MBP 09 + Battery Bubble

[djinn]

So I noticed my trackpad on my mid 2009 MBP is popping out of its place, doesn't react to pressure for a mouse click. I unplugged the notebook and found that the bottom of the laptop isn't sitting flat and is starting to bow. I took the bottom panel off and noticed that my battery is bubbling up to the point its bending the case.

Obviously my laptop is out of warranty. Should I even attempt to contact Apple to see how much they will charge to replace the battery, trackpad, and bottom panel? The battery still keeps a charge. I don't travel with this laptop so that is why I never noticed it. Plus I use the BT Keyboard and mouse.

Thoughts?

 

[KUguardgrl13]

So I noticed my trackpad on my mid 2009 MBP is popping out of its place, doesn't react to pressure for a mouse click. I unplugged the notebook and found that the bottom of the laptop isn't sitting flat and is starting to bow. I took the bottom panel off and noticed that my battery is bubbling up to the point its bending the case.

Obviously my laptop is out of warranty. Should I even attempt to contact Apple to see how much they will charge to replace the battery, trackpad, and bottom panel? The battery still keeps a charge. I don't travel with this laptop so that is why I never noticed it. Plus I use the BT Keyboard and mouse.

Thoughts?

If I understand correctly, they don't obligate you to have service done out of warranty after they've run a diagnostic, although they may charge you a fee to complete the testing. I would say it wouldn't hurt to have them look it over. It may just be that you need a new battery as long as the trackpad can be put back into place. I would say the bottom case is simply cosmetic and not worth fixing unless it's a true annoyance.

 

[djinn]

So I took the laptop a part and there is no damage to the trackpad. So I am going to look around on the internet and just swap the battery out.

Any good suggestions for parts?

 

[GGJstudios]

So I took the laptop a part and there is no damage to the trackpad. So I am going to look around on the internet and just swap the battery out.

Any good suggestions for parts?

I recommend you take it to Apple. Batteries are not covered by warranty anyway, except in the case of manufacturing defects. Batteries are consumable items and you should expect to pay for replacement when you have depleted a battery.

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.

• Battery Replacement
• Replacing the built-in battery in your MacBook Pro
• Replacing the Battery in your MacBook Air
• Intel-based Apple Portables: How to replace or service a built-in battery

​

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​

 

[BalzacFlaubert]

I had a similar issue with a 2008 17" MBP. The battery had a bulging issue a few years ago, and I took it to the apple store. They replaced it free of charge.

Very recently, however, the new battery is bulging again and making the trackpad unusable. I would not be too quick to fork over money to them for a replacement battery for a few reasons. First, I don't think they mention anywhere when buying an mbp that you should expect to replace a bulging battery issue. If they did, then they would have grounds to say you should have anticipated the cost of a new battery. Secondly, these can be a health hazard, since were the gasses from a bulging battery to leak, it is toxic. Thirdly, and if you cannot afford to replace the faulty battery, it would not be your choice to replace the battery, and you would be obligated to work with a machine that is a health hazard.

From my previous experience though, I'd say bring it into the store and show them the problem. If they don't offer to replace it for free, I would cordially give them the reasoning from above on why they should, along with many printed instances of others who have had their batteries replaced for the same reason so that the precedent is clear to them.