battery cycle count/battery life and Thunderbolt ports

There is a lot more to battery health and life than the cycle count. You can have a battery with an extremely low cycle count that can be worn out when the Battery's Full Charge Capacity drops below 80% of Design Capacity (unfortunately Apple doesn't provide an easy way to get this information so most users have to end up using Coconut Battery to get this information). Of course for some people a battery with a Full Charge Capacity below 80% is still Ok depending on how the laptop is used. A battery can also develop a hardware fault at any time regardless of the age, cycle count, or Full Charge Capacity. The older a battery is the more likely it will have diminished capacity and the more likely it will develop a hardware fault.

Edit: I completely agree with @etresoft that it is dangerous purchasing a used Mac anywhere but directly from Apple. If the used Mac ever has the firmware password lock enabled and you don't have the password, then you will never be able to remove the firmware lock because you won't have the necessary valid proof of purchase to prove ownership of the Mac so Apple can remove the firmware lock.

I highly recommend you perform a clean install of macOS on the laptop by first erasing the whole physical drive before reinstalling macOS. This will immediately let you know if the laptop has a firmware lock enabled plus you may discover whether the laptop is still being managed by the previous owner since usually a message will appear when setting up the new OS. However, you don't always get a notification message about the Mac being managed so this is not a fool proof method. I sometimes see the management notification appear after running a clean install of macOS for several days and it is easy to miss the message. Keep in mind if the previous owner is still managing the Mac, then the previous owner is able to control the installation of software, impose restrictions on the Mac, and may even be able to remotely access and control the Mac.

Hey mymrman01,

If we understand correctly, you want to know if the battery cycle count is same as the battery condition. The Maximum Cycle Count is different depending on the year of the MacBook Pro. Once it reaches the maximum number it should be considered consumed. You will also be notified if service is recommended regardless of the cycle count.

"Your battery is designed to retain up to 80% of its original charge capacity at its maximum cycle count. For best performance, replace your battery when you reach its maximum cycle count. "

Determine battery cycle count for Mac notebooks

Check the condition of your Mac notebook’s battery

Please don't hesitate to let us know if you need additional assistance.

Thank you for using Apple Support Communities. Have a good one.

mymrman01 wrote:

the Thunderbolt ports seem to be loose. Is that normal?

It is pretty normal for a used computer. It has probably been reconstructed from parts on eBay.

I'm not sure what you mean about "The MBP is guaranteed to have 80% battery life". The reference from mario49 is specific to Apple's policy for battery service. If you have some other guarantee from your seller, then that is something different.

There is no guarantee that Apple will honour that battery service policy if your computer has been disassembled and/or reconstructed. If the Thunderbolt ports are loose, that sounds very likely that it is such a reconstruction.

I always tell people to never buy a user Mac under any circumstances. Apple sells refurbished equipment on its web site, but that is the only place to get certified refurbished equipment. Anything else is "used" and is likely something that has been reconstructed from spare parts.