Dodgy Charger or Another Reason to Replace Battery?

[Theydonboi]

Hi all,

I've got a 2012 Retina MacBook Pro bought new, 4-ish years ago. For about six months, it's been giving me a "Service Battery" message, but since I rely on it heavily and I very rarely unplug it, I've yet to do anything about it.

About 3 months ago, the cable on my charger started to shred away and became potentially dangerous.
I bought a replacement. It was advertised as a Genuine Apple product, but it wasn't from the Apple Store and was slightly cheaper than their prices. It came in plain cardboard packaging. It worked OK for a couple of months, then the charging light went...and then it started making crackly electrical noises around the MagSafe connection...just like the original (but considerably shorter into its lifespan).

I've contacted the seller who I got the charger from and they have agreed to a return and a replacement (sadly, not a refund) but there is another issue, and I'm not sure if it's the battery or charger at fault:

For the past week, the battery is no longer being charged. It's stuck on 90% and, while it's not consuming any further battery while it's plugged in, it's not reclaiming that other 10%. I've only been able to test this with my current faulty charger as I don't have another Mac charger available to me.

Is the battery charging issue symptomatic of the dodgy charger...or the battery needing servicing?

Obviously I need to sort out both, but it determines how I proceed from here.

Anyone else seen this behaviour...was it the charger or the battery at fault?

 

[keysofanxiety]

It's the battery that's causing it not to charge beyond 90%, not the charger.

 

[Theydonboi]

Thanks - in that case, I think I'll use the fact I'll be without a charger for a few days to take it into the Apple Store and get the battery replaced.

 

[997440]

Take a peek --

..... The battery status menu

.....To see the health of your battery, hold the Option key and click the battery icon:

You'll see one of the following status indicators:

• Normal: The battery is functioning normally.
• Replace Soon: The battery is functioning normally but holds less charge than it did when it was new. You should monitor the health of the battery by checking the battery status menu periodically.
• Replace Now: The battery is functioning normally but holds significantly less charge than it did when it was new. You can safely continue using your computer, but if its lowered charging capacity is affecting your experience, you should take it to an Apple Store or Apple-authorized service provider.

Service Battery: The battery isn’t functioning normally. You can safely use your Mac when it's connected to an appropriate power adapter, but you should take it to an Apple Store or Apple-authorized service provider as soon as possible.
.....

https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT204054

 

[Fishrrman]

Try downloading the free "Coconut Battery" utility app.

Run it.
Take a screenshot and post it here.

Coconut Battery reveals lots of useful info about your battery...

 

[Theydonboi]

Try downloading the free "Coconut Battery" utility app.

Run it.
Take a screenshot and post it here.

Coconut Battery reveals lots of useful info about your battery...

Thanks - will give that shot later.

 

[Theydonboi]

Update to this.

I tried the Coconut Battery app and it reproduced what I was seeing. "Service battery"

I sent off the faulty charger and prepared for a trip to the Genius bar to replace the battery. For the first time in ages, I actually used the MacBook without it plugged in and noticed that the "Service Battery" was gone. I cancelled the Genius bar and put the MacBook to the side for a few days (I couldn't recharge it, so I daren't use it). Thinking hard, I was unable to work out whether the "Service Battery" message did really pre-date the charger.

The replacement charger has just arrived, and I've plugged it in. It's charging, so the charger is fine. But the "Service Battery" message is also gone. My battery, therefore, seems fine.

So...it looks like the battery is unable to differentiate between a problem with the charger and a problem with the battery. In my case, it was just the former. The apps unfortunately simply reproduced the message as I ran them when I was plugged in.

Worth bearing in mind, folks! If you see "Service Battery", don't discount the charger being the issue.