Taking my mid 2008 MBP to the Genius bar for Battery Issues

[borno24]

I have recently been getting the service battery message on my 15" MacBook Pro. I got this laptop at the end of June 08 and haven't had any major issues with it. However now that it is out of warranty it is having battery issues. On battery power it will usually last about an hour to an hour and a half before going dead. One interesting thing that happened a few days ago was when it was running on battery power the meter suddenly jumped from 21% to 51%. when at 51% the battery icon stayed red until it eventually drained from me using it. I am guessing that tomorrow at the genius bar I will have to buy a new $130 battery for my laptop or do you think its a more serious issue? Here are the stats from the system profiler on the battery.

Model Information:
Manufacturer: Sony
Device name: ASMB012
Pack Lot Code: 0000
PCB Lot Code: 0000
Firmware Version: 0110
Hardware Revision: 0500
Cell Revision: 0303
Charge Information:
Charge remaining (mAh): 3461
Fully charged: No
Charging: Yes
Full charge capacity (mAh): 3686
Health Information:
Cycle count: 281
Condition: Check Battery
Battery Installed: Yes
Amperage (mA): 389
Voltage (mV): 12592

 

[Jaro65]

I have recently been getting the service battery message on my 15" MacBook Pro. I got this laptop at the end of June 08 and haven't had any major issues with it. However now that it is out of warranty it is having battery issues. On battery power it will usually last about an hour to an hour and a half before going dead. One interesting thing that happened a few days ago was when it was running on battery power the meter suddenly jumped from 21% to 51%. when at 51% the battery icon stayed red until it eventually drained from me using it. I am guessing that tomorrow at the genius bar I will have to buy a new $130 battery for my laptop or do you think its a more serious issue? Here are the stats from the system profiler on the battery.

Model Information:
Manufacturer: Sony
Device name: ASMB012
Pack Lot Code: 0000
PCB Lot Code: 0000
Firmware Version: 0110
Hardware Revision: 0500
Cell Revision: 0303
Charge Information:
Charge remaining (mAh): 3461
Fully charged: No
Charging: Yes
Full charge capacity (mAh): 3686
Health Information:
Cycle count: 281
Condition: Check Battery
Battery Installed: Yes
Amperage (mA): 389
Voltage (mV): 12592

My 15" MBP is nearly identical to yours. I probably got it a couple of months after you. Mine was also showing the "service battery" message. I ended up taking to Apple Store a couple of weeks ago and after they ran a few tests, they gave me a new battery. I do have AppleCare though.

 

[Eddyisgreat]

Sounds like a battery issue. Use coconut battery to confirm load cycles and levels. Apple says that the batteries usable life is :

For Apple notebooks with removable batteries — such as previous generation MacBook and MacBook Pro computers — a properly maintained battery is designed to retain up to 80% of its original capacity at 300 full charge and discharge cycles. You may choose to replace your battery when it no longer holds sufficient charge to meet your needs.

Incase you're wondering Apple probably won't do anything with it (for free) since it's out of warranty.

 

[borno24]

Took it down today and it ended up that he battery was at the end of its life. The guy at the genius bar did diagnostics even with me being out of warranty. Ended up picking up a new battery at the apple store and everything seems to be ok now.