Service Battery?! But I just replaced it this morning! (sigh)

[orvn]

12 hours ago I installed a new battery ordered via eBay from Hong Kong
(I have a 13" MBP Unibody mid '09).

The status of my old battery was "replace soon". It would lose charge pretty quickly and suddenly jump from 20% to 0% and sleep/hibernate.

I replaced it with a new battery, charged it fully (it was at 50% when it arrived) and then decided to deplete it fully.

Upon draining the new battery for the first time, it suddenly jumped from 12% to 0% and went to sleep. I powered it back up when plugged in and its status now is "service battery" - What gives?!


I replaced it because a long time ago my old battery became bloated- it literally started taking up more volume, pressing against the aluminum housing of my computer and also restricting the clicking ability of my trackpad.

You might ask why I never got my battery serviced over the course of two years while I had Applecare: the truth is that I didn't have enough time. My Macbook is responsible for my income and I refused to part with it for even a day.

 

[Vudoo]

AppleCare doesn't cover batteries. I would recommend going to the Apple store and getting an OEM battery to verify if the battery is at issue or the laptop.

 

[Senex]

12 hours ago I installed a new battery ordered via eBay from Hong Kong
(I have a 13" MBP Unibody mid '09).

The status of my old battery was "replace soon". It would lose charge pretty quickly and suddenly jump from 20% to 0% and sleep/hibernate.

I replaced it with a new battery, charged it fully (it was at 50% when it arrived) and then decided to deplete it fully.

Upon draining the new battery for the first time, it suddenly jumped from 12% to 0% and went to sleep. I powered it back up when plugged in and its status now is "service battery" - What gives?!


I replaced it because a long time ago my old battery became bloated- it literally started taking up more volume, pressing against the aluminum housing of my computer and also restricting the clicking ability of my trackpad.

You might ask why I never got my battery serviced over the course of two years while I had Applecare: the truth is that I didn't have enough time. My Macbook is responsible for my income and I refused to part with it for even a day.



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Dude! I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but I wouldn't trust ANYTHING coming from overseas that purports to be an affordable alternative to an OEM battery. When it comes to batteries, you get what you pay for, and the thing about buying cheap knock-offs is there's no guarantee of the quality with which they're made, the components used, or the lifespan.

As much as it pains me to tell you this, I think you may have been shipped some bona fide HKC.

Hong Kong Crap.

 

[orvn]

Aw man! It was advertised as an OEM part from China
Guess it's time to order a real $110 battery, rather than a $50 one.

 

[Nermal]

Reset the SMC and see whether it helps at all.

If you get a "page not found" error, reload the page (Apple's support site has had an intermittent problem for the past couple of months that still isn't fixed!)

 

[mgartner0622]

I would actually put the old battery back in, and take it to the Apple Store.
My first MacBook Pro (literally the first model) had a swelling battery and Apple replaced it a year out of warranty due to what I'm guessing is liability issues. After all, the worst answer you can receive is no.

 

[GGJstudios]

12 hours ago I installed a new battery ordered via eBay from Hong Kong

This is your problem. I would never trust or recommend a battery that didn't come from Apple.

AppleCare doesn't cover batteries.

Well, they do if they're defective.

This should answer most, if not all, of your battery questions:

Apple Notebook Battery FAQ​

 

[orvn]

Thanks guys! I will try resetting the SMC tomorrow and taking the bloated battery back to the Apple Store.

This is your problem. I would never trust or recommend a battery that didn't come from Apple.

Thanks for the link!

I realize it's my problem and that I do this stuff at my own risk of course- I'm in no way trying to juxtapose responsibility onto anyone else- just wanted the general opinion of fellow Apple enthusiasts (this is perhaps something I ought to have sought before making the eBay purchase).

 

[GGJstudios]

Thanks guys! I will try resetting the SMC tomorrow and taking the bloated battery back to the Apple Store.



Thanks for the link!

I realize it's my problem and that I do this stuff at my own risk of course- I'm in no way trying to juxtapose responsibility onto anyone else- just wanted the general opinion of fellow Apple enthusiasts.

I didn't mean it like "this is your problem, not ours".... I meant that buying a knockoff battery from eBay is the source of your problems.

 

[orvn]

Misinterpretation on my part!