Battery status says Service Battery

Question

Level 1

10 points

Battery status says Service Battery

The Condition field in the power section of the system report for my MacBook Pro says to "Service Battery". The cycle count is under half what the "Determining battery cycle count for Mac notebooks" webpage says it should be. My cycle count is 491, maximum is 1000. It's a Mid-2012 MacBook Pro so it's out of warranty and the usage time on battery is very erratic. It can report being at 50%, then dropout to the plug-in screen and not turn on until I connect the power.

Is there a way to recondition or re-calibrate the battery, without having to pay around $400 for Apple to replace it?

MacBook Pro with Retina display, OS X El Capitan (10.11.5)

Posted on Jun 9, 2016 9:51 PM

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Answer 1

Jun 9, 2016 9:53 PM in response to rob73m

If it turns out to be a hardware issue, this will not fix it, but try to reset the SMC: Reset the System Management Controller (SMC) on your Mac - Apple Support.

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Answer 2

alex7375

Level 3

702 points

Jun 9, 2016 10:26 PM in response to rob73m

I have the same Macbook and the same problem. Apple quoted me about $130 to replace the battery and add a NEW battery. Including parts.

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Answer 3

OGELTHORPE

Level 9

57,329 points

Jun 10, 2016 4:56 AM in response to rob73m

This is what SERVICE BATTERY means:

Note the last entry.

Here is the Apple battery price list:

If you wish to try third party batteries, I can only recommend NuPower or Anker based on the experience if veteran ASC participants. Avoid ebay bargains, they may cost you more in the long term.

Ciao.

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Answer 4

Jun 10, 2016 5:13 AM in response to rob73m

I am assuming you have the MacBook Pro Retina. On this model the whole top case/keyboard/battery needs to be replaced.

There is no way to re-condition the battery I am afraid. You are experiencing sudden shutdowns by the look of it too.

I assume you have been using the Apple original charger since you got the Mac?

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Answer 5

rob73m Author

Level 1

10 points

Jun 10, 2016 3:22 PM in response to Mike Dent

Yep, it is the Retina MacBook Pro. I did read that the battery is connected to the top case. I do get the random shutdowns, mostly when I start an app that does use a lot of power (i.e high CPU usage). I can be at above 30%, start an app and use it for about a minute, then the Mac just goes into the hibernation mode waiting for power. When I connect the power, it still reads above 30%.

I've only ever used the original charger, and have always tried to look after the battery - hence the cycle count only half after more than three years.

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Answer 6

rob73m Author

Level 1

10 points

Jun 10, 2016 3:28 PM in response to OGELTHORPE

I just checked again and the price is sitting at $309 (the Australian tax). I think that's too much for a machine that is coming up for replacement. Since the AUD is down, Apple's prices are just getting too expensive again which is annoying as I really like the MacBook Pro. Sadly, I think its time to look at alternatives again.

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