Resolved "Service Battery" Warning?

[KUguardgrl13]

I just noticed today that my 2009 MBP has a Service Battery notification on the battery menu. Is this anything to be truly concerned about? I don't relish the idea of paying for a new battery install on a 4 year old machine. I'm a college student and need a reliable laptop that won't die on me.

 

[Macman45]

Given it's age and the number of cycles, you only have one option. Change the battery. If it's not showing any adverse signs of swelling etc, then you can happily continue to use it on the power cord, but if you want portability, then anew battery is the way to go.

Don't be tempted to try and save money by using a non Apple replacement either, a search of these boards will reveal what happens if you do.

A replacement will cost you around $100, and will restore the Mac to full capacity.

 

[nickandre21]

does the laptop work on battery backup? if it does you can use it but a service battery warning comes up if there is an issue with the battery. A replace battery warning comes if the battery is depleted or near depletion.

 

[Ricanlegend]

I just noticed today that my 2009 MBP has a Service Battery notification on the battery menu. Is this anything to be truly concerned about? I don't relish the idea of paying for a new battery install on a 4 year old machine. I'm a college student and need a reliable laptop that won't die on me.

I guess you never calibrated your battery cause I have a 2009 15 inch MacBook pro around 350 cycles with a battery health 90%

 

[KUguardgrl13]

I guess you never calibrated your battery cause I have a 2009 15 inch MacBook pro around 350 cycles with a battery health 90%

Battery calibration?

 

[niteflyr]

http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1490

 

[KUguardgrl13]

Given it's age and the number of cycles, you only have one option. Change the battery. If it's not showing any adverse signs of swelling etc, then you can happily continue to use it on the power cord, but if you want portability, then anew battery is the way to go.

Don't be tempted to try and save money by using a non Apple replacement either, a search of these boards will reveal what happens if you do.

A replacement will cost you around $100, and will restore the Mac to full capacity.

I don't see any signs of swelling yet. At a full charge i can get 5 1/2 hours. I try to use the power cord at home and elsewhere when i can. At this point it's more of an annoyance that I have to charge it a bit in between classes. I had noticed decreased battery life over the last year or so, but I wanted to make sure the Service Battery warning isn't going to mean imminent explosion.

Unfortunately the root of this is I've had a habit lately of leaving it asleep in my bag for a couple days without plugging it in, and sometimes it's completely dead when I come back to it. Just a few weeks ago it was at 80% health and 400 cycles.

 

[niteflyr]

does the laptop work on battery backup? if it does you can use it but a service battery warning comes up if there is an issue with the battery. A replace battery warning comes if the battery is depleted or near depletion.

^^^^
This
Battery conditions:

http://support.apple.com/kb/PH11205

 

[webworks415]

I have a mid 2009 MBP also with 200 battery cycles on it...The message popped up for me every once in a while and I thought I might have damaged the battery from using it plugged in 80% of the time. I took it to the Genius bar at the Apple store and the guy inspected it and it turned out to be nothing. He reset the pram and it seemed to improve battery life also. It doesn't hurt to take it to the Apple store and see if it's an issue.

 

[KUguardgrl13]

http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1490

I have the mid-2009 MBP with the non-removable battery.

 

[GGJstudios]

I just noticed today that my 2009 MBP has a Service Battery notification on the battery menu. Is this anything to be truly concerned about? I don't relish the idea of paying for a new battery install on a 4 year old machine. I'm a college student and need a reliable laptop that won't die on me.

While it can also indicate a problem with the battery, the "Service Battery" indicator comes on automatically when your battery health drops below 80%. If it's still working you don't have to replace it, unless it's no longer holding sufficient charge to meet your needs.

I guess you never calibrated your battery cause I have a 2009 15 inch MacBook pro around 350 cycles with a battery health 90%

The built-in batteries in the newer Mac unibody notebooks come pre-calibrated and do not require regular calibration like the removable batteries in older Apple notebooks.

 

[kess143]

I have a mid-2010 macbook pro with 645 cycles and its still at 82% health.

 

[Vanilla35]

I don't see any signs of swelling yet. At a full charge i can get 5 1/2 hours. I try to use the power cord at home and elsewhere when i can. At this point it's more of an annoyance that I have to charge it a bit in between classes. I had noticed decreased battery life over the last year or so, but I wanted to make sure the Service Battery warning isn't going to mean imminent explosion.

Unfortunately the root of this is I've had a habit lately of leaving it asleep in my bag for a couple days without plugging it in, and sometimes it's completely dead when I come back to it. Just a few weeks ago it was at 80% health and 400 cycles.

This isn't a solution but the reason why your maximum capacity has been dwarfed could be due to keeping it in your backpack with severe heat. I know that during the summer a laptop sitting in your backpack for 2 days can be killer. The thing shouldn't die after being asleep with 80% battery for 2 days. Something is wrong, aka I'm thinking excess heat. It would explain the killing of your battery's health overall too.

 

[KUguardgrl13]

This isn't a solution but the reason why your maximum capacity has been dwarfed could be due to keeping it in your backpack with severe heat. I know that during the summer a laptop sitting in your backpack for 2 days can be killer. The thing shouldn't die after being asleep with 80% battery for 2 days. Something is wrong, aka I'm thinking excess heat. It would explain the killing of your battery's health overall too.

Could be excessive heat and cold then. I don't leave it outside, but it has sat in my car for a few hours in both heat and cold.

There was also a period when I was traveling and didn't take it with me. It was shut down on full charge for about four months. That was back in 2010.

 

[Vanilla35]

Could be excessive heat and cold then. I don't leave it outside, but it has sat in my car for a few hours in both heat and cold.

There was also a period when I was traveling and didn't take it with me. It was shut down on full charge for about four months. That was back in 2010.

Yeah regardless of whether your computer is on or not sitting in the trunk of a car when it's 80+ degrees out is gonna be seriously bad for the battery. A few of these bad habits and I wouldn't be surprised if the maximum capacity was lowered to what yours is over time. I'm not saying you've been doing all the wrong things, but if you have, then this shouldn't come as a surprise.

I did it with one of my cell phones once back in the day, it had like 3 out of 4 bars of battery (lol) and when I came back 2 hours later it was just about to die. This is pre-smart phone. Batteries of all kinds say not to expose to extreme temperatures of xx and xx in both directions. Idk how durable the MBP battery is but seems to be average, so you've got to be careful.

There was also a period when I was traveling and didn't take it with me. It was shut down on full charge for about four months. That was back in 2010.

If it was in your house or something with normal temperatures that shouldn't have been a problem.

 

[KUguardgrl13]

If it was in your house or something with normal temperatures that shouldn't have been a problem.

It was in my parents' house, so I guess it wasn't that.

I'm not surprised that a 4 year old machine isn't perfect anymore. I was just worried that something would go terribly wrong.

 

[iPhonesandMacs]

I have the mid-2009 MBP with the non-removable battery.

the battery is still removable, just have to take off the bottom panel, and then remove the cable and two screws holding the battery in.

 

[KUguardgrl13]

the battery is still removable, just have to take off the bottom panel, and then remove the cable and two screws holding the battery in.

It's not removable like the white MacBook or the pre-unibody MacBook Pro. Apple calls it "non-removable." Since I'm no expert I don't plan on removing it myself.

 

[iPhonesandMacs]

It's not removable like the white MacBook or the pre-unibody MacBook Pro. Apple calls it "non-removable." Since I'm no expert I don't plan on removing it myself.

Don't need to be one:

http://www.ifixit.com/Guide/Installing+MacBook+Pro+13-Inch+Unibody+Mid+2009+Battery/1332/1

 

[KUguardgrl13]

Don't need to be one:

http://www.ifixit.com/Guide/Installing+MacBook+Pro+13-Inch+Unibody+Mid+2009+Battery/1332/1

If you know what a spudger is...

I don't think it's worth the money/effort on a 4 year old machine that may be replaced anyway. After 3 hard drives the battery is the least of my worries.

 

[iPhonesandMacs]

If you know what a spudger is...

I don't think it's worth the money/effort on a 4 year old machine that may be replaced anyway. After 3 hard drives the battery is the least of my worries.

spudger is just them trying to sell you their tools. you can use your fingernail. $100 for a battery. You can sell it for more with a new battery if you do replace it.

 

[KUguardgrl13]

Just a few weeks later, and I'm back up to 80% health, although I've gone through a few more cycles. Lately I've been leaving it on the charger while at home and not using it very often with the battery.

 

[GGJstudios]

Just a few weeks later, and I'm back up to 80% health, although I've gone through a few more cycles. Lately I've been leaving it on the charger while at home and not using it very often with the battery.

Whether you run more on battery or AC power, it is perfectly normal that your battery health fluctuates up and down over time. The gradual decline is not in a straight line downward, and it may decline more rapidly at some times and slower at others. For further details, read the CHECKING STATUS AND HEALTH section of the following link.

​

The link below should answer most, if not all, of your battery/charging questions. If you haven't already done so, I highly recommend you take the time to read it.

Apple Notebook Battery FAQ​