Q: MacBook Pro Battery 'Service Battery' after Snow Upgrade

{quote:title=Phil Luthman wrote:}
UPDATE: Apple Replaced My Battery!

I too have the first generation MBP 2.16Ghz, and the original battery from August 2006. While on a business trip, my battery capacity read 0%. I open Coconut Battery, 0% max capacity. Interesting I thought since I was consistently getting 60%, then 38% before leaving on my trip. After letting it sit overnight plugged in, I was back up to 42%. I did a drain, it went to sleep, recharged, and I was holding at 38% again.

I figured it was worth a shot to call Applecare since I was only getting maybe 1 hour out of the battery. They stated that since I was under 300 charge cycles and that it definitely was underperforming, that it would be covered under Applecare. They next-day air me the battery, and I'm using it now.

Key difference? It's NOT a Sony Battery, here are my new specs. I suggest you all call Apple and get your batteries replaced! I'm very satisfied with their customer service, and the tech was fantastic.

-Ciao

Battery Information:

Model Information:
Serial Number: SMP-ASMB012-378b-83c
Manufacturer: SMP
Device name: ASMB012
Pack Lot Code: 0002
PCB Lot Code: 0000
Firmware Version: 0110
Hardware Revision: 0500
Cell Revision: 0200
Charge Information:
Charge remaining (mAh): 5458
Fully charged: Yes
Charging: No
Full charge capacity (mAh): 5458
Health Information:
Cycle count: 1
Battery health: Good
Battery Installed: Yes
Amperage (mA): 22
Voltage (mV): 12620
{quote}

I quote the last reply from the link you used. Now it seems the policy was to replace batteries below 300 charges and now you say that after 150 is normal they will die. There's obviously some inconsistency.

Moreover: I went back into the story of this thing and I discovered an update for 10.4 that was aimed to solve some issues concerning the battery (so it is not impossible that software issues are related to performance of the battery). I realize that in system/library/systemconfiguration we miss the batteryupdater.bundle that was related to this software update. Link to the documentation:

http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1403?viewlocale=en_US

I don't claim to know if this is related with our problem, I would simply like to stress what to my eyes is an incongruence between how battery life was supposed to be before this problem has arise and after. I want every investigation to be carried out and, if it is sony's fault, to have my battery duly replaced by them or apple.

Well 've just upgraded to 10.6.3 and so far the battery life is better than it was - under 1.5.2 the battery would die after about 10 mins - if that. I have now had the machine running for 20 mins and counting!

If the battery makes it past 80% and is still going I'll be surprised. Just watched a short video to try and drain it. Currently at 87%. I still have a "service battery" message, but the battery indicator is showing 1hr plus of usage left in it.... lets' see if this is right.

Wil try and reset anyway after it goes off....

Andy

OK so my machine cut off when the battery was at 86% full. Would someone at Apple please find a fix for this soon. My MBP has become totally desk bound! What a total disaster!

In the mean time can I please ask everyone reading this thread to send a bug report to Apple here:

http://www.apple.com/feedback/macbookpro.html

The more complaints they receive the more chance we have of fixing this.

Andy

Spoke to Apple in France and there is no 'official" recognition of the problem, but when I spoke to one local Apple repair shop they said that they had seen this problem in several Macbooks. So it looks like i am going to have to spend yet more money on my £1200 machine...great.

Seems that some people is not aware yet...

Look at this thread, how many posts and reads. It is obvious, Apple is ignoring this and there will be no fix, get a new Macbook Pro, thats the fix...


<Edited by Host>

{quote:title=ventu wrote:}{

I quote the last reply from the link you used. Now it seems the policy was to replace batteries below 300 charges and now you say that after 150 is normal they will die. There's obviously some inconsistency.

I completely agree , ventu. As I have said repeatedly here , the problem is with the batteries. They don't last as long as they should (or as long as Apple claimed they would).

I don't claim to know if this is related with our problem, I would simply like to stress what to my eyes is an incongruence between how battery life was supposed to be before this problem has arise and after. I want every investigation to be carried out and, if it is sony's fault, to have my battery duly replaced by them or apple.

It has long seemed to me that many of the regular posters in this thread have been "missing the point". It doesn't really make any significant difference whether you are running SL or Leopard or Tiger on a non-Unibody MBP. People running all of these OS's are experiencing a large number of premature failures with them. By trying to blame it all on SL they divert attention from what, as you say, is a serious matter of broader concern - the problems with these batteries in general and their failure to live up to the original claims made for them.

Cheers

Rod

hello thereeee??
Reading issues?
Just wondering, since lots of people, me included, are experiencing exactly the same problem with a brand new Apple battery...so..how is that?
Or Apple keeps selling bad batteries, or SL affected them in some way, or something serious happened to our MacbookPro, beside te battery issue.

"+Lots of people...are experiencing exactly the same problem with a brand new Apple battery"+ Merak????

Really? I can only see three or four people (including you) suggesting that they have experienced problems after getting a "brand new battery" in this entire thread of 1221 posts. I can see many, many , many more posts (dozens of them) here from people who indicate that their problems no longer occured after they replaced their batteries.

Cheers

Rod

Rod, one interesting point from one of the techs I spoke to was that people should have calibrated their battery immediately upon installing SL, to avoid the ensuing battery problems. I am going to have to buy a new battery which I have been assured will not die. If it does then what? Andy

If you buy the battery through the normal retail process it comes with a regular twelve month warranty as I understand it, ajophoto.

Cheers

Rod

If you purchased the battery at retail price, rather than having it replaced under warranty, Mac Proc DC, then you should take it in and get it replaced under the 12 month warranty. It is clearly defective.

Rod

blieux wrote:
I have a new battery 62 cycles and now the machine just random powers off and the service error is back.

Sounds like the "Service Battery" message is all too accurate in your case, then, blieux!

Cheers

Rod

Goodmorning,

I also installed Snow Leopard a couple of days ago and yesterday after upgrading the ram to 4gb's. Noticed that the service battery message is now being displayed.

Here is my battery info from the System Profiler:

Battery Information:

Model Information:
Manufacturer: Sony
Device name: ASMB012
Pack Lot Code: 0001
PCB Lot Code: 0000
Firmware Version: 0110
Hardware Revision: 0500
Cell Revision: 0303
Charge Information:
Charge remaining (mAh): 2858
Fully charged: Yes
Charging: No
Full charge capacity (mAh): 2925
Health Information:
Cycle count: 74
Condition: Check Battery
Battery Installed: Yes
Amperage (mA): 0
Voltage (mV): 12377

If anyone can give me any info on my battery information that would be great. As I've read through several pages here and have tried to reset the smc and have now also tried to recalibrate the battery...Only after resetting the smc did the message disappear but the come back a couple of minutes later...Also now that the battery is fully charged it only shows a percentage of 98%....

Thanks,

Greg

MBP shuts down unexpectedly with tons of battery power left. Battery cycle count is 120 today (April 11, 2010).

This problem had been addressed back in 2008. The battery was replaced as well as the logic board and a bunch of other stuff to address this problem.

Every part on my MBP has been replaced except the button that opens it. I'm surprised it wasn't deemed a lemon. Now that Apple Care is over and the same problems are occurring again I'm worried.