"New" Mid 2012 MBP - new battery & clean logic board

[Rico Muerte]

So last week I bought a mid 2012 (non retina) 15" 2.6 i7 MBP. Ive been looking for one for a while at a decent price as all the info Ive come across suggest this is one of the best models because it was the last user upgradeble model.
It only has 8gb ram (which I will be maxing out to 16gb soon), but it already had the dual drive upgrade & the boot drive is a 500gb Samsung EVO.
Apart from the fact that it was FILTHY inside - see "before" pic bellow,

After giving it a good blow out & brush, it's MUCH cleaner although it does look like it's had some sort of liquid (possibly coffee) spilled near it.
There is a residue around the ports & on the inside of the under part of the case.

1st Question - I want to clean the ports & the anywhere on the logic board that could use more than a blow/brush - can I use this cleaner safely on the ports & logic board?:

2nd Question - Apart from being dirty, it seems to be in good enough condition, however the battery life is not great - it seems like Ill get 2-3hours from a full charge (maybe a little more?).
So I want to replace the battery & Im wondering what people think of a genuine Apple battery Vs the various 3rd party batteries available on eBay.
I have a 2009 MBP that Ive had since new, & replaced the battery about 1.5yrs ago after the original battery began to swell up with a "generic" eBay battery, which seems to work fine enough & was substantially cheaper than a genuine Apple battery from Apple.
Ideally I want to put the best kind of battery in it I can, but obviously there is a fairly big price different from OEM to 3rd party/generic.

Thoughts/advice is greatly appreciated!

Mal

 

[Audit13]

First thing to do as soon as you remove the bottom cover is disconnect the battery. I've heard stories of people dropping a screw or screwdriver on the board with a connected battery and causing logic board damage.

1) To do a proper cleaning for all parts and ports, I would completely disassemble the MacBook and use pure isopropyl on all affect areas. Don't use excessive pressure or alcohol and allow everything to thoroughly air dry before reassembling.

2) The only place to get a genuine Apple battery for any MacBook would be directly from Apple; however, Apple stores no longer sell parts or offer repairs for this model. If you want a genuine battery, I suggest contacting an authorised Apple repair depots instead. Note that authorised Apple repair depots in Canada are not allowed to sell Apple parts without installing the unit in the MacBook. I'm not sure where you are located so this policy may not apply. Despite assurances from a third-party that you are getting a genuine Apple battery, this is not always the case.

 

[Rico Muerte]

Thanks for the reply -

First thing to do as soon as you remove the bottom cover is disconnect the battery. I've heard stories of people dropping a screw or screwdriver on the board with a connected battery and causing logic board damage.

I always disconnect the battery when Im doing work on my 2009 MBP & now this 2012 MBP 👍

2) The only place to get a genuine Apple battery for any MacBook would be directly from Apple; however, Apple stores no longer sell parts or offer repairs for this model. If you want a genuine battery, I suggest contacting an authorised Apple repair depots instead. Note that authorised Apple repair depots in Canada are not allowed to sell Apple parts without installing the unit in the MacBook. I'm not sure where you are located so this policy may not apply. Despite assurances from a third-party that you are getting a genuine Apple battery, this is not always the case.

iFixit has replacement batteries but they're $179AUD

 

[Audit13]

Thanks for the reply -



I always disconnect the battery when Im doing work on my 2009 MBP & now this 2012 MBP 👍



iFixit has replacement batteries but they're $179AUD

I'm not sure their battery is equivalent to the original Apple battery despite the high price.

 

[r6mile]

I have replaced 2 batteries on 2010 unibody Macbooks with cheap eBay ones, and I have to say while they work the battery life is not great. For my 2013 MBA I got a second-hand original Apple one from a good retailer (https://www.thebookyard.com/product.php?manufacturers_id=6&products_id=11877) and while it 'only' had 85-90% charge it's been very good so far.

To your point about cleaning, I've worked on a couple of 2011 MBPs as well (which are identical to the 2012 internally I believe), though to be honest that doesn't really matter; as the previous poster recommended I always use isopropyl alcohol - this is it but there will be similar products nearer to you.

 

[velocityg4]

1. Another vote for Isopropyl Alcohol. I use 90+% on electronics. Just don't get one that is moisturizing.

2. Not all third party batteries are equal. I look for them on Amazon and read the reviews of verified buyers both good and bad. Looking for any trends. I also spot check some of the good reviews to see if the person has a review history. Also if there is anything unusual like a flood of good reviews. You also got to check the sellers as some may not be selling the exact same battery as the listing. So, even if the battery is good they just send you some junk one.

All that being said. If you do your due diligence. You can save money and get something on par with, perhaps better than, OEM. The battery in my 2006 Macbook was replaced over five years ago and still over 95% capacity. Same with my 2009 Macbook Pro replaced at least four years ago.

Before I paid attention and just got cheap batteries off eBay. Sometimes I'd luck out with a good one. More often I'd end up with something which just lasted a couple months.

If you want to take out the guess work. Find an authorized apple reseller with an OEM in stock. Also checkout iFixit and OWC for their batteries. You'll just spend more money.