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    Bulging Battery

    Discussion in 'Apple and Mac OS X' started by mmoy, Jul 16, 2012.

  1. mmoy

    mmoy Notebook Deity

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    I noticed this today when I went to put my MBP in my bag to leave.

    I immediately removed it from the computer and carried it separately.

    I made an appointment at the local Genius bar, went in and took out the computer and the battery. The guy called in the back for a new battery, installed it and I was done. No paperwork at all.

    I was prepared to spend the $130 for a new battery, and complain about it but it appears that this is a known problem and they fix it gratis.

    This is on a 4.5 year-old MBP that has been out of warranty for 3.5 years.
     
    mmoy, Jul 16, 2012
    #1
  2. Thors.Hammer

    Thors.Hammer Notebook Enthusiast

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    They were probably more worried about the explosion risk and resulting suit that could have come from it.

    Glad it didn't blow.
     
    Thors.Hammer, Jul 16, 2012
    #2
  3. mmoy

    mmoy Notebook Deity

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    I had read that they replaced the battery for free in some cases and not in others on the Apple Support forums. I had my arguments ready in case they weren't willing to cover it.

    Yes, there's the explosion risk which is why they did the iPod Nano recall (still need to send mine in). I guess if they didn't cover it, one could always just say that they will put the old one back in and still use it. I was ready to say something about a class-action suit too. I was really looking for them to cover 50% of the cost as the battery is pretty old. It probably means that I get an extra 30-45 minutes running on battery now.
     
    mmoy, Jul 17, 2012
    #3
  4. saturnotaku

    saturnotaku Notebook Nobel Laureate

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    I think there was a recall on these models because I had a 2007 MBP 15, and when I took it in to the Apple Store for a different issue, they swapped out the battery at the same time. This was in 2010 and my machine was out of warranty as well.
     
    saturnotaku, Jul 17, 2012
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  5. Tsunade_Hime

    Tsunade_Hime such bacon. wow

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    I don't believe Apple had an official recall on the battery. The pre-unibody batteries will bulge until the touchpad does not work. They should be replaced ASAP.
     
    Tsunade_Hime, Jul 17, 2012
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  6. mmoy

    mmoy Notebook Deity

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    The first time I brought in my 2008 MBP was late in 2011 for a video issue and they swapped out the motherboard. If they had swapped out the battery, I'd expect it to have been in the paperwork. I also wouldn't have expected the battery to fail in 9 months when the old one did.

    In a proper recall, they send you notices to bring it in as opposed to a silent recall where they fix it when you bring it in for another reason.
     
    mmoy, Jul 17, 2012
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  7. dbam987

    dbam987 wicked-poster

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    I used to have a MBP15 (2007) and had a power-related issue back then. The battery wasn't bulging, but whenever I removed the power cord from the laptop it would shut off. They replaced the battery for free and I was good as new again. And I was out of warranty too.

    I like having a local place I can take my laptop to for service, and Apple's Genius Bar ranks high on my list.
     
    dbam987, Jul 18, 2012
    #7