal to repair.

My advice as an Apple Cert tech (2011 10.6 certification, old but relevant ) would be to look into replacing the macbook. You could sell it for probably $400-$500 even with the battery issue.

Appreciate the help you all!!

and Thanks man, yeah it says "Service Battery" on the menu bar when I click Battery.

 

[illegaloperation]

Just buy the battery from eBay and replace it yourself.

Use a little plastic tab to wedge between the battery and the top case. Work your way through until the battery is separated from the top case.

Don't use metal tool remove the battery because it might puncture the battery.

 

[Gav2k]

Just buy the battery from eBay and replace it yourself.

Use a little plastic tab to wedge between the battery and the top case. Work your way through until the battery is separated from the top case.

Don't use metal tool remove the battery because it might puncture the battery.

Bad bad bad advice. I would only ever buy from apple or at a push ifixit. You've no comeback with a fake from eBay.

 

[tubeexperience]

Bad bad bad advice. I would only ever buy from apple or at a push ifixit. You've no comeback with a fake from eBay.

Nah. I just open a dispute and get my money back if that is the case.

 

[Gav2k]

Nah. I just open a dispute and get my money back if that is the case.

And if it swells damaging your Macbook in the process?

 

[tubeexperience]

And if it swells damaging your Macbook in the process?

That's not something unique to non-Apple-installed battery: Apple installed battery can and do swell.

I can't remember how many times people complained that they can't click on their touchpad and it is because Apple's installed battery swell and pushed up against the touchpad.

 

[Gav2k]

That's not something unique to non-Apple-installed battery: Apple installed battery can and do swell.

I can't remember how many times people complained that they can't click on their touchpad and it is because Apple's installed battery swell and pushed up against the touchpad.

Yes but if it's the apple battery your covered to a degree with apple.

 

[squarebreathing]

Don't replace the battery yourself. Too much risk. The battery doesn't look that bad actually for almost 1000 cycles. Like I said earlier, I would invest the money into another macbook pro. Some people have a great time with macbooks lasting 5-7 years or more, but at the 3 year point and with that much usage, something else could easily wear out/break on your current system.

 

[steve62388]

Don't replace the battery yourself. Too much risk. The battery doesn't look that bad actually for almost 1000 cycles. Like I said earlier, I would invest the money into another macbook pro. Some people have a great time with macbooks lasting 5-7 years or more, but at the 3 year point and with that much usage, something else could easily wear out/break on your current system.

Unless you have a money tree in your backyard this is crappy advice.

Your earlier post says Consumer Reports recommends this action. It might be valid for a laptop that you paid £300 for, but not a rMBP that cost over £1000.

If Apple made laptops that regularly only lasted three years before wearing out or breaking we would have a rather large problem on our hands, wouldn't we? I think you might have heard of it before now.

 

[squarebreathing]

Unless you have a money tree in your backyard this is crappy advice.

Your earlier post says Consumer Reports recommends this action. It might be valid for a laptop that you paid £300 for, but not a rMBP that cost over £1000.

If Apple made laptops that regularly only lasted three years before wearing out or breaking we would have a rather large problem on our hands, wouldn't we? I think you might have heard of it before now.

If the battery were easier to replace like to older macbooks (the ones that screwed in) and if it was cheaper, I wouldn't see a problem with replacing a battery. Those models were easy to replace and cost less than $75 for the battery.

The issue is that Apple and many other computer manufacturers have made it harder to repair their computers over the past few years. None of the current Apple laptops are really meant to be opened or repaired (besides the archaic 2013 macbook pro with the disc drive that is still offered).

The Consumer Reports article ranked every laptop and the Macbook Pro came out on top easily. However, even with top tier laptops they recommend (and I agree with) that after 2-3 years of heavy use it is not recommended to repair issues due to the diminishing returns.

 

[steve62388]

If the battery were easier to replace like to older macbooks (the ones that screwed in) and if it was cheaper, I wouldn't see a problem with replacing a battery. Those models were easy to replace and cost less than $75 for the battery.

The issue is that Apple and many other computer manufacturers have made it harder to repair their computers over the past few years. None of the current Apple laptops are really meant to be opened or repaired (besides the archaic 2013 macbook pro with the disc drive that is still offered).

The Consumer Reports article ranked every laptop and the Macbook Pro came out on top easily. However, even with top tier laptops they recommend (and I agree with) that after 2-3 years of heavy use it is not recommended to repair issues due to the diminishing returns.

We have a consumer group in the UK called 'Which'. I get the impression CR is similar to Which, let me tell you about Which.

Which give the impression they know what they're taking about, that is until they cover a topic you know something about and then you realise they have no expertise in the subject. Articles are written by generic journalists, catering to the lowest common denominator of reader who is coming to the party with no prior knowledge. I don't put much credence in what Which have to say without doing my own research to reach my own conclusions.

I'm not even sure CR has reported what you claim, they are behind a paywall so it's impossible for me to verify. What I can find is third party news sites reporting on a CR article dating from 2014, which recommends to give up on repairs when they approach 50% of the item's value. We are not at that stage with a replacement battery on a 2013 rMBP.

And finally, a replacement battery is not really a repair in the traditional sense. It's a known quantity replacement of a consumable. So the fear the repair cost might get out of hand is not present, nor is it an indication of the imminent failure of other components.

If you're rich and can afford to ditch a three year old rMBP then more power to you. Most people would take a more pragmatic approach.

 

[davidg4781]

If there's an Apple Store near you take it by and see what they say. I forgot how many cycles mine had but it was out of AppleCare and they took care of it without hesitation.

Just curious, how do they replace the batteries on these? Do they pry them apart from where they are glued or do they have another way?