"Service Battery" warning - what can be done?

My 15" Mid-2009 Macbook Pro is giving the 'Service Battery" warning. System information says:

Battery Information:

Model Information:

Serial Number: W0934AD9777VA

Manufacturer: SMP

Device Name: bq20z451

Pack Lot Code: 0

PCB Lot Code: 0

Firmware Version: 3

Hardware Revision: 3

Cell Revision: 100

Charge Information:

Charge Remaining (mAh): 4477

Fully Charged: Yes

Charging: No

Full Charge Capacity (mAh): 4477

Health Information:

Cycle Count: 377

Condition: Service Battery

Battery Installed: Yes

Amperage (mA): -1157

Voltage (mV): 12156

So it looks as if the battery is OK, but it is not charging properly. I obviously have to take it to be repaired - but what can they do? I understood that they can't replace the battery, so what are the options? It has only been through 377 charge cycles - that doesn't sound a lot to me - but is it? Shouldn't a laptop that's only just over 2 1/2 years old still have a perfectly good battery??

MacBook Pro, Mac OS X (10.7.1), 2.66GHz Core 2 Duo - 4GB 1TB

Posted on Apr 17, 2012 12:45 PM

Feb 16, 2016 8:40 AM in response to Fustbariclation

mine macbook pro says service battery too. Just back up your hdd, buy an ssd and restore your OS on the SSD. My macbook is like a completely new computer. It doesnt burn my legs, it doesnt take 10 min to start up, or 5 min to switch between programs. Incredible what a little hardware change can do. and i didnt even restore the back up i just put mine to the side for a little, ill figure out what to do with it later. But for now i am loving my super fast and awesome macbook.

I still might service my battery, 120 is not bad. i bought mine in 12/2011. I consider over 4 years of use really good. considering my pc laptop only lasted 1 year before i got crazy viruses. I just put ubuntu on that one and use it for test projects. macbook