"Service Battery" warning - what can be done?

KennyPowers69-

That is probably just a coincidence, not a cause-and-effect.

I have an appointment at the Mac shop to get mine looked at. I have ignored the "service battery" warning for some months, but recently noticed the machine getting hoter that usual -- and one of the four feet fell off (the one undearneath the battery).

I'll post further remarks here.

I had this "service battery" status too, which appeared around the time I installed Mountain Lion. Today's 10.8.1 update fixed the problem for me, battery condition is now "normal".

Same here - "service battery" warning appeared after installing 10.8; disappeared (now "normal") after installing 10.8.1 update on my MBP...

Thanks for the in-depth respose. This is also my understanding of the situation. Here's the situation I'm facing, and I'm assume other face as well.

I don't have a desktop, so I use my MB Pro exclusively. Apple says not to keep the machine plugged in all the time - the battery likes to have a steady flow of electrons. So after charging the laptop to 100%, should I then unplug and let it run down for a while before plugging back in? If so, how much do I let it run down? 90%? 80%? 70%? 60%?

Notwithstanding the Mountain Lion battery life issue, what is the best practice for extending battery life for someone whose only computer is a laptop and who uses their machine 5+ hours per day?

I posted on this thread previously (with some shocking spelling errors, it seems) and said I’d update after getting more info. I took my Macbook to the Apple shop and they ran a test, indicating that the battery was at 70%, but that continuing to use it won’t cause it to overheat, explode, etc., and that heat is dissipated through the aluminium body anyway. However, I had been concerned because: (1) the “service battery” message, plus (2) the Macbook seemed to be getting unusually hot underneath the battery area, plus (3) the foot underneath the battery (back left) had recently snapped off. I wondered if it was heat related. Apparently not, although I still suspect it was heat-related.

The Apple shop did not try to persuade me to have the battery replaced, but said that if I didn’t want it done now, they could keep a record of the problems and I could return for the battery and foot replacement any time in the future, and they’d have it on record. I think they said that at around 60% it would definitely be noticeable etc. I’m actually about to lend that particular machine to a relative for many months while I’m abroad – but I thought I’d save them the hassle if there are more problems in future. And while swapping to a smaller Macbook for travels, now is the best time to be inconvenienced by a 5-7 day repair (as quoted, but it turned out to be less than 3 hours!).

So maybe, in hindsight, I was foolish to spend £99 on a new battery when the old one was only at 70%, plus about £30 or so for the new foot (which seemed extortionate!). Unfortunately they couldn’t do anything about the 3mm long thunderbug that recently climbed inside the screen, walked around for few days and then died. I’ll be forever wanting to remove it with Photoshop!

Curious to know what % other people’s batteries are at before replacing?

Collected the Mac today. New battery working fine. The bottom of the Mac is just warm after a few hours use. Whereas a couple of weeks ago I felt like I was burning my skin when using the Macbook on my lap while wearing shorts.

Definitely the right decision to replace the battery at 70% despite the cost.

I have the same issue but my battery seems to be working OK as to a almost 2years old battery.

At a certain point i bought a new charger and this message disappeared and two weeks later it appeared again.

Any ideias?

Here goes the diagnosis with coconutbattery and my mac pro features...

How do I find the battery info? Can I replace the battery myself?

Thanks,

David

You can do both things suggested here to check what is your battery state:

http://www.macyourself.com/2011/01/23/check-your-macs-battery-health-to-see-if-i t-needs-to-be-replaced/

Because my macpro is within warranty I contacted the nearest apple store (in this case not apple store but apple authorized store) and left it there to be replaced. I hope to pick it up soon with no costs.

The "service battery" warning had been appearing on and off and I noticed the battery getting warmer.

I believe you cannot replace it yourself and if you do warranty wise you will be no longer entitle to it.

Noting the age of your macbook pro (I have the same one), it sounds about right that you would be getting this notice. I got it last December, with only 179 cycles.. but you must understand that a cycle will only be recorded once the battery drops to about 33% and is then charged back up to 100%. If you are using your laptop mainly plugged in then it won't be going through as many cycles. You can take it in to Apple if you are non-technical and feel replacing the battery is something you don't want to do yourself. I purchased a new one online for $100 (apple original from China) and did it myself--apple screwdriver required but can be had for a few dollars through amazon. You can learn how to replace the battery yourself from this link: http://www.everymac.com/systems/apple/macbook_pro/macbook-pro-unibody-faq/macboo k-pro-13-15-17-mid-2009-how-to-replace-battery.html

I actually just placed my original battery back in to my computer as I figured I might as well get the full amount out of it as I still get almost 2 1/2 hours on it and am not travelling at the moment.. It's a pretty quick swap once you know what you are doing.

Coconut Battery program works great as you can save each diagnostic scan for your records.

http://www.coconut-flavour.com/

I hope this helps,

I recently got the same Service Battery warning . I got:

macbook late 2008 core2dou , I use it mainly plugged it. Here is my stats:

I was wondering how dangerous is the situation in continuing using the macbook without replacement? i really do not want to pay $130 for a new battery mainly because this computer was overpriced and underpowered when I got it. I really thought that laptops got powerful enough but it seems they are still weak and have hard time against a desktop machine so I do not look for further investment...unless it is going to explode in my face.

Can I just use the laptop without a battery attached?

Hello,

From looking at your chart it is still giving you 63% so I would just continue using it.. leaving it on the computer at least it will give you a few minutes which is better then removing the battery altogether. Because if you remove it then the power cord gets pulled accidentally your system shuts down and you lose everything.. even if you have 5 minutes of power left on your battery you are better to leave it connected. You can not blow up your battery if you have a legitimate apple battery as it has built in tech that prevents over charging, etc.

Note that I did pick up a macbook replacement battery (not an apple one but certified ok) through Fry's over a year ago to have as a second battery and it only cost $68 so that may also be a good alternative.

As for leaving the battery in place...

... that is very important. Desktop systems use large capacitors to "smooth out" fluctuations in the DC power. Notebooks have no such big capacitors, but rely on the battery to do that job.

If you remove the battery, you are removing the device that smooths out power fluctuations, and exposing your computer to much larger disturbances in its power input. Noisy power without anything to buffer it can kill your computer.

I used to have a Thinkpad with a battery that died so fast in its lifetime, I probably used it without battery for a longer time because i wanted a "lighter" laptop while using it and the battery add some extra weight xD

glad nothing happened due to my ignorance