Macbook battery: odd behaviour

[th0masp]

This is a white plastic 2008 Macbook with an aftermarket battery replacement.

Battery is three months old and a replacement for the original part and has been described to me as working just fine in that period of time. However, recently it has started to charge up to only 67% (battery test shows it as full, magsafe connector shows the green light. The battery status indicator lists it as needing urgent replacement.

I've also noticed when testing it that at around 20% of charge from one minute to the next it suddenly dropped down to just 4%, then continued all the way down from there till it shut down.

I've ran the battery calibration twice like this: https://www.wikihow.com/Calibrate-a-Laptop-Battery-on-a-Macbook

Made no difference. Anything else that can be done or does it sound like the battery is damaged goods?

 

[EugW]

Unfortunately, many aftermarket batteries are terrible quality, and from my experience, this is common behaviour after a few months, especially if it has been used daily after installation.

I did replace my 2008 white MacBook4,1's battery recently, and the first one I got was slightly bulging right out of the box. The second one has been working OK for a few months, but I don't use that laptop much and only in Chrome OS, which seems to drain battery quickly when used, so it's hard to be sure how well the battery is holding up.

That's why I have been reluctant to replace my 2009 MacBookPro5,5's battery. It says it needs a replacement, but it works consistently at about 60% capacity without major issue and I don't use that machine that much either, so I'd rather just continue to use it at 60% capacity for at least the next year or so, than buy a crappy battery that runs into big problems like yours did after a few months.

 

[th0masp]

Thanks for your input, I figured it must be a faulty part.

I have to say I have an MBP here that had its battery replaced with a thirdparty model - no complaints here, has been working flawlessy for a year now. Sadly the company behind that does not offer a battery for this white plastic Macbook so I had to go with something else.

I'll have the battery exchanged - and hope for the best.