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"Service Recommended" for Battery (15", Mid-2015)

L

lememoire

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Apr 6, 2021
12
1
Hi,

Since yesterday, I see "service recommended" when I click on battery icon. Checked different resources on the net and saw "battery calibration" might fix it. I ran down the battery to 0% and left it there for hours. Then, just charged it to full. The "service recommended" warning is still there. Any advice? Should I really take it to an Apple store or an authorised service provider and get the battery replaced for £200? Yes, I am in UK.

Attached are the technical information.

Thanks.
 

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lememoire said:
Hi,

Since yesterday, I see "service recommended" when I click on battery icon. Checked different resources on the net and saw "battery calibration" might fix it. I ran down the battery to 0% and left it there for hours. Then, just charged it to full. The "service recommended" warning is still there. Any advice? Should I really take it to an Apple store or an authorised service provider and get the battery replaced for £200? Yes, I am in UK.

Attached are the technical information.

Thanks.
Click to expand...
The Full Charge Capacity should be higher than that. How many hours do you actually get after 100% charge on battery use? I would also remove the back cover and check that the battery isn't exhibiting swelling.

There was a recall but I think yours is outside that production time. But doesn't hurt to check:

15-inch MacBook Pro Battery Recall Program - Apple Support

15-inch MacBook Pro Battery Recall Program
support.apple.com
 
lememoire said:
Hi,

Since yesterday, I see "service recommended" when I click on battery icon. Checked different resources on the net and saw "battery calibration" might fix it. I ran down the battery to 0% and left it there for hours. Then, just charged it to full. The "service recommended" warning is still there. Any advice? Should I really take it to an Apple store or an authorised service provider and get the battery replaced for £200? Yes, I am in UK.

Attached are the technical information.

Thanks.
Click to expand...
I’d have Apple replace it. You’ll get a new top case/keyboard/trackpad when they replace the battery so the computer will get a nice refurbishment at the same time.
 
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Alpha Centauri said:
The Full Charge Capacity should be higher than that. How many hours do you actually get after 100% charge on battery use? I would also remove the back cover and check that the battery isn't exhibiting swelling.

There was a recall but I think yours is outside that production time. But doesn't hurt to check:

15-inch MacBook Pro Battery Recall Program - Apple Support

15-inch MacBook Pro Battery Recall Program
support.apple.com
Click to expand...
Thanks. I actually use several hours with battery and slightly surprised with their warning. It gets to 100% around couple of hours. That is a rough measure.

I do not know whether that is an honest warning from the system since Apple is known for planned obsolesce. The capacity is 79% compared to the original state I guess.
 
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chrfr said:
I’d have Apple replace it. You’ll get a new top case/keyboard/trackpad when they replace the battery so the computer will get a nice refurbishment at the same time.
Click to expand...
Thanks for the reply. How do you know that they would replace the other parts?
 
lememoire said:
Thanks. I actually use several hours with battery and slightly surprised with their warning. It gets to 100% around couple of hours. That is a rough measure.

I do not know whether that is an honest warning from the system since Apple is known for planned obsolesce. The capacity is 79% compared to the original state I guess.
Click to expand...
If the battery health is 79%, its "useable" life is depleted. Once battery capacity/health drops below 80% the battery becomes unstable. This is not planned obsolescence, this is deterioration of a battery.
 
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lememoire said:
Thanks for the reply. How do you know that they would replace the other parts?
Click to expand...
That is some kind of common knowledge, of course up to changes in Apple's procedures.
When I got the battery of my 13" Early 2015 MBP replaced, the Apple guy proudly told me the amount of replacements.

If it is worth for you, you are the only one who can tell. I did my replacement in 2020 because I planned to use the machine for years to come. So far, I do not regret my decision.
 
lememoire said:
Thanks for the reply. How do you know that they would replace the other parts?
Click to expand...
That’s the standard process Apple uses for the laptops with glued in batteries. It’s incredibly wasteful, but they do it anyway.
 
I recently took my mid-15, 15" MBP to get it looked for the battery possibly expanding. Turns out the battery was fine. One thing I thought was odd, was when it was dropped off they asked me for my computer password. Is this normal?
I asked if they needed it, and the guy said they did not, that they just want to "check things to make sure everything is okay". I didn't really say anything when the guy responded, and then he said it was necessary.
 
149 charging cycles is not a lot. Sometime after 500 cycles is when I would expect to see the battery capacity dropping off significantly and the "service recommended" warning start to come up. This is not to say that earlier degradation is impossible or even uncommon.

Is this the original Apple battery that shipped with the laptop, or was it already replaced at some point? If it's a replacement battery, is it a third party battery?
 
If the top-case, trackpad and keyboard is in largely great condition, unless it's still under warranty coverage or could be replaced in the previous "Quality Service Program"...it's so straight forward and easy to replace those batteries, for someone that knows what they are doing, definitely don't need to be paying Apple to do it.

I have replaced over 50+ batteries on the 13" & 15" models where the they are held in with tar tape. It typically takes me about 30 minutes, with all plastic tools, no solvents, to get out the old battery, clean off the old adhesive, and install a new, non-OEM battery. In System Report and the Battery Indicator, you'll be good to go! The only glitch, when doing the online diagnostics, it will fail that, but is otherwise totally and fully functional/useable like any new battery.
 
Silencio said:
149 charging cycles is not a lot. Sometime after 500 cycles is when I would expect to see the battery capacity dropping off significantly and the "service recommended" warning start to come up. This is not to say that earlier degradation is impossible or even uncommon.

Is this the original Apple battery that shipped with the laptop, or was it already replaced at some point? If it's a replacement battery, is it a third party battery?
Click to expand...
My guess is the reason why it has failed at 149 cycles is because it only has 149 cycles after 6-7 years. Batteries need to be used and this one certainly was not. (If original)
 
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lememoire said:
Thanks. I actually use several hours with battery and slightly surprised with their warning. It gets to 100% around couple of hours. That is a rough measure.

I do not know whether that is an honest warning from the system since Apple is known for planned obsolesce. The capacity is 79% compared to the original state I guess.
Click to expand...
Yeah, my 2012 15” rMBP is hovering at 78% and I am getting the same “Service Recommended” issue. Time for a replacement.
 
Silencio said:
149 charging cycles is not a lot. Sometime after 500 cycles is when I would expect to see the battery capacity dropping off significantly and the "service recommended" warning start to come up. This is not to say that earlier degradation is impossible or even uncommon.

Is this the original Apple battery that shipped with the laptop, or was it already replaced at some point? If it's a replacement battery, is it a third party battery?
Click to expand...
It is the original battery.
 
Mlrollin91 said:
My guess is the reason why it has failed at 149 cycles is because it only has 149 cycles after 6-7 years. Batteries need to be used and this one certainly was not. (If original)
Click to expand...
I don't know how often it should be used. Based on my calculation every cycle happened in two weeks on average. It is just annoying to see such a warning and the cost of replacing it.
 
OP:

If you're going to replace the battery (and it sounds like you NEED to), have it done at an Apple Store (or perhaps "by mail" to Apple) if there is any way possible to do this.

It will cost a little more than "doing it yourself" or perhaps having a 3rd-party service outfit do it.

But... for the extra money, you get:
- an Apple-labeled OEM battery
- installation (if something goes wrong, THEY fix it)
- a short warranty.

In the US, I think the charge is $199. Will be a little more in the UK.
But if you plan to keep using the 2015 for several more years, it's worth it.
 
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lememoire said:
I don't know how often it should be used. Based on my calculation every cycle happened in two weeks on average. It is just annoying to see such a warning and the cost of replacing it.
Click to expand...
A battery needs to be used constantly. It should never remain plugged in 24/7. The best practice is to keep the battery between 40-80%. Once it hits 100%, unplug it until it drops to about 40%. Plug back in and recharge. Rinse and repeat. You should have been able to get 1000 cycles out of your battery before hitting 80%, so you got 15% of its useable life.

If you are a heavy user, then it may not make sense to do the method described above, but you should be getting at least a cycle every couple of days.
 
lememoire said:
I don't know how often it should be used. Based on my calculation every cycle happened in two weeks on average. It is just annoying to see such a warning and the cost of replacing it.
Click to expand...
It’s a 7-year old computer. How long do you think a battery is supposed to last? I’ll be blunt…either suck it up and replace it or live with it and realize you need to keep it tethered to an outlet from now on as a result.
 
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If there is any sign of swelling (bottom cover bulging downwards, trackpad bulging upwards), do not ignore it. Eventually swelling will damage the trackpad, then the MBP will be non-functional and the repair will more costly.
 
Fishrrman said:
OP:

If you're going to replace the battery (and it sounds like you NEED to), have it done at an Apple Store (or perhaps "by mail" to Apple) if there is any way possible to do this.

It will cost a little more than "doing it yourself" or perhaps having a 3rd-party service outfit do it.

But... for the extra money, you get:
- an Apple-labeled OEM battery
- installation (if something goes wrong, THEY fix it)
- a short warranty.

In the US, I think the charge is $199. Will be a little more in the UK.
But if you plan to keep using the 2015 for several more years, it's worth it.
Click to expand...
It was just over £200 for a mail-in repair about 18 months ago and I don't think the price has changed. Very efficient service, it went to central europe, but was returned within 2 days later. They do say it can take up to 10 days though. Take a backup first of course.
 
Fishrrman said:
OP:

If you're going to replace the battery (and it sounds like you NEED to), have it done at an Apple Store (or perhaps "by mail" to Apple) if there is any way possible to do this.

It will cost a little more than "doing it yourself" or perhaps having a 3rd-party service outfit do it.

But... for the extra money, you get:
- an Apple-labeled OEM battery
- installation (if something goes wrong, THEY fix it)
- a short warranty.

In the US, I think the charge is $199. Will be a little more in the UK.
But if you plan to keep using the 2015 for several more years, it's worth it.
Click to expand...
Thank you.
 
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