Macbook Pro Retina Battery Problem

[Leighski]

Hi All.

Have a 2012 15" Macbook Pro and having serious battery problems (for the past 6 months but now its getting ridiculous). From a fully charged battery, it takes an hour or so to drain to 40%, at which point it shuts down as if out of juice. Trying to power it on i get the 'connect to mains' logo (battery with red & electic sign)...

Battery Icon in top right of toolbar indicates 'Service Battery'. Any idea where best to get this done. Feel duped that it started happening just after the warranty finished and, unlike the earlier macbook pros, you cant just buy a replacement battery.

Any suggestions welcome

Many thanks

 

[priitv8]

I would start reading this
https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/retina-macbook-pro-battery-replacement.1404726/
and then call Apple service, if possible.
If $200 gives you new battery, topcase, keyboard and trackpad, then I'd call it a fair deal.
(Have t't tried it myself, ythough. Yet. )

 

[leman]

Battery Icon in top right of toolbar indicates 'Service Battery'. Any idea where best to get this done.

Any Apple store or authorised repair shop.

Feel duped that it started happening just after the warranty finished

3 years is a decent lifespan for a battery. Why would you feel duped? Battery is an expendable item and has limited warranty anyway.

 

[gngan]

Hi All.

Have a 2012 15" Macbook Pro and having serious battery problems (for the past 6 months but now its getting ridiculous). From a fully charged battery, it takes an hour or so to drain to 40%, at which point it shuts down as if out of juice. Trying to power it on i get the 'connect to mains' logo (battery with red & electic sign)...

Battery Icon in top right of toolbar indicates 'Service Battery'. Any idea where best to get this done. Feel duped that it started happening just after the warranty finished and, unlike the earlier macbook pros, you cant just buy a replacement battery.

Any suggestions welcome

Many thanks

Why do you feel duped? It says "Service Battery" for a reason. It's not there to troll or tease you. Your battery is dying and needs to be replaced. Battery is a consumable items therefore; even if it's within the warranty then it would not be replace for free.

 

[Leighski]

Well... finally got to contact Apple today to enquire about a replacement battery... According to the Customer service dept (via phone) they checked serial number etc and explained that a whole new upper keyboard would also be replaced... the total cost would be £159.00 and could take as little as 20 minutes if the part is in stock. Ok, i can live wih tat price so i got put thorugh to my local Apple Store (Bluewater) who are complete dicks! Rude, jumped-up. Enquired about whether they had the batteries instock only to be down-spoken and told ' errr, we cant tell you that becasue they might be sold by the time you come in' (thats not what i asked) - after FINALLY speaking to 'technical', this straightforward job is a <quote> " mammoth job because we have to completely strip the machine down and rebuild it"<unquote> what a load of ****... and for that explanation they feel they can justify a price of £337. (over DOUBLE from what Apple Customer Care told me...) Its worth shopping around... am currently having the battery fitted by a more polite and reputable Independent Apple Authorised Dealer for £180.

 

[iMacDragon]

after FINALLY speaking to 'technical', this straightforward job is a <quote> " mammoth job because we have to completely strip the machine down and rebuild it"<unquote> what a load of ****... and for that explanation they feel they can justify a price of £337. (over DOUBLE from what Apple Customer Care told me...) Its worth shopping around... am currently having the battery fitted by a more polite and reputable Independent Apple Authorised Dealer for £180.

Sounds like you got a very bad store rep!

even according to apple site itself https://support.apple.com/kb/index?page=servicefaq&geo=United_Kingdom&product=Macnotebooks

It should cost £159 to have battery replaced in a macbook pro retina if it needs replacing.

It /is/ indeed a big job, requiring complete strip down of the machine and rebuild, but that is the price apple quote, so I'd say that store rep needs a word.

 

[SuprUsrStan]

Hi All.

Have a 2012 15" Macbook Pro and having serious battery problems (for the past 6 months but now its getting ridiculous). From a fully charged battery, it takes an hour or so to drain to 40%, at which point it shuts down as if out of juice. Trying to power it on i get the 'connect to mains' logo (battery with red & electic sign)...

Battery Icon in top right of toolbar indicates 'Service Battery'. Any idea where best to get this done. Feel duped that it started happening just after the warranty finished and, unlike the earlier macbook pros, you cant just buy a replacement battery.

Any suggestions welcome

Many thanks

I've had the problem with my 2012 rMBP for about a year now and I've learned to just deal with it. The main issue is the battery can't supply enough current so the computer believes the battery is drained. For example, watching youtube videos, FaceTime, unzipping files or anything intensive at 30% to 40% will kill the computer.

If your computer goes to sleep and you know you still have a good charge on it, you can perform a SMC reset to reboot without connecting to the AC. Just make sure you don't do any more activities that draw a lot of amps. Lower the screen brightness and kill programs in the background on restart. The computer will be more prone to shutting down if the battery is cold too.

https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201295

1. Shut down the computer.
2. Plug in the MagSafe or USB-C power adapter to a power source and to your computer.
3. On the built-in keyboard, press the (left side) Shift-Control-Option keys and the power button at the same time.
4. Release all the keys and the power button at the same time.
5. Press the power button to turn on the computer.

How many charge cycles do you have on yours? I've got nearly 800 cycles on a launch 2012 laptop so I'm not really complaining.