'service battery' message for cycle count 129. New 2nd hand mac

[maywa95]

Hi, I just bought a second hand macbook air (mid 2012 - A1466 13") last week, and i did all the checks recommended to do online (including the Apple Hardware Test and checking the battery health - which both showed up as 'normal' and the battery cycle count was on 128). The mac is in perfect condition, and the guy said its mostly been in a box.
Then 2 days later i look under the drop down bit under the battery icon in the top right hand corner and it says 'service battery', and i check the cycle count and its now on 129.
Obviously as i bought it 2nd hand its not under warranty so i can't take it into apple to get a new battery or get it 'serviced' (apparently £129 just to 'service' - does this include a new battery if needed?) without it costing a fortune.
So i did the 1st step from this page (havent had time for the 2nd one yet): https://www.maketecheasier.com/fix-service-battery-warning-mac/

but its still showing service battery. without this message, you wouldn't know any different as the laptop is running the same, completely fine. Although i downloaded a battery health app and it says 48% health which really doesn't seem good!

How likely is it that it will conk out soon? I read that macs should be good up to 1000 cycle counts, and definitely over 500!
Should i get rid now before it does die?
Advice??

 

[Audit13]

Batteries degrade over time even when not in use.

What is the maximum charge held by the battery? You can check by using an app from coconut flavor.

Tried an smc and nvram reset?

 

[Mrbobb]

Batteries have shelf life, so they degrade just by sitting there.

Apple battery service is a new battery, you next step is clear.

 

[saulinpa]

If it is working now it will most likely continue to work for some time.

Follow the other steps of that link. From the calibration you will have an idea of how many minutes/hours the battery will keep that laptop running. If the time isn't acceptable then think about replacing the battery.

 

[JonLa]

I asked about the Service Battery message and all it means is that it has dropped below a certain capacity to hold charge - there's no sensor there to check whether it's degrading, damaged or dangerous.

 

[maywa95]

Ah okay thats very interesting thankyou, i think ill leave it then ubtil absolutly necessary. I phoned Apple and the woman said it can really vary on how long it can last and hers has for 5 years so i think ill see how it goes!

 

[Smeaton1724]

I bought a second hand Macbook Air 2015 11'' model from a seller on Gumtree last week, battery cycles 476, health 93%. Status showing as normal.

Personally I would arrange a service appointment at an Apple store, to me it seems like the battery you have either isn't genuine or faulty. Run Coconut Battery (a free application https://coconut-flavour.com/coconutbattery/) and see if the age of the battery ties up to the age of the Mac.