where to get cheaper MB 13" battery? 18 month old, 1.5hr battery life is acceptable?

[clevin]

18 months old MB, now holds 55% of original power, last 1.5 hrs.

the part on apple's website http://store.apple.com/1-800-MY-APPLE/WebObjects/AppleStore.woa/wa/RSLID?revw=MA561LL/A costs $129 anywhere I can get reliable, but relatively cheaper price?

PS. the reviews for the battery aren't good, as you can read there, many ppl complain about "annual subscription of $130"...

 

[cmcbridejr]

Try to get an Apple Genius to give you a free battery at the Apple Store.

If your MacBook is over 18 months old, then you probably have a core duo.

Those particular models had problems with the battery, and so, Apple extended the warranty another year.

My mom has already exchanged 3 batteries due to problems.

Much better than paying $130 for Apple's mistake on quality control.

 

[clevin]

Those particular models had problems with the battery, and so, Apple extended the warranty another year.

really? i definitely will call them today. thanks for the info.

 

[WildCowboy]

If Apple won't replace it for free, you might want to check FastMac. They have a third-party battery for $100 that has a slightly higher capacity than the standard Apple battery.

 

[aross99]

I had two different MacBooks that had the batteries exchanged. Both were over a year old. Apple posted a Warranty Extension on the MacBook batteries for up to 24 months.

One of the keys though is that the cycle count (under System Profiler) is less than 300.

I had one at 170 and one at 320, and they decided to replace BOTH of them. You can call them also, instead of going into the Genius bar if you want. The guy I talked to on the phone was great - and exchanged both of them right away. I had a replacement in a couple of days...

Here is the link:

http://www.apple.com/support/macbook_macbookpro/batteryupdate/

I told them mine was only holding a charge for about an hour and a half, and that when the battery % got down to about 40% it just went to sleep, with no warning...

I would try calling them first, then go to the Genius if that fails...

Good Luck!

 

[clevin]

I had two different MacBooks that had the batteries exchanged. Both were over a year old. Apple posted a Warranty Extension on the MacBook batteries for up to 24 months.

One of the keys though is that the cycle count (under System Profiler) is less than 300.

I had one at 170 and one at 320, and they decided to replace BOTH of them. You can call them also, instead of going into the Genius bar if you want. The guy I talked to on the phone was great - and exchanged both of them right away. I had a replacement in a couple of days...

Here is the link:

http://www.apple.com/support/macbook_macbookpro/batteryupdate/

I told them mine was only holding a charge for about an hour and a half, and that when the battery % got down to about 40% it just went to sleep, with no warning...

I would try calling them first, then go to the Genius if that fails...

Good Luck!

thanks, mine is 73, I will call them today and goto store if necessary later this week.

Thanks all for the info.

 

[clevin]

Just Update for you guys, apple rep told me 1.5 hrs battery life is acceptable, the replacement is only for the situation when your battery only lasts about 10 minutes.....


I will be heading local stores this weekend, see what they say.

PS. one of the concern (a big one) I have when deciding if I should keep purchasing stuff for this MB (like leopard, etc) is just the quality of this MB. It just always felt like it will die on me soon.