battery woes on mba refurb

[sbb155]

I bought a refurb MBA and I wanted to add some information.
The battery discharges very quickly: screen on lowest brightness, no video, just wifi, no video on the web
It has gone down from 100 to 84% in 21 minutes.

Can someone tell me if the battery info below is normal and if this behaviour is normal?




Charge Information:
Charge Remaining (mAh): 3924
Fully Charged: No
Charging: No
Full Charge Capacity (mAh): 4628
Health Information:
Cycle Count: 9
Condition: Normal
Battery Installed: Yes
Amperage (mA): -719
Voltage (mV): 8008

System Power Settings:

AC Power:
System Sleep Timer (Minutes): 10
Disk Sleep Timer (Minutes): 10
Display Sleep Timer (Minutes): 10
Wake on AC Change: No
Wake on Clamshell Open: Yes
Wake on LAN: Yes
DeepSleep Delay: 4200
DeepSleep Enabled: 1
Display Sleep Uses Dim: Yes
Battery Power:
System Sleep Timer (Minutes): 10
Disk Sleep Timer (Minutes): 10
Display Sleep Timer (Minutes): 2
Wake on AC Change: No
Wake on Clamshell Open: Yes
Current Power Source: Yes
DeepSleep Delay: 4200
DeepSleep Enabled: 1
Display Sleep Uses Dim: Yes
Reduce Brightness: Yes

Hardware Configuration:

UPS Installed: No

AC Charger Information:

Connected: No
Charging: No

 

[KPOM]

That seems very quick. With only 9 cycles it should still be just about full capacity. Did you try calibrating the battery? See Apple's website for the full details, but basically let it run down completely (perhaps download "Caffeine" from the App store and let it run overnight), and then recharge it.

 

[BlackMax]

I bought a refurb MBA and I wanted to add some information.
The battery discharges very quickly: screen on lowest brightness, no video, just wifi, no video on the web
It has gone down from 100 to 84% in 21 minutes.

Can someone tell me if the battery info below is normal and if this behaviour is normal?

Even if you were running video or Flash I would say dropping 16% of the battery in 21 mins is a pretty quick discharge.

Is this something you can consistently reproduce? If you can consistently reproduce this behavior, I would walk into your closest Apple store and demonstrate this behavior for a Genius and see if they can explain it. Refurbs have a full warranty so worst case scenario you get a new MBA.

 

[GGJstudios]

I bought a refurb MBA and I wanted to add some information.
The battery discharges very quickly: screen on lowest brightness, no video, just wifi, no video on the web
It has gone down from 100 to 84% in 21 minutes.

Can someone tell me if the battery info below is normal and if this behaviour is normal?

First, you should calibrate your battery, to make sure your readings are accurate. Second, the displayed percentage or time remaining is only a constantly changing estimate, based on current power consumption.

This should answer most, if not all, of your battery questions: Apple Notebook Battery FAQ

 

[sbb155]

UPDATE:
Called apple, they said I can send back for a refund.
I am disappointed as this is my first refurb experience
I am sure others have good experiences, but I have soured on it.
Thanks for all the advice,

 

[macizcool]

UPDATE:
Called apple, they said I can send back for a refund.
I am disappointed as this is my first refurb experience
I am sure others have good experiences, but I have soured on it.
Thanks for all the advice,

Don't let a bad battery give you a bad impression of Apple's refurbished.

Apple did not make the battery. Unfortunately, batteries are volatile and unpredictable, and sometimes there is one that just doesn't do well (or they explode).

 

[sbb155]

apple DID make the Macbook air. The idea that they did not actually manufacture the battery is not relevant. They contracted for it to be made, and need to do their due diligence.

I know several are happy with refurbs. I thought I would listen to the advice here, but to me, it is like buying a used car. You may not get what you signed up for.

As soon as my credit card id credited, I am going to get a new macbook air. I am pretty disappointed in my experience. You would think that this would be known about - i read here that apple extensively tests the refurbs. My experience does not hold up with that. However, i know it seems that most are happy with refurbs. That is why I trusted it. never again.

 

[shamash]

apple DID make the Macbook air. The idea that they did not actually manufacture the battery is not relevant. They contracted for it to be made, and need to do their due diligence.

I know several are happy with refurbs. I thought I would listen to the advice here, but to me, it is like buying a used car. You may not get what you signed up for.

As soon as my credit card id credited, I am going to get a new macbook air. I am pretty disappointed in my experience. You would think that this would be known about - i read here that apple extensively tests the refurbs. My experience does not hold up with that. However, i know it seems that most are happy with refurbs. That is why I trusted it. never again.

Did you even try to trouble shoot it? Calibrate the battery? ETC?

 

[sbb155]

yep, did all, spent several calls with applecare. to no avail. battery drained in 70-80 minutes with no usage except word processing and brightness on one box. Should have been caught in refurb i think. Obviously this is why it was sent back before to apple i predict. I should have known that with a used product you MAY inherit a prior owner's problems.

 

[torbjoern]

How much would it cost to have the battery replaced?

 

[sbb155]

would have been free "if that was the problem, would take a few weeks"
I dont have a few weeks to mess around, time is money. I am not a h.s. student, i work for a living and need the item for corporate endeavors.

 

[KPOM]

UPDATE:
Called apple, they said I can send back for a refund.
I am disappointed as this is my first refurb experience
I am sure others have good experiences, but I have soured on it.
Thanks for all the advice,

Yes, that's disappointing. Apple's customer support scores have taken a bit of a hit as of late. That said, I have been very impressed with the Genius Bars. They do seem genuinely helpful. My suggestion is that if you are near an Apple Store, book an appointment and have them take a look at it. They may need to order a battery, but they might well replace it. The 11" is supposed to have a 5-hour battery, and the battery life you are getting is worse than what I was getting on my 2 year-old Rev B running Wi-Fi before I got the Rev D.

 

[torbjoern]

would have been free "if that was the problem, would take a few weeks"
I dont have a few weeks to mess around, time is money. I am not a h.s. student, i work for a living and need the item for corporate endeavors.

WEEKS?

 

[axu539]

Why not just order another one simultaneously, as you return the current one. Minimize lost time with the machine, and get your money's worth. Assuming you can find, or even want another refurb..