MacBook battery just 'died'

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ahmad

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#57316 9-Feb-2010 15:38

2 year old MacBook, used to offer me a very decent up to 5-6 hours of usage off a full charge. Battery had been conditioned/cycled from time to time and never seemed to have any problems.

Suddenly I turn it on today (battery was exhausted of charge) and 10.6 reports batttery "not charging" and condition is "replace battery".

Now system profiler tells me that there is a cycle count of about 130, which isn't much is it?

I've never ever in my life had a laptop battery *completely* die on me, and I still have old Mac and PC laptops that still charge/discharge the battery, even if the battery only lasts less than 30 minutes.

Apple annoys me no end because if you haven't purchased an expensive AppleCare warranty then they pretty much leave you stranded. "Well that's why we advise you to buy AppleCare...".

And talking to the overseas call centre is just useless - ever tried to explain what the Consumer Guarantees Act is to a foreigner at an overseas Level 1 helpdesk?

Any ideas or suggestions on the battery? I've wiped off the OS and reinstalled it, and reset the PM-something by holding down the power button for ages with everything unplugged - nothing has worked so far.

And is this the way batteries are meant to age??

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#297431 9-Feb-2010 17:18

Where did you buy the MacBook from originally?

gehenna

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#297433 9-Feb-2010 17:31

I've had a MB battery fail before. As long as you have AppleCare it's covered under warranty for replacement. Alternatively there may just be a fault somewhere in the SMC. Follow the steps on the Apple support website to reset the SMC Controller.

openmedia

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#297438 9-Feb-2010 17:52

Another option is to book a Live Ubuntu CD and check what it reports about the battery.

Generally known online as OpenMedia, now working for Red Hat APAC as a Technology Evangelist and Portfolio Architect. Still playing with MythTV and digital media on the side.

ahmad

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#297660 10-Feb-2010 14:24

Apple refused any responsibility. Can you say "Consumer Guarantees Act"?

I can't be bothered. Will look for a 2nd hand one.

Is this normal battery behaviour? I have several laptops ranging from 5 to 15 years old, both Mac and PC, and their batteries are sometimes poor, but never "completely dead".

gehenna

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#297663 10-Feb-2010 14:33

Like I said, I've had a battery fail. I've also seen a few examples of it over the years on another forum I frequent. Who have you been dealing with at Apple. I find that when you run into a brick wall with the regular CSR's you can often get good service out of the Customer Relations staff.

I had a big kerfuffle with some work that was done last year - service centre claimed it wasn't covered under warranty due to blaming me for causing the problem - I fought it as I didn't cause the problem, and once things got to the Customer Relations level things started moving quickly into my favour.

If you think you have a case to make with them, I'd suggest speaking with their Customer Relations staff. I agree that a battery should last longer than the 2 years you've had it. Mine failed into the end of the 3rd year and I suspect it was because of a faulty charging brick as that failed shortly after.

I would definitely try the SMC Reset before you go any further though, it's just a few keypresses on reboot and it does address a lot of hardware issues.

ahmad

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#297666 10-Feb-2010 14:37

You had AppleCare though right?

It annoys me that the AppleCare has proliferated in NZ based on wide acclaim for it overseas. In NZ the CGA should cover any hardware faults that AppleCare would do in the 3 years it is bought for, and then some.

Phone support for 3 years is about the only added value of AppleCare IMO.

Edit: I just went to see what SMC was all about and realised that I have already done it.

Didn't get a very sympathetic hearing from the Apple tech to be honest, and didn't feel like making more of a scene at the time.

gehenna

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#297672 10-Feb-2010 14:47

ahmad: You had AppleCare though right?

I do have Applecare on all the Apple computers I buy, not so much on the smaller items. However, I've also had work actioned outside of warranty periods by dealing with Customer Relations. Most recently was a cracked polycarbonate MacBook top case that I had replaced about 3 months after the AppleCare had expired.

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ahmad

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#297674 10-Feb-2010 14:51

I have noticed that there is a lot of goodwill on "out of AppleCare warranty" problems.

However I've seen little if any goodwill on "outside of 12 month warranty" problems. This is sad when NZ consumer law demands much better.

Who do you mean by Customer Relations? I have been dealing with the local service agent Magnummac.

gehenna

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#297678 10-Feb-2010 14:57

ahmad: I have been dealing with the local service agent Magnummac.

Well there's your problem there, they are the ones that caused me three months of stress and battling to get things fixed last year. Contact Apple directly on their support number. Discuss the issue with their CSR and if you have no joy, ask to be escalated to the Customer Relations reps. They are the ones you want to be talking to.

Mind you, was Magnum Mac the retailer you bought the Mac off? When you said the person you spoke with didn't recognise the CGA I assumed you meant a telephone CSR as they are based in Australia. If the physical retailer isn't accepting the CGA then you probably have grounds to explore legal options.

Ragnor

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#297680 10-Feb-2010 14:59

Didn't see you say where you brought it from.. Apple NZ store, Magnum mac, outside NZ?

NZ law does not apply if you purchased it overseas.

gehenna

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#297682 10-Feb-2010 15:02

Ragnor: Didn't see you say where you brought it from.. Apple NZ store, Magnum mac, outside NZ?

NZ law does not apply if you purchased it overseas.

Yep, and the benefit of AppleCare is that it does apply globally. Which is useful for someone like me that travels a lot for work - it means if I run into any problems with my Mac wherever I am I just need to find a service centre to get it repaired.

ahmad

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#297683 10-Feb-2010 15:04

Yes it was bought in NZ.

I will try talking to Apple thanks gehenna

ahmad

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#297694 10-Feb-2010 15:40

00800 7666 7666 is a free call right?

I've been put on hold several times for a long time but these guys sound really genuine and sympathetic (at the same time they explain why they can't help me out of (expressed) warranty).

exportgoldman

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#297697 10-Feb-2010 15:53

ahmad: I can't be bothered. Will look for a 2nd hand one.

Don't buy a second hand battery, Batteries only last a year to 18 months of good use which is why no laptop manafacturer give any more than a 12 month warranty on batteries. (You will find if you upgrade your warranty to 3 years the battery is still 12 months.)

I would check if the battery is part of the massive sony recall which affected IBM/Lenovo/HP/Sony/Apple etc , as Apple will then give you another for free.

http://www.appledefects.com/?p=277

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gehenna

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#297698 10-Feb-2010 15:53

Yep that's the number and it's free.

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