Late 2008 MB Unibody Battery Health

[Burning Radio]

Hey Guys, Been a long time since I've posted but I have a new issue with my 2.5 year old 13" Macbook Aluminum Unibody (5,1) (HOLY CRAP! 2.5 YEARS!).

This morning I opened my Macbook that had been charging overnight and the battery icon was red and indicated that I need to replace it soon. While I have noticed the battery life has greatly diminished, I didn't realize it was so close to needing replaced. I normally get 2 hours max out of a full charge and it's been fine for how I use it. I just carry my adapter all the time with me. In the past year, I have drained the battery to empty quite a few times (that damn 1.5 hours of battery time gives you hardly any time to do anything. )

So my question is, does this look like a healthy battery for it's age and load cycle. I have AppleCare and would love it if I could take this in and have it somehow be considered a "Manufacturing defect" but I'm sure it won't be considering the age.

Do these figures look in line with the age and cycle load of the battery?

 

[kierennyc]

Just buy a new one. I have the same machine (Oct 2008) and after 3 years I finally bit the bullet and bought a new battery. I was getting under 2 hours off a charge with normal usage. I opted for a cheap 3rd party replacement from amazon and I now get close to 4 hours. Dont be scared to go 3rd party. Its $40 well spent.

 

[GGJstudios]

So my question is, does this look like a healthy battery for it's age and load cycle.

Your battery should retain up to 80% of its original capacity for up to 1000 cycles. Since you're below that, take it to Apple for a replacement. This should answer most, if not all, of your battery questions:

Apple Notebook Battery FAQ​