Battery replacement confusion

[TheBassBagwhan]

Hi everyone, sorry for the newbie confusion but I'm asking about my wife's laptop ... we're talking a 2013 13" MacBook Pro A1398 model, and the battery is behaving very badly -- won't last for long, constantly needs charging, and the machine itself has gremlins which my research suggests is caused by a bad battery.
We live in the country (Australia) and I called a city specialist who tells me it's not just a battery replacement, but a "top case" replacement with costs of around $470 for parts, plus labour, and an added $400 if Apple reject the exchange battery (or something).
So, this is at odds with supposedly compatible third-party batteries I'm seeing on the net, at most around $170 including a kit for replacing it. I'm reasonable confident I can do it, given my Windows PC building experiences.
But what's happening here? Are the third-party batteries I'm researching completely the wrong thing? I'm well aware of the risks of third-party components, but the costs through the specialist for a ten-year-old machine don't make sense whereas squeezing another few years out of the laptop for $170 is viable (if indeed it can be done). Happy to provide a serial number if needed.
Can someone please advise me on exactly what can or can't be done? Note the costs are in $AUS and the exchange rate ...

Cheers for any help.

 

[canuckRus]

Hi everyone, sorry for the newbie confusion but I'm asking about my wife's laptop ... we're talking a 2013 13" MacBook Pro A1398 model, and the battery is behaving very badly -- won't last for long, constantly needs charging, and the machine itself has gremlins which my research suggests is caused by a bad battery.
We live in the country (Australia) and I called a city specialist who tells me it's not just a battery replacement, but a "top case" replacement with costs of around $470 for parts, plus labour, and an added $400 if Apple reject the exchange battery (or something).
So, this is at odds with supposedly compatible third-party batteries I'm seeing on the net, at most around $170 including a kit for replacing it. I'm reasonable confident I can do it, given my Windows PC building experiences.
But what's happening here? Are the third-party batteries I'm researching completely the wrong thing? I'm well aware of the risks of third-party components, but the costs through the specialist for a ten-year-old machine don't make sense whereas squeezing another few years out of the laptop for $170 is viable (if indeed it can be done). Happy to provide a serial number if needed.
Can someone please advise me on exactly what can or can't be done? Note the costs are in $AUS and the exchange rate ...

Cheers for any help.

A1493 Battery for MacBook Pro 13" Retina A1502 Late 2013-2014

Replace a 6600 mAh battery compatible with MacBook Pro 13" Retina Late 2013 to Mid 2014 A1502 model laptops. 74.9 Watt Hours (Wh). 11.42 Volts (V).

www.ifixit.com

 

[halledise]

Hi everyone, sorry for the newbie confusion but I'm asking about my wife's laptop ... we're talking a 2013 13" MacBook Pro A1398 model, and the battery is behaving very badly -- won't last for long, constantly needs charging, and the machine itself has gremlins which my research suggests is caused by a bad battery.
We live in the country (Australia) and I called a city specialist who tells me it's not just a battery replacement, but a "top case" replacement with costs of around $470 for parts, plus labour, and an added $400 if Apple reject the exchange battery (or something).
So, this is at odds with supposedly compatible third-party batteries I'm seeing on the net, at most around $170 including a kit for replacing it. I'm reasonable confident I can do it, given my Windows PC building experiences.
But what's happening here? Are the third-party batteries I'm researching completely the wrong thing? I'm well aware of the risks of third-party components, but the costs through the specialist for a ten-year-old machine don't make sense whereas squeezing another few years out of the laptop for $170 is viable (if indeed it can be done). Happy to provide a serial number if needed.
Can someone please advise me on exactly what can or can't be done? Note the costs are in $AUS and the exchange rate ...

Cheers for any help.

these guys are your friends …
they're based in Pymble upgradeable

there's also Melbourne-based macfixit

the RAM's not upgradeable but you can sure put a faster SSD in it.
I put one of these in an 11" MBAir 2013 vintage and it is much improved.
SSD.
battery for yours … Macfixit Battery
but a non-genuine from eBay is much cheaper and just as good for an older Mac.
eBay
hope this helps

 

[Fishrrman]

Whoever that "specialist" was that you talked to, DON'T bother with his services again. That's what's called "a rip off".

If you're already confident working inside of PC's, you ought to be able to do this job.

I've never done it myself, but understand that the hardest part is "extracting" the old battery from the case, which I believe is glued in (or uses some other kind of adhesive). Time, care and patience is needed.

Have you gone to ifixit.com and viewed the replacement tutorial for the 2013 MBP?

 

[msackey]

If there is no damage to your laptop but you only need a battery replaced and/or if the battery had caused damage such as by an expanding battery pack, it is very possible that the top case would need to be replaced too. However, at least in the USA when this is performed by Apple, the top case would be covered as part of the battery replacement and would not be an additional cost so long as issues with the top case wasn't caused by damage that you made.

My husband's laptop (I think the model is 2015 MacBook Pro) had an expanding battery and that expansion resulted in some deformity of the case. Apple replaced the top case as part of replacing the battery and did NOT charge extra because the deformity was caused by the battery and nothing else.

On top of that, they also ended up replacing the LCD or something like that because I think something about the display connector or something needed replacement.

Total cost? Nothing more than the regular cost that Apple charges for replacing a battery for this very model.

Personally, I've experienced something similar. My 2017 MacBook Pro also needed a new battery and to replace it, Apple also replaced the top case for no extra charge.

 

[TheBassBagwhan]

Fantastic information, everyone. Thank you very much indeed.

 

[wilberforce]

I don't know your particular model, but I had a 2015 13" MBP which I assume is similar.
When Apple replaces the battery in one of these they replace the whole top case because the battery is glued into it. This is the easiest but most expensive option.
However if you (or a service outfit) is very careful the battery can be unglued (by solvent and/or dental floss and/or patience and persistence), meaning that only the cost of the battery is needed. On my MBP it cost me only $50 (USD). It does rank on the difficult end of the DIY scale, though, and not for those uncomfortable with dismantling computers. There are some delicate cables that need to be released.