Macbook Pro Early 2011 Battery Life

[wmalik81]

Hello everyone,

Purchased a Macbook Pro 2011 from a reputable computer store in my area, came with a decent warranty (3 mths) w/ the option to extend for another 2 years for 130$.

The issue that has arised is that the battery life is really not what I have been told is expected from these notebooks. I usually get a maximum of 4 hours maybe 4.5 through light usage (Pages + iTunes at half screen brightness). I went back a few times to complain and each time they replaced the battery life with what they claimed to be a "new" one. The battery life remains the same approximately each time and the service battery indicator always comes on after a few weeks. I decided to download coconut battery and it told me that the "new" battery that was straight from Apple holds 75% of it's original capacity. The store declined to comment on this statistic when I told them about it but told me that I would have to leave my laptop there for a day or two so that they could run there own tests. I am not entirely sure how to proceed from here as the battery has already been replaced numerous times and I made it clear that this around I want a battery that is brand new with 100% health. Any advice? The battery life has not differed much across OSX 10.9 or 10.10. Usually always 4-4.5 hrs with moderate usage and even less once i get a few light apps running with the browser (moderate usage to me). I must also mention that I have done SMC resets as well as PRAM resets as per instructions on apple forums multiple times.

Specs

Macbook Pro 2011 13" w/ Dual Core i7 (2.7 ghz) and 4GB RAM and 500GB HDD

Any suggestions would be appreciated. Many thanks.

 

[cjmillsnun]

Return it for a refund.

You have a warranty, it has repeatedly played up despite the store's efforts to repair it. Time to get your money back

 

[wmalik81]

Not sure if store warranty will allow for refund, only maintenance. Could probably try voicing my displeasure to manager, might be able to either exchange for a newer model or get a refund, I have included a coconut battery screenshot for reference.

 

[cjmillsnun]

OK 77% capacity at 36 load cycles is not good.

There is something wrong with either the battery or your Mac.

I'm guessing that the batteries are not genuine Apple ones, but are a cheap copy.

If the warranty will not cover a refund. It damn well should (and would here in the UK), then you have 3 options.

1. Let them try and repair it again (and get the same results).

2. Pay Apple $129 (plus sales tax) to replace the battery with a genuine one.

3. Sell it and get another laptop.

EDIT: The battery was manufactured on August 11, 2011... So was probably original, or is a copy that is giving false information (they tend to do this) to the Mac.

 

[GGJstudios]

I decided to download coconut battery and it told me that the "new" battery that was straight from Apple holds 75% of it's original capacity. The store declined to comment on this statistic when I told them about it but told me that I would have to leave my laptop there for a day or two so that they could run there own tests. I am not entirely sure how to proceed from here as the battery has already been replaced numerous times and I made it clear that this around I want a battery that is brand new with 100% health. Any advice?

There's always risk in buying a used computer. 75-77% health is obviously not a new battery. Apple recommends replacement once health has dropped below 80%, so I would insist that the store refund your money or at least enough to cover the cost of you having Apple replace your battery. I wouldn't trust the store to do the replacement.

I must also mention that I have done SMC resets as well as PRAM resets as per instructions on apple forums multiple times.

PRAM/NVRAM has nothing to do with battery/power/charging issues, so resetting it will not help. Only SMC affects such issues.

There are many factors that impact your battery life. See the BATTERY LIFE FROM A CHARGE section of the following link for details, including tips on how to maximize your battery life.

​

The link below should answer most, if not all, of your battery/charging questions. If you haven't already done so, I highly recommend you take the time to read it.

Apple Notebook Battery FAQ​

 

[wmalik81]

Also read up on OWC selling some good batteries as replacements? might cost less if the store refuses to pay for any repairs or can't rectify the issue on their own, in which case I will be speaking to the manager and will take further action if needed but thats a whole other issue.

 

[GGJstudios]

Also read up on OWC selling some good batteries as replacements? might cost less if the store refuses to pay for any repairs or can't rectify the issue on their own, in which case I will be speaking to the manager and will take further action if needed but thats a whole other issue.

I wouldn't trust or recommend any non-Apple battery, due to the number of problems reported with "knockoff" batteries. Also, there is no assurance that knockoff batteries have the same charging technology that Apple uses, involving the battery, the MagSafe adapter and the Mac's logic board.