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White MacBook Battery Bulge

Apple denies new battery

I have the same issue with my black macbook bought in May 2007 with the apple care expiring last year. The battery bulge is warping my trackpad, so I took it to the NYC genius bar today. I was told that it is a common issue and there is no safety issues with it. The battery still holds charge for 2 hours, so I told him that I would not want to waste my money in getting a new battery so I asked if it would be alright if I still use the battery and it would not be a safety issue if I do so. I was told again that it was not a safety issue and according to him the battery cells expanding is normal. I did not expect this from the apple tech guys as it is a safety issue. If they wanted to deny me a free battery they just had to tell me that I have to get a new one as this is unsafe for further use.
 
Apple Care Is Replacing my Bulging Battery

When I phoned Apple Care (I'm a good four hours' drive from a Genius Bar), I mentioned this MacRumors thread. It took 24 minutes on the phone, and a discussion with a senior advisor, but Apple is replacing my bulging battery. I had to let them put a $133 charge on my credit card, and the senior advisor said it would be removed as soon as Apple receives my old battery.

It's definitely worth a phone call and some persistence. My Macbook is about five years old, too.
 
I had mine replaced this weekend, no questions asked. Pretty sweet having 3h battery life again. I may have my share of beefs with Apple, but doing this on a warranty-expired 97 Macbook is the kind of thing that will keep me a customer. :)

For those who weren't succesful, I'm sorry and really advise trying again. Ideally at a different store if possible, but just dealing with a different person at the Genius bar might be enough.
 
Can some of you post pics of your bulging batteries? I want to see to the extent yours are bulged, im not sure if mine is slightly bulging or what.
 
Same issue here with an 08 Macbook. It is impacting the trackpad/keyboard I called Apple and they wouldnt do anything but offer a replacement for $100.
 
I had the same problem, my battery wasn't very swollen yet, but it was starting to. I took it to an Apple Store (Japan) and they offered to change it straight away, no questions asked. I have a MacBook 4,1 (early 2008).
 
For everyone getting shot down, GO TO A DIFFERENT STORE! This is a safety issue and Apple's employees are well aware of the situation. They WILL swap the battery out. If you are getting shot down, take down the employee's ID number, speak to a manager, and/or give Apple Care a call. Don't forget to drop the employee's ID number when speaking to the manager or AC representative.
 
I've got the same issue, an 18 month old mac pro and the battery is bulging to the extent that the housing under the screws which holds the battery down have cracked

Have a genius appointment tomorrow so will update on the outcome
 
Well, I believed the hype and tried to get Apple to replace my bulging battery on my late 2007 Macbook that I bought in late 2007.

They said it was a normal end-of-life event, and would I like to buy a battery while we were on the line?

I haven't got that kind of time to waste, found a replacement on Amazon for $37 with shipping and it's over with. I've spent enough time on hold.

Love Apple, but their customer support maze is a joke.
 
received replacement battery in danbury, ct

since i found this thread very useful in getting my replacement battery, i just wanted to continue it. my 2008 macbook, was 63 days out of the 3 year applecare warranty. the gb guy looked up my macbook's warranty status, and then asked a manager for approval to replace the battery, even though the warranty was more than 45 days expired. it's too bad the apple stores can't be consistent in their actions with these batteries.
 
new battery

white macbook 2007, swollen battery, nyc 5th ave. apple store, free battery, no questions asked.
 
I use 13" white Macbooks in consoles (vending machines) and of the 20 i have in the field every single one of them has suffered from a swollen battery, and in some cases failure rate is re-occurring within 12 months.

I have given up using genuine Apple batteries, the cost is too high, if they are going to fail might as well use cheap non-genuine ones for $40. It seems obvious Apple never solved the issue but rather just replaced batteries and trusting another couple of years will see out the life of the Macbook.

We have measured the temps in our consoles, they are well within the recommended operating temperatures. My only conclusion is that because we run these macbooks 24/7 and with AC power always connected that accelerates the swelling of the batteries.

Therefore I think this indicates that if normal macbook users are also suffering from the swollen Macbook problems, then it is because you leave yours turned on and connected to AC way too much. I could be wrong, but I think that our experience with over 20 macbooks in controlled environments is significant.

Here is an image of a Battery that failed 2 weeks ago, after 4 years of dedicated service. It astounds me that it lasted this long, some have failed with only a mm or two of swelling.
2011-11-15%25252010.19.34.jpg


p.s. I realise I have posted this message on another thread, but I since realised this thread was more appropriate.
 
I have a white Macbook that will be 3 years old in May. The battery has recently swelled out and stopped working. The Macbook is still under Applecare.

I made an appointment and took it to the Genuis Bar today and was told that the battery is treated as a consumable and has come to the end of it's life, and isn't covered under applecare. They said I could purchase a new battery for AUD$150 (I'm in Sydney, Australia).

I didn't buy the battery. I'm going to try the shop that I bought the Macbook from and see if they will replace it.
 
I had mine replaced over a year ago when it was 6 months out of warranty, no questions asked. At first I didn't even think it was a battery issue - thought it was something with my trackpad because it kept sticking or mistakenly clicking. The battery was barely swollen - guy had to take it out and level it to be sure.

No questions asked swap for free. While I'm glad at Apple's wonderfully easy and free replacements (2x cracked top case [1 out of warranty], a split wire power adapter out of warranty, as well as this battery), I never had to get any repairs on my previous Windows laptops. I just keep hoping my 5 year old MacBook keeps chugging along.

I second the going back and trying again with someone else explaining the issue. If the battery blows up, it's their fault. Just like the faulty "T" adapters.
 
Early 2008 MacbookPro Battery bulged

My MacbookPro's battery stopped from being charged a few days ago. Now, it's bulged after 3.5 years of service and ~280 load cycles. :(

Unfortunately, the next Apple Store is a 400km highway ride away. Yes, there is no Apple Store in Berlin! :(

AltsGA6CQAA2QZE.jpg
 
Ominous Macbook battery bulge

My wife and I have not one, but TWO Macbooks, both now out of warranty. Issue: trackpad stopped working. Took to Local (Singapore) Mac agent, who charged about $400 to replace top cover, which didn't fix the problem. Then they told us the battery was faulty. (To the naked eye, only one of the original batteries appears to have a bulge, but they didn't give me a spec.) They refused to replace either battery, have "no information" on a recall. Instead they suggested I purchase a new battery for about $200 US. Very disappointing.

sejtam said:
Here in SG they just refused this to me, with a macbook that was purchased in June 2006 and thus is just half a year out of warranty.
They claim no recall program, it's not their problem. I spoke to their customer service in AU and all they offered is SGD 45 off an SGD 232 replacement battery.
Click to expand...
 
What causes the battery to bulge? I have a late 2009 MacBook. Which notebooks are affected by the battery problem?
 
I had this problem 6 months ago with my mb, They replaced my battery, top case and display jewel for free. However, recently my mom's mb got the bulge battery problem and they refused to replace the battery. I guess I'll try different store.
 
zozo2k3 said:
I had the same problem, my battery wasn't very swollen yet, but it was starting to. I took it to an Apple Store (Japan) and they offered to change it straight away, no questions asked. I have a MacBook 4,1 (early 2008).
Click to expand...

Hey Zozo, Thank you for posting this. I'm having the same problem and live in Tokyo. Which store did you go to?
 
Hello

heliockjent said:
Hello molson2k.
I faced same problem like you had but I also went to the Apple store within half hour they Apple replace defecting or bulging batteries free of charge.
I think they care of their customer.
Click to expand...

I am also facing same problem from few days thanks for help.
 
Many of you are far luckier than I was. When I went to my local Apple Store, they refused to replace my battery. Since it was several years old, I couldn't justify spending over $100 for a new battery. I searched on eBay and found a replacement for about $40 (I think they can be found for even less money now). It was not an Apple part but it has worked fine for over one year now and it looks just about identical to the genuine Apple batteries.
 
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