My 2018 15" Macbook Rocks.... diagonally.

[czerney]

Not sure what might be causing it but when typing and resting my palms on the laptop on either side of my mbp causes it to rock toward me me and to the left.

Another way to put is when I have the laptop open and I hold the top right corner of the mac closest to the power button down onto the desk, the bottom left corner is raised. I've tried this on multiple flat surfaces just to confirm.

Super annoying as the laptop rocks back and forward when I type. When I flip it upside down and use a ruler and run along the base it looks like it might be "bulging" a bit but I can't really tell with the eye if it's a defect or if it's just the design.

Functionally the laptop works fine except for being >90 anytime I do anything significant. Or occasional keyboard not found error that can fix by shutting the lid for 30sec and reopening.

Thoughts?

 

[macagain]

Swollen battery.

 

[joseph.s.jones]

It sounds a lot like your battery is bulging, they can do this when they start failing unfortunately. And they don’t always trigger service battery warnings. I’d definitely get it checked out/changed by Apple. If you choose to change the battery yourself please be very careful as they can explode if you pierce any of the cells when removing them.

 

[czerney]

Thanks all. That makes sense - battery info below...... is 189 Cycles considered high?

Battery Information:

Model Information:
Serial Number: D868267A3QRJ65H3F
Manufacturer: SMP
Device Name: bq20z451
Pack Lot Code: 0
PCB Lot Code: 0
Firmware Version: 901
Hardware Revision: 2
Cell Revision: 1734
Charge Information:
Charge Remaining (mAh): 5701
Fully Charged: No
Charging: Yes
Full Charge Capacity (mAh): 5940
Health Information:
Cycle Count: 189
Condition: Normal
Battery Installed: Yes
Amperage (mA): 527
Voltage (mV): 12708

 

[joseph.s.jones]

No that’s not a high cycle count. How old is the battery? I believe one of the main causes for swollen batteries is having the laptop plugged in virtually all the time (rather than a high cycle count being the cause). I believe there was a MacBook Pro 15 iteration that Apple put a recall/replacement program in for swollen batteries.

 

[czerney]

I'm just about always plugged in because I run a virtual machine a lot of the time for windows - just for one app! Articulate Storyline doesn't work on mac!

The laptop was purchased new about two years ago. Not a fan of the keyboard - never made so many typing mistakes in my life. I haven't got applecare unfortunately but hopefully it will hold out until the 2020/21 refresh if possible.

 

[joseph.s.jones]

I'm just about always plugged in because I run a virtual machine a lot of the time for windows - just for one app! Articulate Storyline doesn't work on mac!

The laptop was purchased new about two years ago. Not a fan of the keyboard - never made so many typing mistakes in my life. I haven't got applecare unfortunately but hopefully it will hold out until the 2020/21 refresh if possible.

I’d contact Apple, go into a shop to see a genius if possible. If the laptop is less than 3 years old, even without Apple care they sometimes decide to take care of things like this (I’ve seen people say it in the past). It’s definitely worth a shot.

 

[chengengaun]

I’d contact Apple, go into a shop to see a genius if possible.

And I think you should do so ASAP, and not use the MBP in the meantime. Low cycle count does not reduce the risk, and in fact may increase it if you run it hot and plugged in all the time (which I guess you do).

I had the same issue a couple of years ago with my MBP 2016, made an appointment with the AASP a few days later. The bottom lid popped before I managed to bring the MBP in and I can see the gap clearly. Thankfully nothing worse happened, and I got a top case + bottom lid replacement (since my keyboard was also faulty).

Edit: This might be helpful, from another thread:

I just got in touch with Apple Support through their online chat. I told them the battery is swollen. Customer service says Apple will cover the battery repair. No question asked. They will mail me a box, in which I ship the laptop to them for repair.

I will put an update here as the repair progresses.

If you also have swollen battery issue, it might be worth checking with Apple support even if the series number is not part of the swollen battery recall program.

 

[czerney]

Thanks everyone - I'll look to take the laptop into Apple as soon as possible then!

Worst timing through as I can't afford to be without the laptop with a major client deadline

 

[chrfr]

Thanks all. That makes sense - battery info below...... is 189 Cycles considered high?

Cycle count has no relationship at all to whether the battery is swollen or not, and there's usually no indication in the computer's software that it's happened.

 

[Fishrrman]

Set it on a table top.
Is there a bulge in the bottom cover?

Just wondering, but do you normally leave the MBP "plugged into the charger" all the time?
Day and night, even when sleeping?

 

[mdwsta4]

Was just going to post something about it, but I'll piggyback off this thread.

I keep my late 2016 15" MBP plugged in and connected to my monitor all the time. It stays closed on my desk. This morning I noticed that the lid was open a bit and wouldn't close. Then I pressed down on the corners of the laptop and realized it also rocked a bit. There may be some slight bulging around the two front middle screws, but nothing too crazy. Scheduled an appointment at the Genius Bar tomorrow, turned off my machine, and since it's been off the lid now comes close to closing entirely. Checked my serial number and it does not appear to be in the range of the MBP that had battery issues.

Never had this happen to any of the 5 Apple laptops I've owned in the last 17 years.

 

[czerney]

Set it on a table top.
Is there a bulge in the bottom cover?

Just wondering, but do you normally leave the MBP "plugged into the charger" all the time?
Day and night, even when sleeping?

Yep it's just about always plugged in as it gets power from a couple of dell 4k monitors which also power the laptop. I'm almost always running a vm too so even when I'm out and about I have to plug in otherwise it can go from 100% to zero in a couple hours.

To be honest I'm not a big fan of this model. Keyboard, no escape key, always running hot and fans are on constantly which is annoying whenever I'm trying to record audio. All this before the bulge / rocking.

 

[mguzzi]

Was just going to post something about it, but I'll piggyback off this thread.

I keep my late 2016 15" MBP plugged in and connected to my monitor all the time. It stays closed on my desk. This morning I noticed that the lid was open a bit and wouldn't close. Then I pressed down on the corners of the laptop and realized it also rocked a bit. There may be some slight bulging around the two front middle screws, but nothing too crazy. Scheduled an appointment at the Genius Bar tomorrow, turned off my machine, and since it's been off the lid now comes close to closing entirely. Checked my serial number and it does not appear to be in the range of the MBP that had battery issues.

Never had this happen to any of the 5 Apple laptops I've owned in the last 17 years.

We had a 13" 2016 battery failure and it wasn't even a year old. Apple replaced it and I had the laptop back in about 48 hours.

 

[czerney]

I hit apple support up. They just said I need to take it in to get it looked at and they suspect the battery. LHS foot in the image... RHS is similar. Laptop is nearly 2 years old. Does the swollen battery normally break or require other parts to be replaced as well? Anyone know rough cost?

 

[chrfr]

I hit apple support up. They just said I need to take it in to get it looked at and they suspect the battery. LHS foot in the image... RHS is similar. Laptop is nearly 2 years old. Does the swollen battery normally break or require other parts to be replaced as well? Anyone know rough cost?

Often, damage to the top case caused by a swollen battery is just charged as a battery replacement if not covered under warranty, so it’d be the $199 price. Otherwise the top case replacement would probably be in the $5-700 range.

 

[mdwsta4]

We had a 13" 2016 battery failure and it wasn't even a year old. Apple replaced it and I had the laptop back in about 48 hours.

I hope that’s the case! Slightly concerned on the price to fix it. If it’s $200, that’s one thing, but $700? The $3,000 machine isn’t even worth that much on the secondhand market anymore!! As much as I’ve always loved laptops, I haven’t once moved this machine from my desk. Think it’s time I look into a Mac Mini

 

[dannytang]

I hope that’s the case! Slightly concerned on the price to fix it. If it’s $200, that’s one thing, but $700? The $3,000 machine isn’t even worth that much on the secondhand market anymore!! As much as I’ve always loved laptops, I haven’t once moved this machine from my desk. Think it’s time I look into a Mac Mini

Apple's pricing re: battery replacement vs top case replacement has been like that for quite some time. In both cases, they'll replace the entire top case. Yes, they'll replace your entire top case even if you only need the battery replaced, probably because there's no easy/efficient way to remove the battery from the case due to all the adhesive holding the battery in place. So if the MacBook you bring in for a battery replacement has a working keyboard and trackpad with no damage that inhibits normal/proper function, they'll just charge you the cost to replace the battery. If, however, you bring in a MacBook with missing/non-function keys on the keyboard or cracked glass on the trackpad then they may ask you to pay for the full top case. They won't ding you for wear and tear cosmetic damage, but they'll definitely charge you for the top case if there's damage that inhibits function.

Also, batteries don't like to be at a constant state of 100% charge (which is why Apple implemented Optimized Battery Charging in iOS and Battery Health Management in macOS). Leaving your MacBook plugged in all the time could actually be worse for battery health than frequent charge/discharge cycles.

 

[mdwsta4]

Apple's pricing re: battery replacement vs top case replacement has been like that for quite some time. In both cases, they'll replace the entire top case. Yes, they'll replace your entire top case even if you only need the battery replaced, probably because there's no easy/efficient way to remove the battery from the case due to all the adhesive holding the battery in place. So if the MacBook you bring in for a battery replacement has a working keyboard and trackpad with no damage that inhibits normal/proper function, they'll just charge you the cost to replace the battery. If, however, you bring in a MacBook with missing/non-function keys on the keyboard or cracked glass on the trackpad then they may ask you to pay for the full top case. They won't ding you for wear and tear cosmetic damage, but they'll definitely charge you for the top case if there's damage that inhibits function.

Also, batteries don't like to be at a constant state of 100% charge (which is why Apple implemented Optimized Battery Charging in iOS and Battery Health Management in macOS). Leaving your MacBook plugged in all the time could actually be worse for battery health than frequent charge/discharge cycles.

Good to know, thanks. I’ve always used an external keyboard/mouse so there’s zero cosmetic wear.

Regarding the constant state of charge, I’ve been using MacBook pros exclusively plugged in on a stand with a Magic Mouse/keyboard for over a decade and have never once had an issue. Going back almost two decades (first iBook was 2003), this is my first battery problem on 5 or 6 apple laptops. Only difference with this MBP is the fact that now I’m using it connected to a monitor rather than using the 15” screen, but otherwise the usage is the same

 

[pshufd]

A coworker told me he had this problem. I looked at it and said swollen battery because of reading about it here. His machine was under a year old for his use (it might have been in storage for a few years). Apple Service came out and took care of it (Corporate Support Contract). I have a 2014 and 2015 MacBook Pro 15s and they are plugged in 95% of the time. I bought the 2014 new and the 2015 refurbished (not from Apple) in 2018.