Service Battery warning?

[idealk23]

I bought this refurbished Macbook Pro 2010 from ebay. Everything works fine, but it seems that when i click on the charging icon it sometimes says "service battery" when its on low battery. If i happen to charge it, the message goes back to normal. When i am charged fully i do not see this message until it goes below a certain level around 50%. I have about 400 cycles in this laptop, so should this be something that i dont have to worry about?

edit: I looked at my battery health, it is at 77%

 

[Intell]

You don't have to worry about that. The worst that could happen is that your battery may die prematurely around 20% or less. Or it may continue to work without a problem.

 

[Dayv]

Depending on the specific model, it should cost about $130 to get the battery replaced. I just had one done on a 2009 MBP I'm handing down to my brother, and the Apple store was able to do it while I waited.

 

[matt2053]

You don't have to worry about that. The worst that could happen is that your battery may die prematurely around 20% or less. Or it may continue to work without a problem.

Actually the worst that could happen is that the battery has suffered some physical damage, is leaking, could swell, and eventually the MacBook explodes.

If it says Service Batter, service the battery! Take it to an Apple Store.

 

[Intell]

It is very unlikely that the battery in a unibody Macbook Pro has suffered any damage of that type that isn't a manufacturing defect. If it is a manufacturing defect, it would have entered a thermal event many years ago.

 

[matt2053]

It is very unlikely that the battery in a unibody Macbook Pro has suffered any damage of that type that isn't a manufacturing defect. If it is a manufacturing defect, it would have entered a thermal event many years ago.

Well that's true, but your post didn't say "The most likely thing is..." you said, "The worst that can happen is..."

 

[Richdmoore]

I would get the battery serviced, if you are not planning to replace the computer shortly.

Genuine Apple batteries are hard to find online for self install. The reports on 3rd party batteries seam to be hit or miss, some people they work fine for, other people have
reported they have poor quality or lifespan.

Once apple considers your computer vintage (5 years after discontinuation) they will no longer service the computer to replace the battery, and your only option will be a 3rd party battery (with the risks involved).

Having an Apple Store replace the battery now should give you another 5 years before you need to worry about it again, and it will be an oem quality battery. (I doubt you will want to use a 2010 computer in 2020, so finding Quality 3rd party battery will probably not be necessary.)

 

[Dayv]

Once apple considers your computer vintage (5 years after discontinuation) they will no longer service the computer to replace the battery, and your only option will be a 3rd party battery (with the risks involved).

I just had a 2009 battery replaced by Apple. I'm not sure what the cut-off is, but I think it's broader than you're giving credit for.

 

[Intell]

Everywhere except for machines sold in California and being serviced in California as well as Turkey it's five years since the machine was last sold to the public. In California and Turkey, it's seven years since last sold to the public.

 

[Richdmoore]

I just had a 2009 battery replaced by Apple. I'm not sure what the cut-off is, but I think it's broader than you're giving credit for.

Here is the official list. It listed the 5 years after discontinuation as the guide. (Except Turkey & California sold and serviced).

Link: https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201624

I see they listed the early & mid 2009 MacBook Pro 17", and the mid 2009 MacBook Pro 13" & 15" as discontinued. Straight MacBooks early/mid 2009 are also now discontinued.

(I was given a late 2009 17" MacBook Pro at the beginning of the year to pass down to a relative, even though the battery was old but still showed as serviceable I elected to have apple replace it while they still would.)

It looks like late 2009 computers should be ok to service for a few more months, before they will becone vintage as well. Was your mac one of those models? Did you get the battery changed before April 30, when they updated the list?

(I think the update was making mid 2009 computers vintage, but hard to know without comparing the before/after lists.)

Of course, the option to self install a knockoff battery (eBay sells lots of them) or a OWC Nupower battery exists after apple stops support, but I tend to avoid generic batteries unless no other reasonable option exists.

 

[Dayv]

Here is the official list. It listed the 5 years after discontinuation as the guide.

I see they listed the early & mid 2009 MacBook Pro 17", and the mid 2009 MacBook Pro 13" & 15" as discontinued. Straight MacBooks early/mid 2009 are also now discontinued.

It looks like late 2009 computers should be ok to service for a few more months, before they will becone vintage as well. Was your mac one of those models? Did you get the battery changed before April 30, when they updated the list?

Mine was a mid-2009 13" MBP. I got the battery replaced on April 28th, so it looks like my timing was just about perfect without even knowing it.